Two rounds of thunderstorms impacted Middle Tennessee on August 9-10, 2023. The first round of thunderstorms moved into the area during the early afternoon hours of August 9th with the strongest thunderstorms favoring areas south of Interstate 40.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.
Two rounds of thunderstorms impacted Middle Tennessee on August 9-10, 2023. The first round of thunderstorms moved into the area during the early afternoon hours of August 9th with the strongest thunderstorms favoring areas south of Interstate 40. This activity was responsible for downing a few trees in Lawrence County. The second round of thunderstorms impacted Middle Tennessee late on August 9th and into the early morning hours of the 10th with a couple more fallen trees reported. Despite an unseasonable amount of wind shear, the atmosphere was likely too stable to produce widespread severe thunderstorms.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 9, 1:13 PM CST, 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 213 PM CDT Wed Aug 9 2023 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .SHORT TERM... (This afternoon through Tonight) Issued at 126 PM CDT Wed Aug 9 2023 Key messages for today and tonight's severe weather threat: 1. Still two rounds of severe weather possible. The first round is now through about 6PM with the second round in the 9PM to 3AM time frame. 2. Lots of uncertainty in regards to the severity of these storms still exists. For this afternoon, the highest severe weather threat favors the southwest while the entire area has a chance for severe weather overnight. 3. Damaging straight-line winds of 60-70 mph are the primary threat. A tornado or two can't be ruled out overnight. Large hail and localized flooding are also possible. 4. This is an overnight event. That means have multiple, reliable ways to receive warnings that will wake you up in the event a warning is issued for your area! Now for the details: Satellite imagery this afternoon shows a shortwave moving across our area at this time with a deeper trough forming over the central Great Plains. A line of thunderstorms developed a couple of hours earlier than CAMs originally depicted which bumped up our own timing for this first round. Unfortunately, radar trends haven't lent any confidence to the evolving severe weather threat. The thunderstorms have been steadily weakening as they marched towards the TN River with the strongest thunderstorms becoming focused towards the south where mesoanalysis indicates greater instability along a warm front to our south. Given this, this afternoon's severe weather threat has become more focused to our south. A Severe Weather Watch was issued for our southern counties which is in effect through 8 PM. Damaging winds and large hail will be the primary threat with this first round. Elsewhere, a lot of rain is moving into the area with even more on the way as seen by radar to our west. With this and the given cloud cover, the biggest question is still if our atmosphere can recover in time for tonight's MCS. As the previously mentioned deeper trough moves into Arkansas/Missouri, a line of thunderstorms will develop late this evening and quickly move into Middle TN through early morning. The best time frame for this second round of severe weather may start as early as 9PM across our western counties and continue through about 3AM as it marches eastward towards the Plateau. An unseasonable amount of wind shear will be present tonight as a LLJ strengthens to about 40-50 knots and mid-level winds increase as well. Forecast soundings and hodographs show curved hodographs and 0-1km SRH values exceeding 300 m2/s2. So while there is the question of whether or not the atmosphere can recover, this shear may be more than enough to keep our severe weather threat ongoing overnight. Damaging straight- line winds will remain the primary threat, but a tornado threat will also exist along this line before things come to end during the early morning hours. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through next Wednesday) Issued at 126 PM CDT Wed Aug 9 2023 While our severe weather threat tapers off by the early morning hours of Thursday, lingering showers and thunderstorms will continue until drier air moves in behind a front during the afternoon. Lesser storm chances are in the forecast for Friday as dry air remains, but storm chances trend back up this weekend as southerly surface flow returns and a couple of shortwaves track through the area. An additional round of thunderstorms is expected on Monday as a stronger system passes to our north, but once it sends a cold front through the area, the mid-week period looks pleasant with drier conditions and cooler temperatures. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1236 PM CDT Wed Aug 9 2023 At the moment a MCS is crossing the Tennessee River. This system will begin entering CKV/BNA/MQY's taf site between 18Z-19Z and for CSV/MQY after 23Z . There may be periods of heavy precip and frequent lightning bringing conditions down to IFR. A second round of storms is expected after 05Z which will bring gustier winds up to 40KTS possible in the heaviest portions of the system. The second system should clear out in the morning, but ceilings may remain low with a few scattered showers. Winds will be mostly southwesterly around and below 10KTs. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 70 84 71 89 / 90 50 10 10 Clarksville 70 84 68 89 / 90 40 10 10 Crossville 65 76 64 82 / 90 70 20 30 Columbia 69 83 69 88 / 80 50 30 20 Cookeville 67 79 67 83 / 90 80 20 20 Jamestown 65 76 66 82 / 90 70 30 20 Lawrenceburg 68 81 69 87 / 80 60 40 20 Murfreesboro 69 84 69 89 / 90 60 20 20 Waverly 68 83 67 87 / 90 40 10 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Clements LONG TERM....Clements AVIATION.....Shamburger
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:01 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe thunderstorm winds downed trees along Thornton Lane in Saint Joseph. Damages are a rough estimate.
Severe thunderstorm winds downed a 12-inch diameter tree near Ward Road and Busby Road in Loretto. Damages are a rough estimate.
A large cedar tree was downed on Ellendale Drive in Brentwood. Damages are a rough estimate.
Thunderstorm winds caused a tree to fall on a home near Sparta. Damages are a rough estimate.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, August 2023
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1107158, 1107162, 1107166, 1107167.