December tornadoes devastate middle Tennessee
This storm comes just two years – almost to the day – after an EF-4 tornado swept a 165-mile path through the same region.
A storm system that hit middle Tennessee on Saturday, December 9, spawned a tornado outbreak that affected more than a dozen counties, killed six people and injured at least 80 others. The largest of these twisters was confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS) as an EF-3, with peak winds around 150 mph.
The EF-3 first touched down on Fort Campbell, just north of Sabre Airfield before intensifying. The tornado passed through Clarksville and Montgomery, Tennessee, as well as Todd and Logan Counties in Kentucky. The NWS reports this twister alone impacted nearly 1,000 homes, including 114 that were destroyed and 268 that sustained major damage.
The outbreak also produced at least three EF-2 tornadoes, according to the NWS. One of the EF-2s, which hit Springfield, Tennessee, had peak winds around 120 mph. Though it was only on the ground for about 3.5 miles, the NWS reports it still caused significant damage including flipping cars in a Kroger parking lot and damaging several businesses.
Tornadoes from this outbreak also majorly damaged two fire stations in the city of Rutherford and in Gibson County, Tennessee.
This storm comes just two years – almost to the day – after an EF-4, long-track tornado swept a 165-mile path of destruction from northwest Tennessee through 11 Kentucky counties December 10-11, 2021. The 2021 outbreak killed at least 80 people, making it the deadliest in U.S. history to happen in the month of December. According to the NWS, the outbreak resulted in damage costs up to $3.5 billion.
On Sunday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared a “Level 3” state of emergency for the state. As of Monday, December 11, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said there were 18,800 reports of power outages across the state – down from nearly 70,000 who were without power on December 9.