Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 28, 2026

Name: Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 28, 2026
Start: 2026-05-28T05:05
End: 2026-05-28T11:30
Location: Tennessee

May 28, 2026 · NWS MRX · 8 events in 1 county or zone

Training thunderstorms affected Cocke county during the overnight and pre-dawn hours on May 28th. The result was numerous reports of flooding across the county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 8

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 MRX wrote it up.

Training thunderstorms affected Cocke county during the overnight and pre-dawn hours on May 28th. The result was numerous reports of flooding across the county.

What forecasters said that day

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 28, 12:42 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 28, 12:42 AM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, May 28, 12:48 AM EST, 4 hours 17 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Morristown TN
148 AM EDT Thu May 28 2026

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-
005-006-008-290600-
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-
148 AM EDT Thu May 28 2026 /1248 AM CDT Thu May 28 2026/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest North
Carolina...east Tennessee and southwest Virginia.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday

The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not needed at this time.

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 22 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 5:05 AM EST to 8:05 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 0.7 mi E of Holttown to 0.99 mi NW of Bybee
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: State Official
Coordinates: 36.078, -83.188

Flooding on highway 160.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 0.15 mi NW of Bybee to 0.63 mi S of Bybee
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: State Official
Coordinates: 36.051, -83.182

Several roads reported flooded in North Cocke County.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 6:30 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 0.57 mi WSW of Bybee to 1.48 mi NNE of Irish Cut
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 36.046, -83.189

Highway 160 closed at Bybee Road and Fowler Grove Road.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 7:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 1.67 mi NW of Parrottsville to 1.18 mi WNW of Parrottsville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.017, -83.101

Dozens of social media photos of flooded roads and rapid moving water around and north of Parrottsville.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 7:13 AM EST to 10:13 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 0.69 mi N of Long Creek to 0.14 mi NE of Long Creek
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.990, -83.031

Rapid moving water over Happy Hollow Road and Peanut Road.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 7:20 AM EST to 10:20 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 1.28 mi NW of Parrottsville to 0.97 mi WNW of Parrottsville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.012, -83.097

Personal weather station measured 4.80 inches of rain, with significant flooding of driveway noted as well.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 7:30 AM EST to 10:30 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 1.31 mi WNW of Parrottsville to 0.99 mi W of Parrottsville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.010, -83.100

A business was inundated with water from thunderstorms.

Flash Flood, Cocke

When: May 28, 8:30 AM EST to 11:30 AM EST
Where: Cocke County, 0.48 mi W of Bybee to 1.15 mi S of Bybee
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.050, -83.189

Multiple houses flooded in and around the Bybee area.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, May 2026

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1336265, 1336266, 1336282, 1336284, 1336286, 1336293, 1336294, 1336298.