Russellville, TN Hail Storm – September 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Russellville, TN on 2025-09-04, with the largest verified stones reaching 1.75 inches and multiple spotter reports confirming impact through the afternoon. The storm produced a long run of warnings from late morning into early evening, with radar and spotter verification increasing through the peak period.

The first alert came at 11:14 AM CDT with 1-inch hail and spotter-reported confidence. By 12:15 PM CDT, warnings had climbed to 1.25 inches with radar and spotter verification. Additional 1.25-inch alerts followed at 12:52 PM CDT and 12:56 PM CDT, then the storm strengthened further after 1 PM.

At 12:35 PM CDT, a spotter-verified social media photo showed multiple golf ball size hail stones. That report matched the storm’s highest confirmed hail size. Around 1:07 PM CDT, mPING reports noted quarter-size hail, and a 1:35 PM CDT social media video described dime to quarter size hail. The warning cadence stayed active through mid-afternoon, with repeated 1-inch and 1.5-inch alerts, including the 1.75-inch warning at 1:30 PM CDT.

Dual-polarization radar also flagged hail at 1:43 PM CDT and again at 7:06 PM CDT, both at 1 inch. A later 2:07 PM CDT alert was issued with warning-only confidence, then verified reports continued through 3:31 PM CDT.

Damage Assessment

Field reports show a mix of hail impact and tree damage across north-central Tennessee locations in and around Russellville. The earliest damage report came at 11:25 AM CDT, when trees were reported down across Cedar Creek Rd. By 1:26 PM CDT, mPING had logged dime-size hail, followed by a 1:30 PM CDT report of a large tree branch snapped off and blocking Stone Mill Dr.

Later reports added tree damage near Walter State College. At 1:40 PM CDT, trees were reported down around the college area, and at 1:45 PM CDT a large tree was reported down over power lines. Another 1:40 PM CDT report repeated the downed-tree observation in the same area. By 2:50 PM CDT, tree limbs were still coming down.

The hail reports themselves stayed consistent with repeated quarter-size and dime-size observations, but the 12:35 PM CDT photo of multiple golf ball size hail stones stands apart from the later smaller ground reports. That pattern points to localized heavier hail within the broader warning area, with surface impact concentrated where the larger stones and tree damage were documented.

The storm’s sequence also suggests multiple passes or a sustained hail core through the afternoon. Verified reports came in at 1:07 PM CDT, 1:35 PM CDT, 1:57 PM CDT, and 2:09 PM CDT, with additional warning updates through 3:31 PM CDT. The final dual-polarization alert at 7:06 PM CDT indicates lingering hail signatures after the main damage reports had already been logged.

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