A boundary situated just south of the Tennessee and Alabama state line on February 26, 2026, was the focus for thunderstorm development during the evening hours. Most thunderstorm activity remained in north Alabama, however, one rogue thunderstorm traveled east-northeast in southern Lawrence and Giles counties where it produced quarter size hail and minor wind damage.
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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.
A boundary situated just south of the Tennessee and Alabama state line on February 26, 2026, was the focus for thunderstorm development during the evening hours. Most thunderstorm activity remained in north Alabama, however, one rogue thunderstorm traveled east-northeast in southern Lawrence and Giles counties where it produced quarter size hail and minor wind damage.
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 Feb 26, 6:35 PM CST, 54 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 635 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 ...New UPDATE... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 628 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 - Awesome weekend ahead with afternoon highs 10-15 degrees above normal and no rain. - Medium chance for rain Sunday night into Monday with an unsettled weather pattern through mid-week. && .UPDATE... Issued at 628 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 The surface boundary that brought widespread rain to Middle Tennessee last night and earlier today has slipped to our south. There are still a few showers ongoing over northern Alabama, and it is still possible that a stray shower or two could slip across the state line into extreme southern Middle Tennessee this evening, but otherwise, we can look forward to decreasing cloudiness across the mid state, with overnight lows spanning the 30s to near 40 degrees. Tomorrow looks to be positively splendid, with afternoon temperatures reaching the 60s, mostly sunny skies and generally light wind. You won't get any better than that for late February. && .SHORT TERM... (Rest of today through Saturday Night) Issued at 1051 AM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 A quick look at observations across the area show our current cold front is almost completely through the area. The best news is the rain is gone. Mostly cloudy to overcast conditions remain and that should improve this afternoon. Many can expect the sun come out. Afternoon highs should top out in a luke-warm mid 50s (north) to mid 60s (south) with the coolest morning temperatures of this forecast package being tomorrow morning in the 30s. As far as the rain, that will be it for a couple of days. Friday and Saturday should be gloriously sunny to partly cloudy with highs 10 to 15 degrees above normal -- very spring-like. && .LONG TERM... (Sunday through next Thursday) Issued at 1051 AM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 Our next chance of precip arrives on Sunday and at this point, it likely won't be until Sunday night. As part of a mid-level wave that will come out of the central Plains on Sunday afternoon, at least a medium chance of showers will encompass the region. With northeasterly boundary layer flow in place and the time of year, it's worth taking a peek at whether there's *any* chance of wintry precip. Interestingly enough, the LREF and NBM show a 0-5% chance of getting 1 inch or more Sunday night and no, it's not April 1st. So, while I'm saying there's a chance, there really isn't one. There's a very high chance rain Sunday night into Monday will remain all liquid. What does begin is what looks to be a couple of days of unsettled weather across the region. There's at least a low chance of showers on Tuesday and then we start looking at a second-half-of-the-week system that both the GFS and Euro are showing in the center of the country. Synoptically, it's a dynamic system, but it may not reach us in that form as the front associated with it may fizzle out as the parent low pulls away. That's a week away, though. For now, let's enjoy these next couple of awesome weather days. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 520 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026 While VFR conditions prevail across most of Middle TN, MVFR cigs are still impacting CSV and SRB where cloud cover is slowly eroding away. Mostly clear skies will be in place overnight, but this will lead to fog concerns. Highest probability for fog is at CSV, but patchy fog is possible at the other TAF sites. Main time period for fog is between 09Z and 14Z. Any fog will diminish early Friday morning, leaving behind VFR conditions, clear skies, and light northerly winds. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 38 66 40 72 / 0 0 0 0 Clarksville 37 66 41 71 / 0 0 0 0 Crossville 36 63 38 67 / 0 0 0 0 Columbia 38 66 39 73 / 0 0 0 0 Cookeville 37 62 39 67 / 0 0 0 0 Jamestown 34 61 36 66 / 0 0 0 0 Lawrenceburg 38 66 39 72 / 10 0 0 0 Murfreesboro 38 66 37 72 / 0 0 0 0 Waverly 38 66 41 71 / 0 0 0 0 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && UPDATE.......Rose SHORT TERM...Unger LONG TERM....Unger AVIATION.....Clements
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:28 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor wind damage was reported along Appleton Road in far southeast Lawrence County. Damages are a rough estimate.
Quarter size hail was reported in Minor Hill.
Quarter size hail was reported along I-65 and TN-273 at exit 6.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, February 2026
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: 1308873, 1308871, 1308872.