A decaying mesoscale convective system brought damaging straight line winds to the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau before dissipation.
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The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.
A decaying mesoscale convective system brought damaging straight line winds to the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau before dissipation.
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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 5:35 PM EST, 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Morristown TN 635 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 ...New AVIATION... .UPDATE... Issued at 539 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 Update to increase the chance of showers and thunderstorms across much of east Tennessee and southwest Virginia, especially along and north of interstate 40, for this evening. An area of storms are quickly moving east toward the northern Plateau. High winds will be the greatest threat from these storms with marginal severe hail be possible as well. OHX radar shows over 50kt winds with the storms heading into the northern Plateau. DCAPE values of 900+ and Derecho Composite Parameter of 2. As the storms move across the Plateau toward the northern half of Tennessee and southwest Virginia we expect them to weaken. Airmass is quite a bit less unstable. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday) Issued at 308 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 Key Messages: 1. A few strong to maringally severe storms possible in the northern Plateau this evening. 2. Another round of potentially strong to severe storms is expected Thursday from late morning through early afternoon, mainly north of I-40. Potential for training storms will pose a flooding threat. Discussion: A line of strong to severe storms streches along a pre-frontal trough from central KY to West TN. Mesoanalysis of the region shows a much les favorable environment for severe over our area, with CIN keeping convection capped and weak deep layer shear. The HRRR and ARW are in good agreement with the progression of storms across Middle TN through the afternoon, and show them reaching our Plateau counties around 00-01Z. By the time they reach I-75, the storms weaken quickly and have virtually dissipated before reaching Tri- Cities. The forecast for the evening will have likely PoPs only in Morgan/Scott counties, dropping to a chance in SW VA and NE TN by midnight. This activity should end around 06-08Z once the shortwave trough exits, but another stronger trough will be approaching from the west. Convection is expected to develop tomorrow morning to our west in association with this trough and upper jet streak. The CAMS are not in good agreement on the details of the evolution of this convection, but the general trend appears to be showers and thunderstorms moving into the Plateau area during the mid to late morning hours, about 12-16Z, and crossing the TN Valley through the early afternoon. Some additional development may occur behind this initial activity during the mid to late afternoon. Given the model disagreements, PoPs have been cut back from categorical, except in SW VA where confidence is highest. CAPE values of will support some strong to severe storms, but deep shear is rather weak. A marginal wind threat is possible, and given the unidirectional winds and expected storms in the same area this evening, training of storms may pose a threat of flooding in some isolated locations. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Wednesday) Issued at 308 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 Key Messages: 1. An unsettled period with multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms for the period. 2. Some of the storms may be strong to severe at times, with the higher chances for severe storms looking like the weekend and possibly into Monday. Localized flooding will also be possible. Discussion: The period begins with flat ridging over the Gulf and a series of upper lows over the northern plains. These conflicting sets of features will meet overhead, contributing to disturbances that will move in the zonal flow over us to bring convection-triggering convective rounds for the rest of this week. By Sunday, that northern parade of troughs will orient somewhat further south, and begin the process of what will become a deepening Great Lakes upper low which will usher a cold-frontal line of convection through the area around Monday morning. This frontal convection might be the primary risk for organized severe convection for the period...otherwise a little something here or there is possible on other days. No day in particular has impressive QPF, but the repeated rainfall will tilt the risk of excessive rainfall and localized flooding upward by week's end, and that will probably carry over through the frontal passage event Monday morning. Afterward, that 500MB low over the Great Lakes will deepen as it slowly rolls eastward, and we look to end up on the northwest-flow side of an omega-pattern central U.S. ridge. This will create potential for additional disturbance-driven rounds of scattered precip Tuesday and Wednesday, moreso around VA, before the blocking && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 632 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 A line of showers and thunderstorms will move into the TRI and TYS airports this evening. These storms will be weakening as the atmosphere is more stable across the Tennessee valley. The storms may move just north of the CHA airport. For the rest of tonight, convection will move east and weaken by midnight with plenty of clouds remaining mainly VFR conditions but can not rule out a potential of scattered 1 kft clouds. For Thursday, scattered convection will redevelop especially in the afternoon at all TAF sites. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Chattanooga Airport, TN 68 86 67 83 / 20 30 40 60 Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, TN 67 80 64 79 / 60 60 50 70 Oak Ridge, TN 66 80 63 79 / 70 60 50 70 Tri Cities Airport, TN 63 78 61 79 / 30 80 50 70 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DH LONG TERM....GC AVIATION...DH
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Morristown TN 313 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-232000- Cherokee-Clay-Scott TN-Campbell-Claiborne-Hancock-Hawkins- Sullivan-Johnson-Morgan-Anderson-Union-Grainger-Hamblen- Northwest Cocke-Cocke Smoky Mountains-Northwest Greene- Southeast Greene-Washington TN-Unicoi-Northwest Carter- Southeast Carter-Roane-Loudon-Knox-Jefferson-Northwest Blount- Blount Smoky Mountains-North Sevier-Sevier Smoky Mountains- Sequatchie-Bledsoe-Rhea-Meigs-McMinn-Northwest Monroe- Southeast Monroe-Marion-Hamilton-Bradley-West Polk-East Polk-Lee- Wise-Scott VA-Russell-Washington VA- 313 PM EDT Wed May 22 2024 /213 PM CDT Wed May 22 2024/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest North Carolina...east Tennessee and southwest Virginia. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A few strong to marginally severe storms are possible this evening in the northern Cumberland Plateau. Damaging wind gusts will be the main threat from these storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday There will be multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms moving through during the Thursday through Monday time frame. Some of these storms may become strong to severe at times, with strong gusty winds and hail the primary threats. In addition, repeated or prolonged periods of heavy rainfall may produce localized flooding in a few locations. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter reports may be needed at times during the Thursday through Monday time frame.
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:32 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down by straight line severe thunderstorm wind gusts. Additionally, small pea sized hail was observed during the storm.
Several trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts across the county.
Several trees were blown down by powerful thunderstorm wind gusts.
Several trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, May 2024
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: 1178404, 1178405, 1178407, 1178408.