Tennessee, 2023

Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 30 to 31, 2023

January 30 to 31, 2023 · NWS MEG · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

An arctic airmass settled over the Mid-South from late January into early February with a front stalled just south of the region. A series of upper-level disturbances overrunning that arctic air resulted in three rounds of wintry precipitation with some significant tree and powerline damage.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

An arctic airmass settled over the Mid-South from late January into early February with a front stalled just south of the region. A series of upper-level disturbances overrunning that arctic air resulted in three rounds of wintry precipitation with some significant tree and powerline damage. Travel was also impacted across the Mid-South. The first round started late on January 30th and continued until the morning of January 31st. Heavy sleet fell across the northern tier of the Mid-South from northeast Arkansas into the Missouri Bootheel and northwest Tennessee. Heavy freezing rain fell across parts of east-central Arkansas with lighter amounts into West Tennessee along the I-40 corridor. Round two moved into the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening of January 31st with sleet along and north of the Tennessee/Mississippi state line, heaviest across the Memphis metropolitan area, and light freezing rain across extreme northern Mississippi. The third round started on the evening of February 1st and ended on the morning of February 2nd. Freezing rain spread across areas along and south of the Interstate 40 corridor including east-central Arkansas, northwest Mississippi, and southwest Tennessee. This round resulted in numerous power outages across east-central Arkansas, northwest Mississippi, and southwest Tennessee. There was significant tree damage across extreme northwest Mississippi.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 winter storm, 2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lake

When
January 30, 6:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
36.335, -89.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over one-half inch of sleet fell.

Winter Storm, Obion

When
January 30, 6:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Obion forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
36.358, -89.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over one-half inch of sleet fell.

Winter Storm, Shelby

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Tipton

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Tipton forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.497, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Lauderdale

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.761, -89.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Dyer

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Dyer forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.059, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Fayette

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.197, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Haywood

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Haywood forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.583, -89.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Gibson

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Gibson forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.997, -88.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Weakley

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Weakley forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.298, -88.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Crockett

When
January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Crockett forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.814, -89.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Henry

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.332, -88.301 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Carroll

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.973, -88.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by about one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Madison

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by less than one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Hardeman

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by less than one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Chester

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Chester forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.422, -88.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by less than one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Henderson

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.654, -88.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by less than one-half inch of sleet.

Winter Storm, Benton

When
January 30, 9:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Benton forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
36.070, -88.068 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around a one-tenth inch of freezing rain fell followed by less than one-half inch of sleet.

Ice Storm, Decatur

When
January 31, 3:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where
Decatur forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.603, -88.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one-tenth of an inch of freezing rain fell.

Ice Storm, McNairy

When
January 31, 3:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
Where
McNairy forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
35.175, -88.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one-tenth of an inch of freezing rain fell.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, January 2023

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1079740, 1079741, 1079985, 1079986, 1079987, 1079988, 1079993, 1079994, 1079995, 1079996, 1080656, 1079997, 1079998, 1079999, 1080000, 1080001, 1080002, 1080003, 1080609, 1080610.