EF0 tornado in Dickson County, Tennessee

This small, brief EF-0 tornado was found in June 2022 through newly available high resolution satellite imagery, and was determined to have touched down in rural, inaccessible forests around 4.5 miles northwest of Charlotte. The tornado began to the southwest of Adams Road and moved southeast, blowing down numerous trees in a clearly convergent, spiral pattern before lifting northwest of Big Bartons Creek Road.

The deadliest flash flood to ever affect Middle Tennessee, and one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the state, struck the region on Saturday, August 21, 2021. Occurring only a few months after another deadly and disastrous flash flood impacted the Nashville metro area on March 27-28, 2021 and killed 7 people, this flash flood left catastrophic damage across several counties in western Middle Tennessee, including parts of Dickson County, Hickman County, Houston County, and especially Humphreys County. The flood waters damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, businesses, vehicles, and schools, with many buildings washed completely off their foundations. The damage was so severe that a Presidential Disaster Declaration was declared for Humphreys County two days later on August 23, 2021. Later in the week, Dickson, Hickman, and Houston Counties also received a Presidential Disaster Declaration. Very sadly, a total of 20 people were determined to have drowned in the flood, 19 of which were in the city of Waverly, TN, and 1 in the community of Hurricane Mills.

This historic flash flood occurred as a thunderstorms repeatedly developed along a weak surface front located over western Middle Tennessee during the morning hours of August 21. With a very moisture-laden atmosphere in place characterized by precipitable water values measured at 2.37 inches on the 12Z OHX upper air balloon sounding, these thunderstorms produced extreme rainfall rates over 3 inches per hour for several hours, resulting in rainfall totals reaching over 10 to 20 inches in a narrow, roughly 25 mile wide by 50 mile long swath across Houston, Dickson, Humphreys, and Hickman Counties. A rain gauge at the McEwen Wastewater Treatment Plant measured a rainfall total of 20.73 inches from midnight to 7pm CDT, which was verified by NWS personnel and set a new Tennessee state record for 24-hour rainfall. In addition to the flash flooding, one brief tornado was determined to have touched down in rural Dickson County northwest of Charlotte.