Flash Flood — Dickson, Tennessee

2019-02-06 to 2019-02-07 · near Oak Grove, Dickson, Tennessee

Event narrative

Dickson County Emergency Management reported major flash flooding affected central and southern portions of Dickson County. Several roads and bridges were washed out including bridges on Coon Creek Road and on Willow Branch Road at Liberty Road near Charlotte. Numerous other roads were flooded and closed including Shady Hollow Road between College Street and Luther Road in Dickson. Vehicles were stranded in flooding in some areas with water rescues conducted, including on Eno Road and on Harris Road near Tennessee City. Total damage from the flash flooding was estimated at $1,329,000.

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 810109. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.