After a very dry April, conditions improved for Middle Tennessee during May 2026. The second half of the month was particularly active with above normal precipitable water values resulting in daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms.
Every event with a place to put it; 38 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
After a very dry April, conditions improved for Middle Tennessee during May 2026. The second half of the month was particularly active with above normal precipitable water values resulting in daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms. By the end of the month, most of Middle Tennessee received 5 to 10 inches of beneficial rainfall with the highest amounts falling over the southern and eastern half of the area. Most of Middle Tennessee received 75 to over 100 percent of monthly normal precipitation. This rain did help improve drought conditions. By the end of the month, about 34 percent of the area was classified as at least severe drought - an improvement from 100 percent in April. About 5 percent of this was classified as extreme drought which was down from about 38 percent in April.
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 Apr 30, 11:15 PM CST, 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 1215 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1214 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026 - Dry and cooler weather persists through the weekend with only a low rain chance for southern Middle TN Friday night. - Medium chances for showers and thunderstorms return Tuesday into Wednesday. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Friday Night) Issued at 1028 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 A quiet night is ahead for Middle TN as cooler and drier air remains in place, allowing for overnight temperatures to fall into in the mid and upper-40s. This calm weather remains in place Friday with these below normal temperatures persisting as we start the month of May. Temperatures will warm into the upper-60s to low-70s by the afternoon. There is a surface low along the Gulf Coast that will bring a low chance for light rain mainly across southern Middle TN and the Plateau Friday night. However, any showers that do develop are not expected to be impactful with rain amounts only amounting to a couple hundredths. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday through next Friday) Issued at 1028 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Any light rain from the Gulf Coast disturbance will come to an end Saturday morning, and then we're in for a gorgeous weekend. There is a dry cold front that dives south through the area Saturday, providing a slight cooldown. Highs on Saturday will mainly be in the low to mid-60s, but will warm to near 70 for most on Sunday. Temperatures will warm back to near normal values for the start of the work week. As beneficial as this week's rain was to our drought situation, we do still need more. For our next appreciable chance for rain, that will come Tuesday into Wednesday as a low pressure system approaches from the west. Lots of model variability regarding detail and timing, but for now, rain chances are generally in the 40-60% range. This system will send a cold front through in the Wednesday or Thursday time frame, giving us a drier and cooler end to next week. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1214 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026 VFR conditions through the TAF period with mid to high level clouds. Light winds under 3 knots overnight increasing out of the north up to 10 knots after 15z. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 70 46 66 42 / 0 10 0 0 Clarksville 68 44 65 41 / 0 0 10 0 Crossville 67 42 60 35 / 0 10 0 0 Columbia 70 46 67 39 / 0 10 0 0 Cookeville 67 44 62 37 / 0 10 0 0 Jamestown 67 40 61 35 / 0 0 0 0 Lawrenceburg 70 46 65 39 / 0 10 0 0 Murfreesboro 70 46 66 40 / 0 10 0 0 Waverly 68 45 66 41 / 0 0 10 0 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Clements LONG TERM....Clements AVIATION.....Mueller
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
38 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe to extreme drought conditions across Cumberland County from April 2026 continued in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Stewart County from April 2026 improved to severe drought conditions in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Montgomery County from April 2026 improved to severe drought conditions across most of the county in May. Northeast Montgomery County remained in extreme drought.
Extreme drought conditions across Perry County from April 2026 improved in May. Severe drought conditions were present across the northern half of the county with moderate drought conditions across the south.
Severe to extreme drought conditions across Wayne County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Houston County from April 2026 improved to severe drought in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Humphreys County from April 2026 improved to severe drought in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Dickson County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Hickman County from April 2026 improved to severe drought in May.
Severe to extreme drought conditions across Lewis County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Lawrence County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Extreme drought conditions across Robertson County from April 2026 continued to May. Southern portions of the county did improve to severe drought.
Extreme drought conditions across Cheatham County from April 2026 improved in May. Northern portions of the county improved to severe drought with southern portions improving to moderate drought.
Extreme drought conditions across Sumner County from April 2026 improved in May. Northern portions of the county improved to severe drought with southern portions improving to moderate drought.
Extreme drought conditions across Davidson County from April 2026 improved in May. A majority of the county improved to moderate drought with just far northern portions of Davidson County improving to severe drought.
Severe to extreme drought conditions across Williamson County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Maury County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Giles County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Extreme to severe drought conditions across Macon County from April 2026 improved in May. Northern portions of the county improved to severe drought with southern portions of the county improving to moderate drought.
Severe drought conditions across Trousdale County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe to extreme drought conditions across Wilson County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Rutherford County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Marshall County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Bedford County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Coffee County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Cannon County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across DeKalb County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Smith County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Clay County from April 2026 continued in May.
Severe drought conditions across Jackson County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Putnam County from April 2026 improved in May. Most of the county improved to moderate drought, but severe drought conditions persisted for far eastern portions of Putnam County.
Severe drought conditions across Warren County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Grundy County from April 2026 improved to moderate drought in May.
Severe drought conditions across Van Buren County from April 2026 improved in May. The western half of the county improved to moderate drought with severe drought conditions persisting across the eastern half of Van Buren County.
Severe drought conditions across White County from April 2026 improved in May. The western half of the county improved to moderate drought with severe drought conditions persisting across the eastern half of White County.
Severe drought conditions across Pickett County from April 2026 continued in May.
Severe drought conditions across Overton County from April 2026 continued in May.
Severe drought conditions across Fentress County from April 2026 continued in May. Far southern portions of the county worsened to extreme drought conditions.
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, May 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: 1328600, 1328601, 1328605, 1328607, 1328608, 1328609, 1328610, 1328611, 1328612, 1328613, 1328615, 1328616, 1328617, 1328619, 1328620, 1328621, 1328622, 1328623, 1328624, 1328625, 1328626, 1328627, 1328628, 1328629, 1328630, 1328631, 1328634, 1328635, 1328636, 1328637, 1328638, 1328639, 1328640, 1328641, 1328643, 1328644, 1328645, 1328646.