03-04-2025
Soggy Middle Tennessee regroups after stormy night, braces for more flooding
Relief from the weather may be difficult to find in Middle Tennessee.
The forecast isn't good.
"The over-arching threat is flooding, especially west of the Cumberland Plateau," said Caleb Cravens, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville.
The Nashville area could get 5 to 6 inches of rain by the weekend. Clarksville could get 8 to 10. Warnings for flash flooding, large hail and straight line winds could pop up through the weekend.
Live updates: Strong storms leave 4 dead; flooding risk remains
And the rivers will become the focus. Officials are watching the Cumberland, Red, Duck and Buffalo rivers especially with flooding expected to peak on Friday. Stewart and Montgomery counties appear to have the greatest risk for floods.
By midday Thursday, four people were reported dead in McNairy, Obion, Carroll and Fayette counties in West Tennessee. And the National Weather Service in Nashville was concerned about new supercell storm activity in Middle Tennessee throughout the day.
Just before 10 a.m. Thursday, a new tornado warning was issued for Wilson County.
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Tennessee to supplement response efforts.
The problems began Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Your phone likely buzzed with warnings. Your TV may have been on all night as you stared bleary eyed at red and green pixels wondering if those meant tornadoes.
You may have had to convince your dog to hide with you in the closet or the bathroom. You may have taken your phone into the basement to watch YouTube updates from NashSevereWx.
You stayed home from work, or took a new way into the office or just stayed in bed — to avoid the rising risk of floods.
It was a rowdy, rainy night in Middle Tennessee.
With daylight, cars began to skid or hydroplane or float in the floodwater. Officials said that was the threat ahead as the weather system stayed in the area, that rivers would rise and low-lying roads may become treacherous with flooding. Already Thursday, parts of Interstate 65 were closed at mile marker 80 because of flooding.
The weather service said the Cumberland River in Clarksville is expected to rise through the weekend as rain continues to fall. The weather service said there is a 21% chance of the Cumberland River reaching minor flood stage at 46 feet and a 7% chance the river reaches moderate flood stage at 50 feet.
Red River flooding could impact Dunbar Cave Road and homes near the Wingate neighborhood, the weather service said.
The Cumberland River in Dover is expected to crest near 66 feet, just shy of the record of 69.33 in 2019.
At 66 feet, the weather service said, flooding along the river begins in Stewart County, impacting agricultural areas and adjacent tributaries, and making roads near the river impassable. Near Dover, flooding could impact portions of River Road west of Highway 79, Bellwood Branch Road and Cross Creek Road.
Richland Creek in Nashville surged several feet above normal levels Thursday morning, washing away tree limbs and debris.
Tony Lance, who works at the Tennessee Wildlife Federation's office off White Bridge Pike, right against the creek, estimated the creek is likely more than 10 feet above its normal height.
'This is the highest we've seen the creek since the big flood … in 2010,' Lance said. 'It hasn't been that high since.'
Murky brown water reached up and dragged away several beehives belonging to a beekeeper on the other side of the creek, Lance said.
'They've been washed away, which is a shame,' he said.
The flood watch has been extended by the National Weather Service through Sunday.
In Columbia, the severe weather couldn't stop Mule Day.
In Maury County, several late-night church shelters opened for those seeking refuge from the storm Wednesday, which brought high winds, heavy rain and a tornado warning.
The storm follows two tornadoes that touched down in Maury County just days before on Monday, destroying a home in the unincorporated area of Hampshire.
Meanwhile, the county's premier event of the year, Mule Day, has not been affected. The event began in 1840 to celebrate breeding, raising, caring for and working with mules. The day features a parade, music, arts and crafts, and food.
All Mule Day events are on track according to Louise Mills, the event's public relations director.
And the annual wagon train reached Maury County Park without a hitch after a few days of travel by mule-drawn wagons throughout counties in southern Middle Tennessee.
'The mule train had a fabulous week traveling and arrived at the park about 4 p.m. Wednesday,' Mills said, hours before the storm.
It was a long night for the National Weather Service office in Nashville. Cravens said the NWS "staffed up" with extra meteorologists, and "there were plenty of sweets around."
The NWS generally does storm surveys to quickly track and assess damage, but this storm will be treated a bit differently. Since staff members are spending most of their time trying to stay ahead of tornadoes, floods and other severe weather activity, and since the threat will last several days, surveys will be delayed.
"We'll start Monday at the earliest," Cravens said.
One of the hardest hit regions was McNairy County, where Paul Floyd rode out the storm in his hallway with his wife and mother in law. All made it through safe.
But the damage to his home was quick and violent. Floyd said the tornado went over his house in three minutes and ripped the roof off. Wednesday morning, Floyd was collecting clothes out of his house with his son.
'You hear about these things, but you never thought you'd have to be in one … three minutes," Floyd said. "Around about when it came through, it sounded like a train taking off. We got in the hallway. That's when everything came down on us in the hallway. We rode it out.'
Josh Barnes, Floyd's son, told him he recovered five suits.
'That's good, as long as I've got something,' Floyd said.
'I just hope this don't happen to nobody else,' said Floyd, who had lived in Selmer for about two years and is still paying off the now roof-less home.
In Fairview, a couple who had sought refuge in a storm shelter returned to their Pinecrest Court residence when a tree crashed onto their home.
Winona Brewer said she and her husband were just going to bed when they heard the crashing tree. The tree damaged part of their home, and it smashed into their new car, Brewer said.
Chris Day contributed to this story
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee weather: Middle TN regroups, braces for more rain, flooding
