A midlevel shortwave lifted north through East Tennessee on May 24th, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. Repeated bouts of heavy rain affected Knox and Loudon counties, producing some flash flooding in the South Knoxville and Loudon areas respectively.
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 MRX wrote it up.
A midlevel shortwave lifted north through East Tennessee on May 24th, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. Repeated bouts of heavy rain affected Knox and Loudon counties, producing some flash flooding in the South Knoxville and Loudon areas respectively. Additionally, a severe thunderstorm occurred in Hamilton County.
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 24, 2:07 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Morristown TN
307 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026
...New DISCUSSION...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 253 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026
- Numerous to widespread showers and storms are expected this
afternoon. Isolated flooding and gusty winds are the primary
concerns with the strongest activity.
- Daily chances of showers and storms exist each day through the
forecast period.
- Conditions will also be humid with no relief in sight until
possibly next weekend.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 253 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026
H3 ridging is in place over the southeastern CONUS, with an upper
low having developed over the southern plains. This setup continues
to promote enhanced diffluence aloft among an airmass with highly
anomalous moisture availability. Latest mesoscale analysis suggest
PWAT values of 1.5 to 1.7 inches, which is well into the 90th
percentile per sounding climatology for KBNA. With an MCV expected
to work north/northeast this afternoon and evening, have decided to
introduce a short-fused Flash Flood Watch. Latest 12Z suite and
hourly runs of CAMs all generally have some variation of swaths of 2
to 4 inch rainfall totals... locations more so isolated and
variable. With 1hr FFGs ranging from 1.8 to as low as 1.2 inches,
and 3 hr FFGs largely 1.5-2.0 inches, isolated flash flooding will
be conditional on training areas of moderate to heavy precipitation.
Overall, the highest confidence of isolated flash flooding is for
areas south of I-40 and along and west of I-75. It is also possible
to see some locally gusty winds under the strongest convection.
Bulk of the rain gradually wanes southwest to northeast tonight,
with the potential for some breezy winds in the mountains as slight
enhancement to roughly 25-30kts is expected in the southerly H85
flow. Best chance for some lingering morning Memorial Day showers
will be in the far northeast. A vort max will promote development of
additional showers and storms Monday afternoon and evening as upper
diffluence and anomalous PWAT values remain in place. Some
additional isolated flooding issues may arise during this time as
well, but confidence is a little lower as the CAMs have not been in
the greatest agreement on how well activity holds together or how
great the coverage is. This is why the Flash Flood Watch was not
carried through tomorrow evening, allowing us to keep monitoring and
assessing new data as it comes through.
Overall, no significant change is expected in the synoptic pattern
as we head into the mid-week. Daily chances of showers and storms
will continue, and that may come with some flooding concerns
partially conditional on how exactly the previous days activity pans
out. There is also no standout threat for any strong to severe
storms, but with such anomalous PWAT content, heaviest downpours can
also lead to locally gusty winds due to precip loading.
Some models are hinting that a front could push to our south late in
the period, with drier air moving into our area sometime next
weekend. However, there is no consensus on this scenario for now
and the ensemble approach of the NBM shows showers and storms
again both days, albeit, PoPs trending a bit lower by Sunday.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026
Unsettled pattern continues with additional showers and storms
moving into the area this afternoon and evening. Maintain
predominant MVFR conditions at KCHA based on latest sfc obs and
radar trends, but there may be a period where they transition to
low VFR for a few before returning to MVFR again tomorrow
morning. Different from previous nights, HREF probs of MVFR or
cigs increase to the 40-70% range for TYS/TRI Monday morning, so
have included a transition to MVFR conditions at those sites as
well. There will be the potential to have some fog or br develop
due to saturated PBL tonight, but due to expected cloud cover,
confidence not high enough to include a mention at this time.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Chattanooga Airport, TN 65 78 65 81 / 70 90 70 90
Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, TN 65 78 64 81 / 90 80 70 90
Oak Ridge, TN 63 77 63 80 / 80 80 70 90
Tri Cities Airport, TN 61 77 61 81 / 80 80 80 90
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Monday for Cherokee-Clay.
TN...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT /1 AM CDT/ Monday for Anderson-
Bledsoe-Blount Smoky Mountains-Bradley-Campbell-Claiborne-
Cocke Smoky Mountains-East Polk-Grainger-Hamblen-Hamilton-
Hancock-Hawkins-Jefferson-Johnson-Knox-Loudon-Marion-McMinn-
Meigs-Morgan-North Sevier-Northwest Blount-Northwest Carter-
Northwest Cocke-Northwest Greene-Northwest Monroe-Rhea-
Roane-Scott TN-Sequatchie-Sevier Smoky Mountains-Southeast
Carter-Southeast Greene-Southeast Monroe-Sullivan-Unicoi-
Union-Washington TN-West Polk.
VA...Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT Monday for Lee-Russell-Scott VA-
Washington VA-Wise.
&&
DISCUSSION...KRS
AVIATION...KRSHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Morristown TN 307 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-251915- 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- 307 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026 /207 PM CDT Sun May 24 2026/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest North Carolina...east Tennessee and southwest Virginia. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Showers and thunderstorms can be expected today, and a few may have strong wind gusts and locally heavy downpours that could lead to localized flooding. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Additional showers and thunderstorms are expected Monday. Once again, a few may have strong wind gusts and heavy downpours that could result in localized flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not needed at this time.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:11 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Powerlines were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts.
Several trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts across the county.
Public reported several roads flooded in the Loudon area.
Knoxville PD shared a picture on social media of Chapman Highway in South Knoxville. The picture showed the road covered with water and impassable, with a car being assisted out of the floodwaters.
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: 1338661, 1338660, 1335979, 1335980.