Mark A. RoseMeteorologist
It’s almost springtime in Middle Tennessee, and the National Weather Service has just wrapped up Severe Weather Awareness Week. Spring traditionally brings the most active weather in our part of the nation, with some of the most significant severe weather outbreaks occurring during the period March through May.
This is the inaugural edition of Middle Tennessee Weather News, a quarterly publication which the National Weather Service Office in Old Hickory plans to use to communicate to the public, spotters, and emergency management officials what we are doing in the various communities we serve.
Our county warning and forecast area covers 42 counties in Tennessee, stretching from the Tennessee River to the Cumberland Plateau, and from the Kentucky state line to the Alabama border. We serve more than 2.1 million customers. You can find out more about us from our website at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx.
In this edition we will talk about new NOAA Weather Radio transmitters, the spring flood outlook, recent awards in our cooperative observer program, some climate facts, our new web design, and a new entity at our office - the Outreach Team.
Mark A. Rose
Meteorologist
The spring months of March, April, and May generally bring us our most active weather in Middle Tennessee. This three-month stretch is normally the wettest period of the year with a normal rainfall total of 13.87 inches at Nashville, 16.15 inches at Crossville. Most of our severe weather (damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes) also occurs during this period. Here are few memorable springtime events in Middle Tennessee’s history:
March 10, 2000 - EMA officials report 5½" of rain in 1½ hours in Lewisburg. Many roads are flooded, and 6 cars are damaged. Three feet of water covers some roads. Local Tennessee National Guard members assist in evacuating about 30 children from a day care center, which is flooded with 2½' of water.
April 3, 1974 - The Super Outbreak, perhaps the worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history, produces 148 tornadoes - with 24 confirmed tornadoes across Middle Tennessee, killing 54, and injuring another 655.
April 16, 1998 - Lawrence County experiences the first F5 tornado in Tennessee's history. Nashville is hit by 3 tornadoes, including an F3, which strikes downtown for the first time in more than 65 years. A total of 10 tornadoes are confirmed across Middle Tennessee. There are 4 fatalities across the mid state, with 105 injuries.
May 10, 1933 - An F4 tornado cuts a 20 mile path from Livingston to Byrdstown. Thirty-three of the 35 deaths are in Beatty Swamps, 6 miles north of Livingston. The twister destroys every home in the community, and kills or injures virtually every resident. This is the 2nd deadliest tornado ever to strike Middle Tennessee.
For additional Middle Tennessee climate information, please visit our climate page at www.srh.noaa.gov/OHX/climate.htm. There is enough information there to keep even the most extreme weather fanatic busy for quite some time.
Mark A. Rose
Meteorologist
Several new NOAA weather radio transmitters are coming to Middle Tennessee. There are seven planned sites, which include Centerville, Lobelville, Lafayette, Carthage, Spencer, Crossville, Winchester, and Cypress Inn. Most of these transmitters will be operational within the next year.
The NWS currently operates 6 transmitters across Middle Tennessee. They are located at Nashville, Beechgrove, Cookeville, Lawrenceburg, Waverly, and Clarksville. Despite the wide coverage, many places in the mid state do not receive a reliable signal, as the range of most transmitters is limited to around 40 miles. The additional transmitters will fill in most of the existing gaps, giving the NWS nearly 100% coverage in Middle Tennessee.
Also this spring or early summer, look for the NWS to upgrade its weather radio voice technology. You may have heard promo spots earlier this winter showcasing the two new voices, named “Donna” and “Craig.” These voices will make the broadcast sound more human, and less computerized.
NOAA Weather Radio is the fastest way to get your warnings. If you don’t own a weather radio, you should consider buying one. It may save your life someday. Broadcasts are continuous, and the cycle is interrupted during severe weather to broadcast watches, warnings, and supplemental statements. You can even purchase programmable weather radios, so you can be alerted for only those warnings affecting just the counties you choose.
For more information on the NOAA Weather Radio program in Middle Tennessee, check us out on the internet at www.srh.noaa.gov/OHX/nwr.htm.
Mark A. Rose
Meteorologist
The Middle Tennessee volunteer observer network continues to shine into the 21st Century! A John Campanius Holm Award was presented again this year to a family that exemplified the diligent and enthusiastic attitude of the Volunteer State. Geraldine Moore Young accepted the Award for the Moore family in a ceremony held at the Woodbury City Building. Mrs. Young’s father began taking observations in 1954 along with his wife, Eula. Geraldine took over the responsibility when her father passed away in 1971. Over the 47+ years of observations, the Moore family has >99% record of complete observations. Cannon County and the Town of Woodbury joined the NWS in honoring Geraldine and her family. Only 25 Holm Awards are presented annually. The NWS has more than 11,000 observers. (The NWS honored Mary King of Dover in 2000.) We also express condolences on the passing of Geraldine’s mother, Eula.
The NWS appreciates to all of you who have joined out network this past year. We now are a family of over 80 spread across 42 counties.
Ever wonder how your temperatures and precipitation data are used? Look on the back of any packet of seeds. The zones depicted for planting times and freeze dates are determined using your collected information. We have several observing sites that have records over 100 years.
January’s flooding was determined to be a 50-year occurrence in some of our southern counties. The information used to determine this was records kept by volunteer observers. Every time your hear that temperatures or rainfall are above or below normal, the standard is based on stations with 30+ years of data. Engineers use this data when building new roads, water treatment facilities, or new manufacturing plants. There are very few programs that affect residents across the country more than the Cooperative Observer Network.
Ralph Troutman
Data Acquisition Program Manager
February 22, 2002
The spring flood potential for Middle Tennessee is considered normal at this time.
Flood potential outlooks are routinely issued in late winter and spring. They are based on analysis of snow cover, river ice, soil moisture, river and stream levels, reservoir levels, and precipitation patterns.
Climatology suggests that excessive rain and flooding can occur during any season of the year across Middle Tennessee. However, they are most likely to occur during the late winter and spring. Rainfall patterns will be the primary factor in determining flooding In the future.
Across Middle Tennessee, no flooding was occurring. River and stream levels were running at near normal levels. There was no snow cover or river ice reported. Soil moisture content was slightly Higher than normal due to well above normal rainfall during January. Area reservoirs within the lower Cumberland River system and the Tennessee River system below Chattanooga were reporting 100% of available flood control storage.
The 30 day outlook calls for above normal temperatures and normal precipitation. The 90 day outlook calls for near normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.
This product is designed to give the public and emergency management officials an outlook on the long-term potential for flooding. The next spring flood potential outlook is scheduled for Friday, March 22, 2002.
Michael Murphy
Service Hydrologist
The Outreach Team, composed of Michael Davis, John Gordon, Sam Herron, Jerry Orchanian, Mark Rose, and Jason Wright, have developed Civic, School, and other Corel-based Presentations to go out an educate the public about weather and National Weather Service operations.
Our goal is to visit each of our 42 counties at least once by the end of FY 2002. As of March 1, the Outreach Team has visited 23 counties, more than half the counties in Nashville’s county warning area. We are scheduled to make presentations in 12 other counties, for a total of 33. This leaves us 9 counties short of our goal thus far.
Highlights of the Outreach Team’s accomplishments for February include: Manchester Chamber of Commerce (2/4), Camden Rotary Club (2/5), Davidson County Amateur Radio Club (2/5), Shelbyville Lions Club (2/7), Wilson County Amateur Radio Club (2/12), Lawrence County Amateur Radio Club/Emergency Management Agency (2/13), Tullahoma Amateur Radio Club (2/14), Waverly Women’s Club (2/19), Waverly Lions Club (2/19), Davidson County Home School Group (2/21), Cookeville Lions Club (2/25), Smyrna Lions Club (2/25), Perry County High School (2/26), and Southside Elementary School in Lebanon (2/28).
The Outreach Team offers its thanks to John Gordon, the new Meteorologist-in-Charge at our Huntsville office, for his leadership and mentoring of the outreach program. Mark Rose has been selected to lead the outreach program.
Jason B. Wright
Meteorologist
During February, the National Weather Service began unveiling it’s new “corporate look” web design, with each forecast office adhering to a more structured, consistent, and universal appearance. The Nashville office uploaded its version of the corporate look about two weeks ago, with several improvements added. These include:
The web team at your NWS office is constantly striving to improve the usefulness of our website. Data is being added to the climate homepage for cities in Middle Tennessee outside of Nashville. We are also building a database of storm summaries, with the results of our surveys being loaded onto the website as soon as possible after each event.
We want to hear from you. If there is any weather-related information you feel we should be providing, we will do our best to accommodate. Please e-mail our webmaster, Mike Davis, at Michael.Davis@noaa.gov with all queries and comments.