Flash Flood — Cheatham, Tennessee

2019-02-06 · near Pegram, Cheatham, Tennessee

Event narrative

Cheatham County Emergency Management reported major flash flooding along Pond Creek Road near the Davidson County line, which was underwater and impassable in many locations. Around 955 pm CST, one woman was swept away and drowned after attempting to walk across a flooded bridge along the driveway to her home at 4660 Pond Creek Road. Another man was rescued from the hood of his vehicle at Green Valley Drive and Pond Creek Road after attempting to drive through flooding. Three other water rescues occurred across the county. Total damage was estimated at $99,432.

Wider weather episode

Heavy rain and thunderstorms produced 2 tornadoes and widespread flash flooding across Middle Tennessee from the afternoon of February 6 through the early morning hours on February 7. A warm front that had moved northward into Kentucky early in the day on February 6 sank back southward to near the Interstate 40 corridor by the afternoon, sparking numerous showers and thunderstorms along and just north of the front. As the front effectively stalled in a west-to-east line along the Interstate 40 corridor, showers and storms continued to redevelop and move across the same areas. With rainfall rates approaching 1-2 per hour at times, this led to widespread flash flooding across Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham, Davidson, Wilson, Smith, Jackson, Putnam, and Overton Counties. This flooding resulted in numerous closed roadways, dozens of water rescues, flooded homes and businesses, significant rises on area creeks and rivers, and unfortunately one fatality in Cheatham County. Total rainfall amounts ranged from 3 inches to nearly 7 inches across these counties. In addition to the flooding, thunderstorms produced two EF-0 tornadoes in Rutherford and Wilson Counties. Lightning also struck homes in Overton and Jackson counties, causing significant fire damage.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 809854. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.