2020 EF4 tornado in Tennessee
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The 2020 Cookeville tornado was an extremely destructive and fast-moving tornado that tracked across Putnam County, Tennessee, directly impacting the cities of Baxter and Cookeville in the early morning hours of March 3, 2020. The National Weather Service forecast office in Nashville, Tennessee, rated the worst of the damage from the tornado EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated at .
The tornado extensively damaged residential areas just west of Cookeville, carving an 0.8-mile-long EF4-level damage path. 19 people were killed, 87 were injured, and the tornado inflicted an estimated $100,000,000 (2020 USD) in damage. In the aftermath of the tornado, several notable figures, including then-president Donald Trump and Bill Lee visited Cookeville and other areas affected by the tornado, and federal funds were dedicated to rebuilding efforts after the tornado.
Meteorological synopsis.
In the afternoon hours of the previous day, on March 2, temperatures and dewpoints became favorable for the production of supercells in Missouri. Temperatures warmed into the low to mid 60s with dewpoints in the mid to upper 50s. As the night progressed, convection in the north weakened and a jet stream in the northern United States began to move to the South, creating an unstable atmosphere. At 11:20 pm CST, a tornado watch was issued across Middle Tennessee due to the formation of supercells. In subsequent hours, an intense and long-tracked supercell was responsible for the development of ten tornadoes along the I-40 corridor, one of them being the Cookeville tornado.
Tornado summary.
The tornado began just northwest of Baxter in Putnam County, directly east of US 70N at 1:48 am CST, and began to track eastward, aligning with Baxter. Trees along Thompson Ridge Road were uprooted at EF0 intensity, and a home on Bidwell Lane sustained heavy roof damage on the outer edge of the tornado's path, with windspeeds estimated to be around at that location. As the tornado moved across Byers Road, it uprooted more trees and damaged an outbuilding at retained EF0 intensity. It briefly moved parallel to US 70 narrowly avoiding the Upperman High School, on the eastern edge of Baxter. A home less than a mile from the high school sustained heavy damaged, and another house was partially unroofed. As the tornado entered the city limits of Baxter, it crossed Millie Lane, where it uprooted trees at EF0 intensity. Several more homes a short distance east, on Stephanie Lane, were heavily damaged, and an outbuilding was obliterated at EF1 intensity. The tornado continued to move eastward, unroofing two homes on Big Ben Circle and damaging several others.
The tornado continued to move eastward toward Cookeville, and uprooted trees at EF1 intensity before crossing Bloomington Road. Several homes in the area sustained varying levels of damage, and an outbuilding was completely destroyed at EF3 intensity. More homes were heavily damaged as the tornado moved across Clemmons Road, and the tornado had estimated windspeeds of shortly before entering a heavily populated neighborhood in western Cookeville. The tornado gained intensity and became violent for the first time as it tore through the southern end of Charlton Square, where several homes were slabbed at high-end EF3 intensity and another residence was obliterated at EF4 intensity. A person who was occupying house in the area was pinned under rubble and injured, and another occupant was unhurt. The damage rating for the home was initially lowered, but was moved back up to EF4 damage after an analysis of the structure was conducted. An adjacent home was destroyed at EF4 intensity, and the tornado retained this intensity for 0.8 miles.
As the tornado moved across Plunk Whitson Road, it destroyed a home at EF3 intensity and left only a small room standing, where five occupants survived. However, four children and seven adults who lived in the area were killed as the tornado tore through the subdivision. A residence across the street was completely destroyed, and the tornado had estimated windspeeds of in this area. The tornado continued to move through heavily populated areas, before running parallel to Hensley Drive, where every structure on the southern half of the street were destroyed at EF4 intensity. A couple who were residing in one of the homes survived, and 4 members of a family sustained minor injuries.
The tornado curved slightly southward on North McBroom Chapel Road, where additional EF4 damage was documented to a home and several others were damaged at various intensities. Up to 70 people were unaccounted for in this area in the hours after the tornado had hit. The tornado then moved across Mockingbird Hill Circle, where trees were debarked and several structures were destroyed at EF3 and EF4 intensity. It continued to move in a straight path, crossing a creek before directly impacting a 3-story apartment. The apartment was obliterated, with the top 2 stories completely destroyed and debris strewn across the property.
The tornado then directly impacted Echo Valley Drive, where another group of houses were completely destroyed at high-end EF4 intensity, and an Exxon gas station on the adjacent street was obliterated. As the tornado crossed West Broad Street, it produced largely EF2 damage, where a home sustained roof damage and another was shifted off its foundation. A metal building system nearby was also destroyed in windspeeds. The tornado then moved over Locust Grove Road, where a row of houses on the adjacent street were either heavily damaged or destroyed at high-end EF3 intensity.
As the tornado exited the eastern side the residential subdivisions of northwest Cookeville, it crossed Tennessee Avenue, where multiple hardwood trees were snapped at EF2 intensity. Multiple structures were damaged or destroyed as the tornado crossed Miller Road, and a home was slid off its foundation on an adjacent street. It then rapidly strengthened, reaching EF3 intensity as it impacted a home off of West Broad Street. Multiple nearby buildings were partially unroofed, and an outbuilding was destroyed at EF2 intensity. Another home nearby was hit and damged at EF2 intensity, and an occupant was killed while on the stairwell. A row of houses on Crescent Drive sustained EF1 and EF2 damage, with one home sustaining heavy roof damage. As the tornado weakened, it partially unroofed multiple structures on Vinson Avenue and damaged the siding of another home near Braswell Avenue. Trees were uprooted at EF1 intensity as the tornado crossed Buck Avenue, and the tornado again weakened to EF0 intensity as it entered into another residential area, due west of the Cookeville Regional Medical Center. The tornado then rapidly dissipated as it neared the medical center, uprooting small trees and damaging the siding of an outbuilding before lifting at 1:56 am CST on Laurel Avenue.
The tornado was on the ground for 8 minutes, tracked a total of , and had an average ground speed of . In all, 19 were killed and 87 more were injured to varying degrees.
Aftermath.
Fatalities.
In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, 18 were confirmed to have been killed, and by the following day one more person was confirmed to have been killed. 14 adults and 5 children were killed during the tornado, including a 3-year-old child. The victims were Brandy Barker, Jessica Clark, Hattie Collins, Robert Dickson, Donn Eaton, James Eaton, Stephanie Field, Carl Frazee, Kodd Koehler, Erin Kimberlin, Joshua Kimberlin, Sawyer Kimberlin, Sue Koehler, Patricia Lane, Harlan Marsh, Bridgett McCormick, Leisha Rittenberry, Cathy Shelby and Keith Shelby.
Visit by Donald Trump and others.
On March 6, then-president Donald Trump, Governor Bill Lee, Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn, and other members of the Tennessee congressional delegation visited Cookeville, where they announced that federal funds would be directed to rebuilding costs and declared a state of emergency for Tennessee. The tornado inflicted a total of $100 million (2020 USD) in damages, and several organizations donated to help rebuild.
References.
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