2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak - Northeast Nashville Region Tornado

Northeast Nashville Region Tornado

Just after 9:00 PM CST (0300 UTC), a supercell that spawned tornadoes over northern Mississippi as well as causing fatalities in Hardin County, Tennessee, moved to the northeast over Nashville. Fortunately, no tornadoes were reported there (although there were reports of funnel clouds) and no significant damage was reported in Nashville or Davidson County. At the time the supercell moved over Nashville, a National Hockey League game between the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes, which was nationally televised on Versus, was being played at the Sommet Center. With just over nine minutes left in the third period, Predators head coach Barry Trotz was told that the game may have to be stopped. Although the game continued to completion, at the game's end fans were not allowed to leave the arena until the storm had passed.

After the supercell moved through Nashville the environment became more favorable again and a strong tornado did touch down, devastating a lengthy swath of Middle Tennessee in the late evening hours and killing 22 people. The tornado touched down near Castalian Springs and Westmoreland, a rural area in Sumner County, Tennessee, just after 10:00 pm CST (0400 UTC). Eight fatalities were confirmed in Castalian Springs due to the tornado, the last occurring two weeks later. The 19th century Wynnewood Inn, a national historical landmark, suffered major damage to its second level and grounds during the storm.

The tornado then tracked into Trousdale County and left three people dead, two of whom were found at a home along U.S. Route 231. From there the tornado continued northeast to Macon County, Tennessee where 13 people died. As a result of the tornado, a major fire occurred at a natural gas plant near the small community of Green Grove in the extreme southwestern portion of the county. The area was evacuated and no one was injured at the plant. Widespread damage in the area was also reported to houses and trailers, particularly in the community of Lafayette. Debris from the Lafayette area was found as far north as Sano, Kentucky in Adair County, approximately 70 miles (113 km) to the northeast. Sixteen thousand TVA electricity customers in Macon and Trousdale Counties lost power, some of whom did not have their service restored for a week. Macon County schools were closed until February 19. In total, about 260 houses in the three counties were destroyed, and damage amounts were estimated at $78 million in Macon County alone. In addition, on March 13, 2008, the tornado claimed the life of a 14th Macon County resident who had been critically injured.

The tornado continued across the state boundary into Kentucky where a metal warehouse, two homes and two mobile homes near Gamaliel were destroyed, and several other structures suffered extensive damage. Thirteen people from an adjacent trailer park hid inside a basement and were trapped by debris for up to 30 minutes.

Preliminary surveys by the National Weather Service office in Nashville confirmed that the 22 deaths (which was revised downward from 24 due to double-counting) were caused by a single tornado, which was rated an EF3. The tornado path was 51 miles (82 km) long and up to .75 miles (1.21 km) wide. National Weather Service Meteorologist Bobby Boyd theorized that cold air downbursts impinging on the tornado forced it to lift up from the ground and remain a funnel cloud as it crossed over Davidson County and downtown Nashville before touching down again east of the city.

The devastation was described by Governor Phil Bredesen as "It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground" while surveying by helicopter. The tornado is the deadliest single tornado to strike Middle Tennessee in over 75 years, and the deadliest single US tornado since the Evansville Tornado of November 2005 (which killed 25).