Middle Tennessee Weather News

StormReady: Is Your County Next?

Attention EMA Directors: Will your county be the next to be "StormReady" or will one of your neighbors beat you to it? So far there are 12 StormReady counties in Tennessee. Congratulations go to Fentress County EMA Director Johnny Dishman (April 2004) and Wilson County EMA Director Jerry McFarland (August 2004) as the two most recent StormReady counties in Middle Tennessee. Do you have what it takes to be next? As Meteorologist-in-Charge at NWS Nashville, I'm committed to ensuring that we do everything possible to help you earn StormReady recognition. Please check out the NWS StormReady webpage or call Jerry Orchanian at (615-754-8500 x223) or me (x222) for more information.

Larry Vannozzi
Meteorologist-in-Charge

NOAA Weather Radio Reception Reports Needed

In an effort to monitor broadcast reception across Middle Tennessee area, the NWS in Old Hickory would like to establish a database of dedicated NWR listeners. If you are an avid NWR listener and would like to participate, please email John Cohen. Please provide your name, phone number, location, and the transmitter you listen to. We are primarily in need of listeners who are outside of the Nashville area.

You may also sign up to become a dedicated listener via our webpage. Becoming an NWS dedicated listener means that from time to time, we may contact you to obtain a reception report or to see if you are receiving the alert tones.

We at the NWS welcome all of you who would like to help us out, and, as always, thanks for listening.

John Cohen
NOAA Weather Radio Program Manager

Fire Prevention Week

In conjunction with federal and state land managment agencies, the National Weather Service in Old Hickory will be participating in Fire Prevention Awareness Week from October 4th through the 8th. Each day, during the week, a public information statement will be transmitted with the statement scheduled to air over NOAA Weather Radio. Each statment will cover different aspects of fire danger.

As we move into the fall season, we will be transitioning into what is typically the driest time of the year. It is at this time when fire danger is greatest.

If you own a weather radio, please tune in during the week of October 4th through the 8th to learn more about it.

John Cohen
Fire Weather Program Manager

National Weather Service Participates in Mayor's First Day

On Sunday, August 15, 2004, Michael Davis and Mark A. Rose of the National Weather Service Office in Old Hickory, Tennessee, participated in the fifth annual Mayor's First Day at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in downtown Nashville. The event is hosted by the City of Nashville on the day before students return to school.

An estimated crowd of 20,000 toured the center between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., as a number of local organizations set up educational displays and distributed free items to the public. It was NWS Old Hickory's largest outreach event ever. The office gave away 2,000 ink pens, 1,000 key chains, and 1,000 business card magnets, all emblazoned with the local office's web address.

The highlight of the weather service's display was a tornado machine borrowed from the Huntsville, Alabama office specifically for the Mayor's First Day. In addition, several contacts were made with various educators with the hope that future weather talks can be scheduled at schools around the city.

Mark A. Rose
Meteorologist

Photograph of the Quarter

We have a bunch of them for this newsletter.

This sequence of photographs of a supercell was taken by Jimmy Phillips at Ft. Campbell between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. on the evening of June 2, 2004.

The next two photographs were taken by Bobby Boyd. The line of cumulus clouds you see formed along an outflow boundary west of the Old Hickory office.

An internet user in Franklin sent these two cloud photographs from July 6.

Tala Cather, a Cookeville storm spotter sent us a photograph of some property damage that resulted from the windy evening of July 13, followed by a menacing cloud image.

The next submission was provided by Jason Floyd of the sunset in Hardin County on June 12.

Aaron Schwartz from Lawrenceburg sent this photograph of a rotating wall cloud that was observed there on July 6.

If you have a unique weather photograph you would like to share, please either e-mail it to the editor, or send it to: National Weather Service, 500 Weather Station Rd., Old Hickory, TN 37138, Attn: Mark A. Rose. If you mail your photograph(s), I will scan them and mail them right back.