Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Tennessee, April 15 to 16, 1998

Name: Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Tennessee, April 15 to 16, 1998
Start: 1998-04-15T18:55
End: 1998-04-16T11:45
Location: Tennessee

April 15 to 16, 1998 · NWS OHX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

5 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 5
Property damage: $920,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When: April 15, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Coffee County, Manchester
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 35.480, -86.080

Trees were blown down at Manchester. A large tree fell at the corner of Main and Church Streets near the First United Methodist Church and knocked out electricity. Property damage iincluded a portion of an awning at Jiffy Burger blown off and minor damage to homes from downed trees and limbs.

Flash Flood, Cheatham

When: April 16, 5:00 AM CST to 6:30 AM CST
Where: Cheatham County, Countywide
Coordinates: 36.261, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

News article reported flooding across many roads in Cheatham county.

Tornado, Dickson

When: April 16, 6:10 AM CST to 6:20 AM CST
Where: Dickson County, Tidwell to 1 mi SE of Tidwell
Rating: F3
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 1,300 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 36.000, -87.330

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.

Tornado, Montgomery

When: April 16, 9:18 AM CST to 9:20 AM CST
Where: Montgomery County, 1 mi NNW of Port Royal
Rating: F2
Path length: 1.1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 36.570, -87.150

Many trees and power lines were blown down at Port Royal and Sandlerville Road. Homes were damaged. A TVA transmission line tower fell. This tornado moved into Robertson county.

Tornado, Robertson

When: April 16, 9:20 AM CST to 9:40 AM CST
Where: Robertson County, Adams to 5 mi NNW of Cedar Hill
Rating: F3
Path length: 7.2 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $400,000
Coordinates: 36.570, -87.130

Part of a roof was blown off the Jo Byrns School in Adams. Many trees fell on homes.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hickman

When: April 16, 10:30 AM CST to 10:31 AM CST
Where: Hickman County, Wrigley
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 35.900, -87.350

Several trees were blown down.

Tornado, Humphreys

When: April 16, 11:05 AM CST to 11:06 AM CST
Where: Humphreys County, Buffalo to 2 mi ESE of Buffalo
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 35.880, -87.820

Spotter reported a tornado on I-40 between mile marker 145 and 146.

Tornado, Macon

When: April 16, 11:35 AM CST to 11:45 AM CST
Where: Macon County, Willette to 2 mi ENE of Willette
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 36.430, -85.830

Many trees and power lines were blown down. A roof was damaged to a house and also to a barn on White Springs Road from large tree branches.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Tennessee, 1998 Warnings in Tennessee, April 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5641018, 5641016, 5641015, 5641019, 5641020, 5641017, 5641021, 5641022.