Columbia Micro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Columbia Area is lower than Tennessee average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Columbia Area is higher than Tennessee average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #425
Columbia Area | 0.06 |
Tennessee | 0.56 |
U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #129
Columbia Area | 0.0000 |
Tennessee | 0.0000 |
U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #334
Columbia Area | 188.58 |
Tennessee | 175.35 |
U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 14,280 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Columbia Area were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 32 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 94 |
Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,868 | Hail: | 3,702 | Heat: | 47 | Heavy Snow: | 62 |
High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 2 | Ice Storm: | 23 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 63 |
Thunderstorm Winds: | 7,623 | Tropical Storm: | 12 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 65 | Winter Weather: | 55 |
Other: | 632 |
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Columbia Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Columbia Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Columbia Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 75 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Columbia Area.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
8.8 | 2000-05-25 | 2 | 35°33'N / 86°58'W | 35°32'N / 86°56'W | 2.50 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Maury |
Brief Description: The tornado started near Goose Creek Road and Old Highway 50. Many large trees...including well established oak trees...were uprooted. A garage was demolished near Fountain Heights. | |||||||||||
10.6 | 1998-04-16 | 3 | 35°25'N / 87°04'W | 35°33'N / 86°54'W | 16.80 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 8 | 4.0M | 0 | Maury |
Brief Description: The heaviest damage was in the Culleola-Tice Town area. An 18 wheeler was blown over. Many homes were damaged, trees and power lines were down. Several trailers were destroyed or damaged. | |||||||||||
13.1 | 1963-01-10 | 3 | 35°45'N / 86°56'W | 35°46'N / 86°55'W | 1.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Maury |
13.4 | 1998-04-16 | 4 | 35°25'N / 87°13'W | 35°27'N / 87°06'W | 6.90 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 0 | Giles |
Brief Description: The most extensive damage was north of Yokley. There were downed trees and power lines, a ruptured gas tank, cars overturned, and homes damaged. 5 homes and 8 mobile homes were destroyed in Giles county. | |||||||||||
15.2 | 1963-01-10 | 3 | 35°46'N / 86°55'W | 35°47'N / 86°52'W | 2.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Williamson |
16.0 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 35°23'N / 87°14'W | 35°23'N / 86°55'W | 1.00 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Giles |
16.7 | 1985-08-16 | 2 | 35°20'N / 87°03'W | 35°25'N / 87°03'W | 5.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Giles |
17.1 | 2008-02-05 | 2 | 35°48'N / 87°17'W | 35°51'N / 87°12'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 500K | 0K | Hickman |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Extensive damage in the Brushy Community. Trees were down, and homes were damaged. One person was injured. TEMA reported 7 homes were destroyed, and 38 homes had major damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: The Super Severe Weather Outbreak on Feb. 5, 2008 produced supercelluar thunderstorms, well in advance of a multicell line of thunderstorms. The whole episode lasted about 6 hours. This occurred ironically while many states, including Tennessee, were participating in the Super Tuesday Primary Election. Fortunately, polls had already closed in the mid state when these tornadoes struck. | |||||||||||
17.8 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 35°26'N / 87°18'W | 35°23'N / 87°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lawrence |
19.8 | 1985-08-16 | 3 | 35°14'N / 87°01'W | 35°26'N / 87°01'W | 12.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Giles |
20.0 | 2008-04-11 | 3 | 35°19'N / 87°12'W | 35°21'N / 87°07'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0K | Giles |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A low end EF3 tornado hit northwest Giles County near Liberty Hill. This was part of the same storm complex that hit Lawrence County. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Many homes had roof damage. The hardest hit area was along Rhea Branch Rd. One residential home was completely leveled. Major damage occurred to the back of the Liberty Hill Baptist Church. A newspaper article stated that 8 homes were completely destroyed, and 30 other homes had serious damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: There were six confirmed tornadoes on April 11, 2008. Large hail and straight line winds were also reported. | |||||||||||
20.2 | 1972-04-21 | 3 | 35°17'N / 87°13'W | 35°22'N / 87°02'W | 11.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Giles |
20.4 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 35°23'N / 86°55'W | 35°21'N / 86°51'W | 1.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Marshall |
20.7 | 2000-05-25 | 2 | 35°44'N / 87°25'W | 35°44'N / 87°25'W | 7.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 50K | 0 | Hickman |
Brief Description: The tornado demolished a home on Mobley Ridge Road, injuring 3 people. Many trees were blown down ...especially on the Natchez Trace Parkway. 33 homes were damaged and 3 barns were destroyed. | |||||||||||
21.3 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 35°26'N / 87°23'W | 35°26'N / 87°23'W | 0.50 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 12 | 1.3M | 0 | Lawrence |
Brief Description: A strong line of thunderstorms entered middle Tennesee Saturday morning, April 20. The storms moved from northwest to southeast. Some of these storms produced tornadoes, but a significant part of the damage occurred from straight line winds. Many homes...mobile homes and businesses were damaged. Damage estimates from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) was placed at 1.25 million dollars across middle Tennessee during this storm event. The tornado started at Barnesville and then went back up as a funnel cloud. It touched down again at Summertown, Waco and Cornersville. Areas east of Cornersville toward Bell Buckle received straight line wind damage. The distance from Barnesville to Cornersville is about 33 miles. Lengths and widths are estimated at Barnesville, Summertown, Waco and Cornersville. Cornersville was the hardest hit. An eyewitness saw the funnel come down and take the roof off a basement house about 1/2 mile south of Barnesville on Barnesville Rd. The tornado went up as a funnel cloud but came down again later as a tornado at Summertown and did some damaged to 25 homes...2 severe. Trees were uprooted, including a large oak tree and a cherry tree with a diameter of 12 to 14 inches. The tornado went up as a funnel cloud, and touched down briefly at Waco, in Giles county. The tornado damaged a brick structure that was used as a store. The building lost its roof and most of its walls. A mobile home was leveled across the street. Straight line winds appeared to have damaged a cabinet and wood shop business at the junction of highway 31 and highway 129. Storm damage estimate for Giles county is about $400,000. The tornado came down again for the final time at Cornersville, at 0615 CST, and was on the ground for an estimated 1.5 miles. Its width was estimated about 1/4 mile. The tornado started at 1.5 miles northwest of the junction of U.S. Route 31A and Coleman Rd. or 1.3 miles southwest of Cornersville. The tornado damage ends near the junction of Coleman Rd. and U.S. Route 31A. The tornado demolished a mobile home park. 7 mobile homes were totally destroyed and 10 others damage. 7 people were injured in the mobile home park, one critically. Another person was injured in Marshall county. 2 high tension towers were bent in half and telephone poles were snapped along Coleman Rd. The Cornersville School auditorium was damaged, but it was not from the tornado. There were 2 injuries in Coffee county and 2 injured in Bedford county, for a total of 12 injuries from the storm. TEMA estimates of the number of homes, mobile homes and businesses that were destroyed or sustained severely damage from the tornado and the straight line winds for the following counties are in the respective order: Marshall County...5, 10, 14 Lawrence County...10, 1. and zero. Coffee County...4, 10, 1. Giles County...6, 2, 2. Bedford County...0, 4, 0. | |||||||||||
21.8 | 1960-03-30 | 2 | 35°27'N / 86°47'W | 35°31'N / 86°40'W | 8.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Marshall |
22.5 | 2008-02-05 | 2 | 35°51'N / 87°12'W | 36°02'N / 86°56'W | 20.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0.3M | 0K | Williamson |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Homes damaged in Leaper Fork area. One house collapsed and another hit on Cold Water Rd. EPISODE NARRATIVE: The Super Severe Weather Outbreak on Feb. 5, 2008 produced supercelluar thunderstorms, well in advance of a multicell line of thunderstorms. The whole episode lasted about 6 hours. This occurred ironically while many states, including Tennessee, were participating in the Super Tuesday Primary Election. Fortunately, polls had already closed in the mid state when these tornadoes struck. | |||||||||||
23.9 | 2003-05-11 | 3 | 35°57'N / 86°59'W | 35°57'N / 86°57'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.2M | 0 | Williamson |
Brief Description: 43 homes were damaged and 3 homes were destroyed in Williamson County by the tornado. 28 units in the Executive House condominium complex in Franklin had to be evacuated after the roof was torn away. Crews worked Sunday to free people trapped inside their homes by fallen trees on Big East Fork Rd. Most of the damage to homes was roof damage and trees falling on houses. An 84-year-old grandmother was rescued from a demolished 3-story home at 1933 Old Hillsoboro Rd. She received a fractured pelvic bone. | |||||||||||
25.5 | 1998-04-16 | 5 | 35°16'N / 87°35'W | 35°26'N / 87°12'W | 22.70 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 21 | 4.0M | 0 | Lawrence |
Brief Description: Many fine homes, some even brick, were completely leveled. Trees were uprooted or blown down, power lines were down, 75 utility poles were blown down around the county. People who were at their homes went to the basement, or in a closet, or in a bathroom. The EMA report of a one ton Dodge flatbed truck, which weighs almost 5000 pounds, being hurled 20 miles, could not be confirmed. Therefore this account should be discounted. However, the EMA director verfied a sedan being carried 1/2 mile. A tree was debarked by the flying debris. A 200 yard wide path of pasture land had grass pulled out. Clumps of dirt was pulled up from the ground. Several livestock was killed. | |||||||||||
25.5 | 1997-03-01 | 2 | 35°26'N / 87°31'W | 35°28'N / 87°27'W | 3.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Lewis |
Brief Description: 5 homes were damaged and a barn was destroyed. Path length and width of tornado are approximations. | |||||||||||
25.9 | 2008-04-11 | 3 | 35°16'N / 87°24'W | 35°19'N / 87°13'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3.0M | 0K | Lawrence |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Many homes had roof damage especially on Coffee McGee Rd. An outbuilding was damaged on Crawfish Rd. Trees and utility poles were down along U.S. Highway 64 or Waynesboro Highway. Trees were down in Mt. Ararat Cemetery. The worst damage was a downed TVA electrical transmission tower east of U.S. Highway 43 on Hagan Rd. Metal debris was flung up and got stuck about a hundred feet above the ground in an electrical transmission tower. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Newspaper article stated 56 homes had damage, with 12 homes being complete losses, and there were mainly mobile homes having comp;lete; There was one minor injury. EPISODE NARRATIVE: There were six confirmed tornadoes on April 11, 2008. Large hail and straight line winds were also reported. | |||||||||||
27.1 | 1997-01-24 | 2 | 35°29'N / 86°38'W | 35°31'N / 86°36'W | 2.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Bedford |
Brief Description: Most of the damage from the tornado occurred in Wheel and just to the east of Wheel. 1 home was destroyed and 3 homes were damaged. Also a general store was damaged along with one mobile home. 2 mobile homes were destroyed. There were 3 minor injuries. Tornado path width and length are approximations. | |||||||||||
27.4 | 1963-03-11 | 2 | 35°15'N / 87°26'W | 35°20'N / 87°17'W | 10.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lawrence |
27.4 | 1957-11-08 | 2 | 35°12'N / 87°01'W | 35°15'N / 86°58'W | 4.70 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Giles |
27.7 | 1951-11-14 | 2 | 35°13'N / 87°02'W | 0.20 Mile | 7 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Giles | |
28.1 | 1988-12-24 | 4 | 35°55'N / 86°54'W | 36°02'N / 86°47'W | 6.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 1 | 7 | 25.0M | 0 | Williamson |
29.3 | 2010-05-02 | 2 | 35°53'N / 87°30'W | 35°54'N / 87°27'W | 4.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 10K | Hickman |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Hundreds of hardwood trees were snapped, several barns were destroyed, and a brick home suffered significant roof damage along the tornado's 3.9 mile track. The last evidence of damage was along Keys Branch Road. Maximum wind speeds in the tornado were estimated to be around 110 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A frontal boundary setup across Western and Middle Tennessee late Friday night (April 30), and remained through the weekend. A persistent southerly flow fed moisture into the area and precipitable water values rose to almost 2 inches, based on data from KOHX upper air soundings. As a series of shortwaves moved through, a band of showers and thunderstorms developed and remained nearly stationary for much of the day on Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd, resulting in widespread record flooding across much of Middle Tennessee. Some of these thunderstorms became severe also, resulting in thunderstorm wind damage and seven confirmed tornadoes across Middle Tennessee. | |||||||||||
29.7 | 1998-04-16 | 3 | 36°00'N / 87°20'W | 36°00'N / 87°18'W | 2.00 Miles | 1300 Yards | 0 | 5 | 500K | 0 | Dickson |
Brief Description: The tornado destroyed or damaged 35 homes, destroyed 7 mobile homes, uprooted trees and demolished cars along a 2 mile path on Nails Creek Road. The Dickson Convention Center/Flea Port USA, on TN Route 46 South, lost a wall and part of a roof. | |||||||||||
30.1 | 1965-03-17 | 2 | 35°14'N / 87°20'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lawrence | |
30.1 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 35°29'N / 87°38'W | 35°33'N / 87°34'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 1 | 14 | 25.0M | 0 | Lewis |
31.3 | 1997-03-01 | 2 | 35°22'N / 87°34'W | 35°23'N / 87°32'W | 1.20 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Lawrence |
Brief Description: 2 houses were damaged and 1 trailer destroyed in Lawrence county. The tornado started in Wayne county, clipped the northwest corner of Lawrence county and dissipated in Lewis county. | |||||||||||
31.6 | 1963-03-11 | 2 | 35°44'N / 86°32'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rutherford | |
32.5 | 2009-04-10 | 4 | 35°45'N / 86°51'W | 35°54'N / 86°16'W | 23.00 Miles | 750 Yards | 2 | 58 | 100.0M | 0K | Rutherford |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF-4 Tornado...with maximum estimated wind speed around 170 mph, was reached in the Highland Park Drive Neighborhood as well as the Tomahawk Trace Area. Several well constructed homes were destroyed in those areas, hardwood trees were debarked, and vehicles were tossed considerable distances. There were two fatalities, a 30 year old women and her 9 week old daughter, and 58 injuries per newspaper reports, of which at least 7 were serious. Path length was 23.25 miles and maximum width was 750 yards. Gound surveys of the Murfreesboro tornado indicate that the actual initial touchdown was just north of the Eagleville Community in far Southwestern Rutherford County. Intermittent tree and roof damage was noted beginning at a residence near the intersection of Kelly Road and Highway 41A. Intermittent tree damage continued northeast, with the path becoming continuous along Rocky Grove Road between the Cedar Grove and Pleasant Hill Communities. The survey team then inspected continuous damage from Rocky Grove Road northeast to a residence on Newman Road approximately 2 miles north of the Windrow Community. Extensive tree damage was noted along the path...along with multiple instances of roof damage to homes. The most significant damage was on Patterson Road 1/2 mile west of Windrow. A brick home was completely destroyed and thrown almost completely off its foundation. Additional areas between Stones River Battlefield and Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro were surveyed. Two homes on Wilkinson Pike and two homes on Highland Park Drive were completely destroyed. One of the homes did appear to be properly anchored to it's foundation while three were not. Per a newspaper report, at Stones River Battlefield, a quarter mile swath of fallen and damaged trees streched one mile across the battlefield, along with numerous fences being destroyed, closing parts of the park to tourists. One particular fallen tree damaged a 60 foot section of the national cemetary wall and a cannon display. Additional information about the tornado included it tracked due northeast for the first 9 miles then began a steady turn to the right. By the time the tornado lifted it was moving to the east-southeast. Additionally, videos of the tornado indicated a multiple vortex appearance to the tornado and the aerial survey was able to detect focused areas of damage within the larger path. The aeriel survey revealed 12 to 15 homes which were completely destroyed and dozens others which suffered significant damage. A 2-story office building had the complete upper floor removed. Numerous large vehicles were picked up and tossed, including several semi trailers which wound up piled together near the intersection of Thompson Lane and Broad Street. Significant roof damage and some wall collapse on homes were also noted. Several well built homes suffered significant exterior and interior wall failure. Three other areas received significant damage. The first area was along Bushnell Drive just north of Compton Road. A well built 2-storty brick home was almost completely destroyed with just part of the kitchen wall remaining standing. The second area was near the intersection of Haynes Drive and Sulphur Springs Road. Three homes on Cornwall Court were completely destroyed and thrown clear of their slab foundations, however it did not appear any of the homes was properly anchored. The third area of enhanced damage was along Battleground Drive between D`Ann Drive and Tomahawk Trace. The National Weather Service Assessment team was joined by a Murfreesboro Code who assisted with assessing construction quality at this location. Three homes were completely blown clear of their foundations and destroyed. One home was not anchored/fastened to the foundation, however, the other 2 were very well constructed. Several trees were also debarked at this location. Additional information provided by the Rutherford County EMA through a newspaper report stated that over 845 homes were damaged, of these 117 were destroyed, 298 had major damage, 175 had minor damage, and another 255 were affected in some way. 519 Structures were also affected, including 77 destroyed, with an additional 300 plus homes and structures impacted in some way just outside of the city limits. Newspaper also reported an overturned truck caused traffic backup on Interstate 24 and multiple power lines down across the entire city. Power lines being down resulted in as many as 18,000 homes being without power after the storm. Newspaper also reported that two people were seriously injured and multiple homes were destroyed when the tornado passed through the Wilkinson Pike/Thompson Lane Areas. Large trees were also uprooted and utility poles were blown over. Multiple businesses in the Thompson Lane/Broad Street area were significantly damaged, including a Shell convenience store and Huddleston-Steele Engineering. Newspaper also reported continuous damage, detail of damage not provided, between Esquire Court and Wigan Drive and Tomahawk Trace to Highway 231 and then into the Compton Road area. Newspaper also reported that Murfreesboro Waste Department had gathered in excess of more the 2.7 million pounds of debris. And that total tonnage associated with the storm gathered at the Rutherford County Landfill was 5,071 tons. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong upper level storm system moved across Middle Tennessee triggering early morning severe thunderstorms along with a line of severe thunderstorms that moved west to east across the entire mid state from the late morning hours through mid afternoon. This resulted in 10 tornadoes across the mid state, with one being an EF4 Tornado in Murfreesboro in Rutherford County. | |||||||||||
32.7 | 1972-04-21 | 3 | 35°08'N / 87°32'W | 35°17'N / 87°13'W | 20.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Lawrence |
33.0 | 1956-02-17 | 3 | 35°09'N / 87°18'W | 35°09'N / 87°07'W | 10.40 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lawrence |
33.2 | 1952-03-22 | 2 | 35°52'N / 87°35'W | 0.50 Mile | 40 Yards | 3 | 10 | 25K | 0 | Hickman | |
33.5 | 1995-05-18 | 4 | 35°00'N / 87°29'W | 35°21'N / 87°10'W | 29.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 3 | 32 | 4.6M | 0 | Lawrence And Giles |
Brief Description: The tornado touched down near the Lawrence/Wayne County line near Deerfield and lifted near Campbellsville in Giles County. Two people were killed while outside their trailer in the extreme western part of Lawrence County and a third person was killed while inside a house near Deerfield. Thirty-four houses, 16 mobile homes and one business were destroyed. Ninety-eight houses, three mobile homes and two other buildings were damaged. The tornado pulled corn stalks that were two feet tall out fo the ground and destroyed 6 TVA steel high-tension-wire towers. Three of these towers were never found. A cancelled check from Etheridge was found in Cannon County, some 90 miles away. Seventy-five to 100 people were evacuated in Ethridge because of downed power lines. (F48H,M65H,M67H) | |||||||||||
33.7 | 2010-05-02 | 2 | 35°47'N / 87°42'W | 35°51'N / 87°33'W | 9.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 1 | 600K | 10K | Hickman |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Thousands of hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted along the tornado's 9.15 mile track. Some trees were reduced down to stubs. The tornado was strongest as it crossed highway 50. A brick home suffered considerable structural damage and a woman was injured. Several barns were completely destroyed. The tornado was nearly 1/3 of a mile wide at this point. The last evidence of damage was near the intersection of Dodd Hollow and Piney Roads where a few trees were snapped. Maximum wind speeds in the tornado were estimated to be around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A frontal boundary setup across Western and Middle Tennessee late Friday night (April 30), and remained through the weekend. A persistent southerly flow fed moisture into the area and precipitable water values rose to almost 2 inches, based on data from KOHX upper air soundings. As a series of shortwaves moved through, a band of showers and thunderstorms developed and remained nearly stationary for much of the day on Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd, resulting in widespread record flooding across much of Middle Tennessee. Some of these thunderstorms became severe also, resulting in thunderstorm wind damage and seven confirmed tornadoes across Middle Tennessee. | |||||||||||
34.4 | 2008-01-10 | 2 | 35°19'N / 87°35'W | 35°20'N / 87°34'W | 1.00 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Wayne |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A National Weather Service Storm Survey indicated that an EF2 tornado with wind speeds of 111-135 MPH struck Wayne County. The worst damage was at 9110 Buttermilk Ridge Rd. A 30 foot by 30 foot metal barn was completely destroyed. Other metal barns received considerable damage with most of the roof blown off. Some homes lost shingles on their roofs. A dog house that was anchored onto a concrete platform was blown away. Several trees were snapped at the trunk. A wooden plank was planted into the ground. Sheets of metal from the barn were carried about a half mile away into some trees on the Natchez Trace Parkway...just across into Lawrence county. Trees were lying in different directions on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Numerous trees were also uprooted at this location on the Natchez Trace. The EMA Director assessed the damage by the tornado at 200,000 dollars. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Squall line type thunderstorms, with some bow echoes, occurred on January, 10. Isolated supercells spawned a tornado in Wayne County. | |||||||||||
34.5 | 1997-03-01 | 2 | 35°24'N / 87°40'W | 35°26'N / 87°37'W | 2.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 100K | 0 | Wayne |
Brief Description: 2 houses were damaged and 2 trailers were destroyed in Wayne county. There were 2 injuries in Wayne county. The damage was on Buttermilk Ridge. The tornado started in Wayne county, clipped the northwest corner of Lawrence county and dissipated in Lewis county. | |||||||||||
35.6 | 1989-05-22 | 2 | 35°03'N / 87°09'W | 35°09'N / 87°00'W | 9.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Giles |
36.3 | 1997-01-24 | 2 | 35°08'N / 86°47'W | 35°11'N / 86°44'W | 4.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lincoln |
Brief Description: Hot Rock area was hardest hit. 3 homes were totally destroyed and 9 more were damaged by the tornado. 14 outbuildings and one house trailer were damaged. Tornado path width and length are approximations. | |||||||||||
36.9 | 1963-03-11 | 2 | 35°07'N / 87°36'W | 35°12'N / 87°14'W | 21.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Lawrence |
37.2 | 2003-05-05 | 3 | 35°16'N / 86°35'W | 35°16'N / 86°34'W | 1.60 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 2 | 50K | 0 | Lincoln |
Brief Description: The Oak Hill Baptist Church on Wiley Hollow Road was heavily damaged. The church was established in 1883. The nearby residence of the pastor had major roof damage. One of the parishioners was going to take shelter at the church. The tornado carried his truck over the roof of the church and crashed it on top of a nearby tree and utility pole. Also, a frame home on U.S Highway 231 was completely leveled in Belleville and the debris was burned on the spot. There were 2 injuries. One was due to a tree falling on a truck. | |||||||||||
37.5 | 1985-08-16 | 2 | 35°06'N / 86°43'W | 35°12'N / 86°45'W | 7.00 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lincoln |
37.6 | 1952-03-21 | 2 | 35°51'N / 87°41'W | 0.30 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Humphreys | |
38.1 | 1997-01-24 | 4 | 35°47'N / 86°30'W | 35°50'N / 86°23'W | 6.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 18 | 4.7M | 0 | Rutherford |
Brief Description: This was one of those extraordinary cases where the National Weather Service had a 41 minute lead time on a tornado warning . The F4 tornado struck the Southridge Subdivision, near Barfield, TN, at 503 PM. The tornado caused 18 injuries and 4.7 million dollars in property damages. One person had to be hospitalized overnight. The last time an F4 tornado struck Middle Tennessee was on May 18, 1995. The path length of the tornado was 6.5 miles with its intensity reaching F4 and its maximum width of 300 yards. 44 homes were destroyed and 47 other homes were damaged in the Barfield area. There was also damage to a Middle School, Food Lion Supermarket and to the Chalet Apartments. The tornado first touched down on Yeargan Road, about 6 miles southwest of Murfreesboro, with an intensity of F1 and path width of 100 yards. At this location, a sheet metal roof was peeled back off a barn and a couple of trees were broken off. Also close by, a trailer was lifted off its foundation and overturned. Several trees were uprooted in the area. The tornado proceeded northeast and increased to F2 intensity with a width of 300 yards. As it struck the community of Barfield, an entire roof was lifted off a house, several homes were partially destroyed, and a barn was totally destroyed. The tornado crossed the West Fork of the Stones River and struck the Southridge Subdivision. At this time the tornado increased to a maximum intensity of F4 with its width remaining at 300 yards. About half a dozen homes were totally destroyed. The tornado then struck a large apartment complex just west of U.S. Hwy 231 on the south side of Murfreesboro. The tornado produced some structural damage and extensive roof damage as it weakened to F1 intensity and its width decreased to 150 yards. The tornado then crossed U.S. Hwy 231 and the Indian Wells Golf Course. Large trees were uprooted and structural damage occurred to several businesses as it approached I-24. The tornado continued moving to the northeast across I-24 snapping and uprooting trees as it narrowed to 50 yards wide. On the southeast side of Murfreesboro near the intersection of Elam Road and U.S. Hwy 41, and near Brandyville Road and East Rutherford Boulevard, the tornado uprooted numerous trees and damaged the roofs of several homes. It was at this point the track of the tornado ended as it lifted back into the clouds. Newspaper accounts told stories of people going to a basement, or an interior room of a house such as a bathroom or closet for safety. The low casualties from this tornado indicated all the preparedness activities of the National Weather Service for many years certainly paid off. | |||||||||||
39.0 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°08'N / 86°50'W | 36°09'N / 86°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Davidson |
Brief Description: EMA official reported a tornado touchdowns at 12th and Charlotte and 6th and Union. Damage was mainly blown out windows and downed trees and power lines. | |||||||||||
39.1 | 1998-04-16 | 3 | 36°04'N / 86°55'W | 36°13'N / 86°43'W | 14.70 Miles | 1320 Yards | 1 | 60 | 100.0M | 0 | Davidson |
Brief Description: This Nashville tornado on April 16, 1998 took a very similar path to another F3 tornado that occurred on March 14, 1933, which killed 11 people in Nashville. The tornado touched down at 330 PM one mile west of Charlotte Pike and I-440. A tree fell on an ROTC student at Centennial Park. He was attending an ROTC picnic. He died later on May 4 from his injuries. The tornado went through downtown Nashville at 340 PM and on toward East Nashville, Donelson and Hermitage. The tornado blew out many windows on office buildings. The Nations Bank Office Towers were one of the hardest hit buildings in Nashville. Tennessee Performance Arts Center (TPAC) and the Tennessee Towers sustained damage. TPAC had over 100 windows blown out. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts from the Tennessee Towers and was off the air for about 24 hours. 30 private airplanes were damaged at Cornelia Fort Airport. Estimated damage to the airplanes was 3 million dollars. 35 buildings in downtown Nashville were "red tagged", meaning these buildings were structurally unsound. Many signs in Davidson county were blown down or severely damaged. The tornado blew down 3 out of 10 construction cranes on the construction site of the Tennessee Oiler's Football Stadium near the Cumberland River. The tornado continued east and hit the residential section of East Nashville. At least 300 homes were damaged in East Nashville. Many homes lost a good part of their roofs, trees were uprooted, telephone poles were knocked down. St. Ann's Episcopal Church, which is well over 100 years old, received major damage. Uprooted trees, damaged roofs to many homes was the story across Donelson and Hermitage. Numerous windows were blown out from the Gaylord Building in Donelson. About half the trees, that is over a thousand trees, were blown down at Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. The Hermitage is a 600 acre estate of the former President. Some of those trees were well over 200 years old, and a few of those trees that were destroyed were planted by Andrew Jackson himself. Mayor Phil Bredesen closed downtown Nashville of Friday, April 17. Many workers had an unscheduled holiday. The downtown area was reopened Monday, April 20. This gave time for cleanup crews to remove broken glass and repair downed power lines. Nashville Electric Service said 75,000 customers were without power. M22OU | |||||||||||
39.7 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 35°31'N / 86°26'W | 35°35'N / 86°19'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0K | Bedford |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A low end EF2 tornado leveled 2 barns, took part of a roof and the back walls of a residential home at 2309 Fairfield Pike. Trees were snapped and uprooted. Other homes had roof damage. Utility poles were bent along the path of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: There were six confirmed tornadoes on April 11, 2008. Large hail and straight line winds were also reported. | |||||||||||
40.6 | 1963-04-29 | 2 | 35°02'N / 87°13'W | 35°02'N / 87°08'W | 5.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Giles |
40.9 | 1957-01-22 | 2 | 36°06'N / 86°52'W | 36°11'N / 86°37'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Davidson |
40.9 | 1955-02-01 | 2 | 35°34'N / 86°26'W | 35°36'N / 86°16'W | 9.40 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bedford |
41.2 | 1952-02-13 | 3 | 35°13'N / 86°36'W | 35°13'N / 86°28'W | 7.40 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Lincoln |
41.3 | 1974-04-01 | 2 | 36°07'N / 86°51'W | 36°12'N / 86°41'W | 10.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 12 | 3K | 0 | Davidson |
41.5 | 1997-01-24 | 2 | 35°59'N / 86°32'W | 35°59'N / 86°27'W | 4.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Rutherford |
Brief Description: The tornado downed trees, ripped off roofs from homes located at Waller Estates and Young Subdivision. Smyrna Middle School sustained roof damage. 4 apartments, 2 mobile homes and 3 homes were damaged in the Smyrna area. One person hid in a bathtub when the tornado struck. Another person left his mobile home and went into a ditch. The tornado width and length are approximations. | |||||||||||
42.1 | 1988-11-04 | 2 | 35°15'N / 87°50'W | 35°25'N / 87°39'W | 13.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
42.3 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°08'N / 86°44'W | 36°09'N / 86°39'W | 4.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Davidson |
42.4 | 2002-04-28 | 3 | 35°45'N / 86°22'W | 35°46'N / 86°19'W | 3.20 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 31 | 2.3M | 0 | Rutherford |
Brief Description: 31 people were injured. Most of them were treated and released from the hospital. 6 people had to be hospitalized, and one person was seriously injured and had to be Life-Flighted to Vanderbilt hospital. 7 mobile homes were destroyed, and one mobile home had major damage and another mobile home had minor damage. 5 residences were destroyed, 10 residences had major damage and 36 residences had minor damage. 2 horse banrs were destroyed, and 6 horses/and or cattle were killed. The tornado touched down on W. Gum Road, just west of I-24. Interstate 24 was littered with tree limbs and debris at one point. The tornado lifted up around Mankin-McKnight Rd. This storm complex moved into Cannon county and produced another tornado near Bradyville. Damage assessment in Rutherford county by the Emergency Management Agency was placed at 2.3 million dollars. | |||||||||||
42.5 | 1952-02-29 | 4 | 35°09'N / 86°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 2 | 150 | 2.5M | 0 | Lincoln | |
43.2 | 1980-03-24 | 2 | 35°51'N / 86°23'W | 35°52'N / 86°21'W | 1.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Rutherford |
43.3 | 1972-04-07 | 2 | 36°15'N / 86°59'W | 36°10'N / 86°40'W | 18.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 15 | 250K | 0 | Davidson |
43.7 | 2005-11-15 | 2 | 36°11'N / 87°26'W | 36°11'N / 87°25'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0 | Dickson |
Brief Description: Damage to homes. This storm complex came from Humphreys County. | |||||||||||
43.9 | 1980-06-29 | 2 | 35°01'N / 86°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lincoln | |
44.8 | 1999-05-05 | 4 | 35°34'N / 87°55'W | 35°38'N / 87°50'W | 6.00 Miles | 580 Yards | 3 | 0 | 295K | 0 | Perry |
Brief Description: An F4 tornado struck the town of Linden, located about 70 miles southwest of Nashville. The tornado damaged many homes, schools and businesses and churches. There were 3 fatalities. A 14 year old girl was sucked out of her home by the tornado as she, her father, and her mother were headed to the basement. Her dad was also sucked out of the home, but was found unharmed in the yard. The 14 year old girl was found 5 hours later in the rumble of their home. Hollis Hinson, 47 year old male and Perry County Trustee, was killed in his home. His girlfriend, 47 year old school teacher Patti Haston, was also killed in Mr. Hinson's house. The home was lifted off the foundation and flung into the woods and down a nearby hill. Both had gone to the bathroom to escape the tornado's fury. Ms. Hinson was found dead in a bathtub. F14PH, F47PH, M47PH | |||||||||||
44.9 | 2005-11-15 | 2 | 35°11'N / 87°45'W | 35°15'N / 87°40'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 100K | 0 | Wayne |
Brief Description: The NWS Storm Survey found that a tornado first touched down just south of Collinwood along Highway 13 near Shackelford Funeral Home. The tornado moved northeast and damaged several homes and snapped off numerous large trees along Ayers Rd. A barn was destroyed near the intersection of Ayers Road and Millrock. Several homes near this intersection received significant structural damage. Two trailer homes were damaged and were moved off their foundations. The tornado contiued to move northeast and did significant damage to the Millrock Baptist Church. Along Shawnette Road, more homes were damaged and numerous trees were blown down. Between Little Shawnette Road and Double Branch Road, a home was nearly destroyed. This was the last evidence of damage from the tornado in Wayne County. One injury occurred while a woman was inside her house on Shawnettee Road when the tornado moved the house off the foundation. | |||||||||||
45.0 | 2002-11-10 | 2 | 35°29'N / 86°19'W | 35°30'N / 86°16'W | 3.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 3 | 100K | 0 | Bedford |
Brief Description: An F2 tornado struck near Bugscuffle and caused very minor injuries. A second floor was torn off 2 late model frame houses. Several houses had roofs stripped and a couple of barns were demolished. This tornado went into Coffee county. TEMA reported 5 homes destroyed, 6 damaged, one mobile home destroyed and a TVA 500 KV tower was destroyed. 11 tornadoes were reported in Middle Tennessee in one of the worst tornadic outbreaks ever in November. 8 people...and possibly a ninth victim...were killed in Middle Tennessee alone. Damage estimate for the tornadoes in Tennessee was placed at $160 million. Primary losses were due to houses and cars. The toll on government owned infrastructure is about $6 million. The federal government is expected to reimburse the state and affected counties for 75% of the costs of responding to the disaster. The FEMA Public Assistance Program has obligated more than $3.6 million to assist local governments. These funds will be used to reimburse local governments for debris removal, the repair of public buildings and utilities, and overtime paid to police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel. More than 900 families across the state applied for storm aid. This was the worst tornado disaster since the April3-4 outbreak in 1974. The United States Small Business Administration has approved more than 9.7 million dollars in disaster loans to assist disaster victims with repairing their property or replacing lost personal items. The 20 counties that are eligible for disaster assistance to individuals, households, and businesses were: Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Carroll, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Fentress, Gibson, Henderson, Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sumner and Tipton and Van Buren. | |||||||||||
45.1 | 2003-05-11 | 3 | 35°57'N / 86°24'W | 35°58'N / 86°23'W | 1.00 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.8M | 0 | Rutherford |
Brief Description: At least 18 homes were destroyed and dozens more were damaged from the tornado. There was considerable damage at the Roanoke Subdivision. The old Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, located on Holly Grove Road which is just northeast of Walter Hill, will have to be torn down because of the tornado damage. The church has been at that location for more than 100 years. | |||||||||||
45.6 | 1972-04-07 | 2 | 36°18'N / 87°04'W | 36°15'N / 86°59'W | 5.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cheatham |
46.8 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 35°50'N / 86°26'W | 35°59'N / 86°13'W | 15.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Rutherford |
47.4 | 1999-01-22 | 2 | 36°06'N / 87°42'W | 36°07'N / 87°38'W | 4.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 1 | 500K | 0 | Humphreys |
Brief Description: Downed trees were reported from Gorman to McEwen. The hardest hit area was McEwen with 4 homes totally destroyed, 8 homes having severe damage, and 38 homes receiving minor damage. 8 to 10 outbuildings were destroyed and 60 trees were lost. 8 cars or trucks were damaged or destroyed. A man suffered a broken neck in his trailer. | |||||||||||
48.0 | 2006-04-07 | 3 | 36°17'N / 87°17'W | 36°19'N / 87°10'W | 12.90 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Dickson |
Brief Description: The tornado touched down on Maple ValleyRoad in northern Dickson County as an F2. 3 mobile homes were leveled and demolished at this location. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado continued along Highway 49 and reached Bellsburg, TN as an F3. A one story brick home was demolished. No walls or roof were left standing, leaving only a basement and a garage. A truck was thrown into the basement by the tornado. The drywall, furniture, and appliances were hurled into the woods at least 100 yards. An aerial survey determined spotty rural damage to trees as this tornado continued into Cheatham County where it hit Greenbrier and then Ashland City. Dickson County had a total of 25 homes destroyed, 8 homes with major damage, and 24 homes and businesses with moderate damage. | |||||||||||
48.1 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°11'N / 86°41'W | 36°14'N / 86°34'W | 7.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Davidson |
Brief Description: Trees were blown down. There was some damage to homes from fallen trees. This tornado was not as strong as the first. It started between downtown and Nashville International Airport and continued into Wilson county. | |||||||||||
48.2 | 1963-03-11 | 2 | 35°06'N / 87°44'W | 35°07'N / 87°36'W | 7.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
49.4 | 1976-03-20 | 2 | 34°55'N / 87°16'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Lauderdale |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.