Tennessee, 1998

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 3, 1998

April 3, 1998 · NWS OHX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$350,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 Nashville radar (KOHX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Tornado, Sumner

When
April 3, 2:58 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where
Sumner County, Cottontown to 3 mi of Castalian Spgs
Rating
F2
Path length
15.8 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$200,000
Coordinates
36.450, -86.480

The tornado downed trees, power lines and took off roofs to many homes. Areas just south of Cottontown were hardest hit. Homes were also damaged just north of Gallatin on RT 109 and Douglas Lane.

Thunderstorm Wind, Trousdale

When
April 3, 3:20 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Trousdale County, North Portion
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
36.420, -86.170

News article states strong winds damaged barns, downed trees and power lines from Templow to Willard. The Friendship Baptist Church had roof damage. There was also damage to a store building at Templow.

Tornado, Jackson

When
April 3, 4:08 PM CST to 4:18 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, North Spgs to 1 mi NE of Whitleyville
Rating
F2
Path length
10 mi
Path width
200 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
36.470, -85.770

3 barns were completely destroyed, several houses, a church, and other barns lost roofs.

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Tennessee, 1998Warnings 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: 5641244, 5641242, 5641243.