Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee · 2006
F1 tornado, Crossville, Tennessee, April 7, 2006
This F1 tornado ran 6.2 miles across Cumberland County on April 7, 2006, touching down at 5:46 PM CDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 4, and did $4.0 million of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- F1
- Date
- April 7, 2006
- Touchdown
- 5:46 PM CDT (22:46 UTC)
- Path length
- 6.2 miles (10.0 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 4
- Property damage
- $4.0 million
- County
- Cumberland County
- Touchdown point
- 35.920, -85.080
- Lift-off point
- 35.950, -84.980
- Record number
- 310
What the Weather Service recorded
6 homes were destroyed (2 were mobile homes). 6 other homes with 50% of the structure damaged and a total of 181 homes damaged. There was $3.2 million estimate for just homes. This estimate did not include out-buildings or vehicles. Final debris estimates on clean-up have reached over $200,000.Final estimate will approach $4 million in damage.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 15:24 UTC and running to 00:49 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:24 UTC | 00:49 UTC | Tornado Watch | OHX |
| 22:32 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OHX |
| 22:54 UTC | 23:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OHX |
| 23:03 UTC | 23:24 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 00:13 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 00:49 UTC | 06:57 UTC | Tornado Watch | OHX |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 16:32 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 12:00Z
10.8 hours before the tornado, 143 km from the path. April 7, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -263 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1050 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 174 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 241 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.3 K/km
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 00:00Z
1.2 hours after it, 143 km from the path. April 8, 2006.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 310 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -177 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 440 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1354 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 65 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 219 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 272 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.7
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.1 K/km
The surface observations
Crossville Memorial (CSV), 5 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:53 UTC | 72 | 56 | 210° 11 kt | 18 | 1007.1 | |
| 21:53 UTC | 71 | 56 | 200° 8 kt | 1006.8 | ||
| 22:20 UTC | 71.6 | 55.4 | 190° 6 kt | 1006.1 | TS | |
| 22:53 UTC | 60 | 57 | 6 kt | 33 | 1006.1 | +TSRA FG SQ |
| 23:03 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 330° 5 kt | 1006.4 | -TSRA BR | |
| 23:08 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 0° 0 kt | 1006.1 | -TSRA BR | |
| 23:12 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 0° 0 kt | 1006.1 | -TSRA BR | |
| 23:28 UTC | 59 | 57.2 | 4 kt | 1005.8 | VCTS -RA BR | |
| 23:53 UTC | 58 | 56 | 330° 10 kt | 18 | 1007.5 | +TSRA BR |
| 00:07 UTC | 57.2 | 53.6 | 350° 4 kt | 1006.8 | -TSRA | |
| 00:21 UTC | 57.2 | 55.4 | 300° 7 kt | 1008.1 | TSRA BR | |
| 00:26 UTC | 57.2 | 55.4 | 3 kt | 1007.5 | +TSRA BR | |
| 00:32 UTC | 57.2 | 55.4 | 140° 6 kt | 1007.1 | +TSRA BR |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:46 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:00 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Jamestown | Fentress, TN | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN JAMESTOWN |
| 22:04 UTC | HAIL 1 | 7 Se Smithville | De Kalb, TN | HWY 288 SE OF SMITHVILLE |
| 22:05 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Ne Smithville | De Kalb, TN | LARGE TREES DOWN AND DEBRIS SCATTERED ALONG HWY 287, EAST OF HWY 56 |
| 22:44 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Cookeville | Putnam, TN | PENNY SIZE HAIL NEAR BAXTER |
| 22:45 UTC | HAIL 1 | Pleasant Hill | Cumberland, TN | HWY 70 WEST AND MAIN STREET, QUARTER SIZE HAIL |
| 22:46 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 11 W Crab Orchard | Cumberland, TN | *** 4 INJ *** F1 TORNADO FROM 3.8 SOUTHWEST CROSSVILLE TO 2.5 EAST OF CROSSVILLE FROM 546 PM TO 551 PM. THE TORNADO DAMAGED A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF ROOFS ON HOMES. PATH LENGTH WAS 6.2 MILES AND PATH WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. |
| 22:56 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 Nw Crossville | Cumberland, TN | QUARTER SIZE HAIL WEST OF HWY 70 |
| 23:00 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 Nw Crossville | Cumberland, TN | QUARTER SIZE HAIL WEST OF HWY 70 |
| 23:03 UTC | TORNADO | 7 S Crossville | Cumberland, TN | TORNADO AT MARION CIRCLE, TREES DOWN |
| 23:06 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 Wsw Deerlodge | Morgan, TN | FEW TREES DOWN ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:06 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 3 Wsw Deerlodge | Morgan, TN | PENNY TO GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:15 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | Wartburg | Morgan, TN | FROM 715 TO 735 PM...SEVERAL REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTINGS COUNTYWIDE BUT NO REPORTS OF TOUCHDOWNS AT THIS TIME. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Wartburg | Morgan, TN | FROM 715 TO 735 PM...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE. REORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Wartburg | Morgan, TN | FROM 715 TO 735 PM...SEVERAL HOMES COUNTYWIDE SUFFERED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:15 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Wartburg | Morgan, TN | FROM 715 TO 735 PM...NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PENNY TO GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:20 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Rockwood | Roane, TN | SEVERAL TREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY ROANE COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT. |
| 23:25 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Harriman | Roane, TN | ONE TREE DOWN ON SWAN POND CIRCLE IN HARRIMAN. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 23:25 UTC | HAIL 1 | 3 S Wartburg | Morgan, TN | QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN THE MOSSY GROVE AREA. REPORTED BY AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR. |
| 23:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Kingston | Roane, TN | SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN KINGSTON. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 00:13 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 E Spencer | Van Buren, TN | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES EAST OF SPENCER |
| 00:25 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | 7 Wnw Pikeville | Bledsoe, TN | PENNY SIZED HAIL AT FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK. REPORTED BY PARK RANGER. |
| 00:28 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Petros | Morgan, TN | NICKEL SIZED HAIL IN PETROS. REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DISPATCH. |
| 00:30 UTC | FUNNEL CLOUD | 11 Nne Pikeville | Bledsoe, TN | FUNNEL CLOUD CROSSED HIGHWAY 101 NEAR THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY LINE AND MOVED NORTHEAST INTO CUMBERLAND COUNTY. REPORTED BY DAUGHTER OF FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK OFFICIAL. |
| 00:40 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 11 W Crab Orchard | Cumberland, TN | *** 4 INJ *** F1 TORNADO FROM 3.8 SOUTHWEST CROSSVILLE TO 2.5 EAST OF CROSSVILLE FROM 740 PM TO 745 PM. THE TORNADO DAMAGED A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF ROOFS ON HOMES. PATH LENGTH WAS 6.2 MILES AND PATH WIDTH OF 150 YARDS. |
| 01:35 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 7 Wnw Pikeville | Bledsoe, TN | SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK. REPORTED BY STATE PARK OFFICIAL. |
| 01:35 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 8 Nw Pikeville | Bledsoe, TN | PENNY TO GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL ON AND ALONG HIGHWAY 30. REPORTED BY FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK OFFICIAL. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in TennesseeEvery tornado in Tennessee since 1950Warnings in force in Tennessee nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 7, 2006
46 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7 | 12:40 PM CDT | F0 | Benton, TN | 1.1 | 10 | $50,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:05 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, TN | 0.2 | 20 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:10 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, TN | 0.2 | 20 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:30 PM CDT | F3 | Dickson, TN | 18.8 | 880 | $6.0 million | ||
| April 7 | 1:34 PM CDT | F2 | Henderson, TN | 9.0 | 100 | 5 | $2.0 million | |
| April 7 | 1:40 PM CDT | F1 | Henderson, TN | 3.5 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 1:53 PM CDT | F2 | Benton, TN | 6.0 | 50 | $250,000 | ||
| April 7 | 2:05 PM CDT | F1 | Humphreys, TN | 4.5 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| April 7 | 2:08 PM CDT | F3 | Davidson, TN | 22.7 | 880 | 7 | 128 | $79 million |
| April 7 | 2:43 PM CDT | F0 | Lewis, TN | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| April 7 | 3:04 PM CDT | F2 | Barren, KY | 8.1 | 250 | 4 | $1.6 million | |
| April 7 | 3:35 PM CDT | F0 | Union Parish, LA | 6.8 | 250 | $70,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:14 PM EDT | F1 | Adams, IN | 0.8 | 100 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:36 PM CDT | F0 | Leflore, MS | 3.0 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 4:45 PM CDT | F1 | Pike, IN | 0.7 | 75 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:45 PM CDT | F1 | Warren, TN | 11.0 | 150 | 2 | $500,000 | |
| April 7 | 4:53 PM CDT | F0 | Washington, MS | 1.0 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| April 7 | 4:56 PM CDT | F0 | Pontotoc, MS | 6.0 | 30 | $30,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:43 PM CDT | F0 | Humphreys, MS | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 5:50 PM CDT | F0 | Colbert, AL | 0.1 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| April 7 | 5:52 PM CDT | F0 | Leflore, MS | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 6:14 PM CDT | F0 | Lauderdale, AL | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 6:17 PM CDT | F0 | Moore, TN | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 6:25 PM CDT | F1 | Colbert, AL | 8.0 | 100 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 6:28 PM CDT | F1 | Warren, TN | 4.0 | 100 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| April 7 | 6:30 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, TN | 0.5 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 6:55 PM CDT | F1 | Colbert, AL | 10.0 | 100 | $70,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:02 PM CDT | F1 | Muhlenberg, KY | 1.7 | 150 | $40,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:05 PM CDT | F1 | Limestone, AL | 0.7 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:35 PM CDT | F0 | Chickasaw, MS | 0.2 | 15 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:45 PM CDT | F0 | Madison, AL | 0.2 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 7:48 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, AL to TN | 2.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 8:01 PM CDT | F0 | Lincoln, TN | 0.1 | 30 | $5,000 | ||
| April 7 | 8:45 PM CDT | F0 | Lawrence, AL | 0.1 | 30 | |||
| April 7 | 8:55 PM CDT | F1 | Marion, AL | 9.4 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| April 7 | 9:00 PM CDT | F0 | Franklin, AL | 3.0 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 9:30 PM CDT | F0 | Lawrence, AL | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| April 7 | 9:55 PM CDT | F0 | Sunflower, MS | 3.0 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:00 PM CDT | F0 | Lawrence, AL | 0.1 | 60 | $10,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:00 PM CDT | F1 | Winston, AL | 4.7 | 150 | $80,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:16 PM CDT | F0 | Morgan, AL | 1.0 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| April 7 | 10:24 PM CDT | F0 | Limestone, AL | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| April 7 | 10:35 PM CDT | F1 | Morgan, AL | 9.0 | 150 | $110,000 | ||
| April 7 | 11:15 PM CDT | F0 | Marshall, AL | 0.1 | 150 | $20,000 | ||
| April 7 | 11:50 PM CDT | F1 | Cullman, AL | 0.2 | 30 | $120,000 | ||
| April 7 | 12:44 AM CDT | F0 | DeKalb, AL | 0.1 | 85 | $10,000 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.