Flood — Bedford, Tennessee

2025-03-16 · near Sims Spg, Bedford, Tennessee

Event narrative

The Duck River near Shelbyville crested to 25.33 feet which was minor flood stage. At this stage, flooding occurred along the river from Normandy Dam to near Henry Horton State Park. Water approached structures along South Cannon Boulevard between the Highway 64 and Lewis Avenue junction and the bridge at Fisherman's Park, parking areas and other property of St. William Catholic Church, and the Tyson plant on West Jackson Street.

Wider weather episode

A potent storm system brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and severe weather to Middle Tennessee on March 15, 2025. The main risk for severe weather was associated with a line of thunderstorms that tracks east across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours. This line produced one EF-1 tornado near Christiana. As this line moved towards the Cumberland Plateau, it strengthened and caused wind damage in numerous locations. Some of the worst wind damage was found in Palmer where an estimated swath of 95 mph winds uprooted trees and caused structural damage. Numerous downed trees and structural damage was also found in White, Fentress, and Overton counties. These multiple rounds of rain also caused flooding issues with flash flooding and reports of road closures reported across Middle Tennessee. This heavy rain also caused several rivers to rise into flood stage for days after this event.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.5300, -86.6600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1233660. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.