Thunderstorm Wind in Carter County, Tennessee

A married couple was killed by a falling tree at their campsite near the south shore of Watauga Lake. They were beside their tent under an awning they had arranged. Numerous trees were downed in the area. Victims included a male aged 60 and a female aged 47.

The combination of summer heating and high low level moisture content provided the necessary conditions to create a highly unstable environment across the Southern Appalachian region. The instability and more than adequate upper level west to northwesterly flow allowed an mesoscale convective system to remain quite strong as it moved east across the area. Downburst winds in some areas were in the 60 to 70 mile an hour range with speeds as high as 80 miles an hour estimated. Trees were downed across a broad area and resulted in the deaths of three people.