Heavy Rain — Smith, Tennessee

2010-03-12 · near Caney Fork, Smith, Tennessee

Event narrative

As reported by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Jessie C. Brewer, 69, of Rockwood, Tennessee, died after his 1994 Ford ASP hydroplaned and ended up running in front of a tractor trailer truck. Brewer was headed west on Interstate 40 at the 263 mile marker in Smith County, when he lost control of the car on rain slick Interstate 40. Brewer's car hydroplaned, ran off the right shoulder, and struck the guardrail, then slid back to the left across both lanes of traffic, struck the guardrail, then slid back to the left across both lanes of traffic again, struck the guardrail on that side again, and then ran back into the traffic lanes and into the path of a tractor trailer truck, which struck Brewer's vehicle in the left side. The driver of the tractor trailer truck was not injured. Any damage associated with the car and the tractor trailer truck was unknown. Actual depth of water on the road was also unknown.

Wider weather episode

As an upper level low pressure system approached Middle Tennessee, and a surface low pressure system developed in northeast Louisiana, a warm, moist, and unstable airmass was ushered across the Cumberland Plateua Region of the mid state, resulting in a severe thunderstorm developing and producing large hail in Smith County. Other thunderstorms brought lightning damage to Putnam County and strong thunderstorms with heavy downpours to Smith County also, which resulted in a death associated with a vehicle accident due to hydroplaning.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.1385, -85.8099)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 220337. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.