Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee · 2008
EF1 tornado, Big Sandy to Kentucky Lake North, Tennessee, February 5, 2008
From Big Sandy to Kentucky Lake North, this EF1 tornado ran 2.0 miles across Benton County on February 5, 2008, touching down at 8:05 PM CST and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF1
- Date
- February 5, 2008
- Touchdown
- 8:05 PM CST (02:05 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:10 PM CST (02:10 UTC)
- On the ground
- 5 minutes
- Path length
- 2.0 miles (3.3 km)
- Path width
- 50 yards (46 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Benton County
- Touchdown point
- 36.202, -88.077
- Lift-off point
- 36.220, -88.049
- Record number
- 0802052005-01
What the Weather Service recorded
The Super Severe Weather Outbreak on Feb. 5, 2008 produced supercelluar thunderstorms, well in advance of a multicell line of thunderstorms. The whole episode lasted about 6 hours. This occurred ironically while many states, including Tennessee, were participating in the Super Tuesday Primary Election. Fortunately, polls had already closed in the mid state when these tornadoes struck.
Minor tree damage.
The tornado came out of northern Benton County and caused damage in Houston County. Trees were uprooted and snapped, and homes were damaged along Highway 147 from the Tennessee River to just west-northwest of McKinnon. There were 20 power poles down on Danville Rd. Worst damage was from Big Sandy to Faxon to Grannys Branch.||Fourteen homes were destroyed, and one other had major damage. About half of these homes were mobile homes.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
10 minutes of warning. NWS OHX issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:55 UTC, 10 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:30 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 01:20 UTC and running to 07:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:20 UTC | 07:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | OHX |
| 01:30 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 01:55 UTC | 02:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 02:42 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 04:48 UTC | 05:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 05:10 UTC | 05:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | OHX |
| 18:00 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Lake Wind Advisory | 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 High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 00:48 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.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Feb 5, 2:32 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 2:32 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 232 PM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 .SHORT TERM...(THRU THU NITE) CURRENT...SOME -SHRA MOVED ACROSS CNTRL PORTIONS OF CWA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME BREAKS IN CLOUDS. TEMPS 65 TO 70 FOR MOST PART. FOR TONITE...HI RISK SEVERE TO OUR W...AND MODERATE RISK CONTINUES ALL BUT PLATEAU AND ADJACENT AREAS. ACTION STARTING TO CRANK UP OVER SW MO TO ERN TX...WITH A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES SHOWING UP OVER N MS. STILL EXPECT ACTIVE WEATHER TONITE...ALTHO AGAIN THE MAIN SHOW HAS BEEN DELAYED...SO THAT NOW THE SQUALL LINE (DAMAGIN WIND MAIN THREAT) WILL NOT MOVE INTO W PRTIONS OF CWA TIL AFTER MIDNITE...AROUND 09Z BNA...AND 12Z CSV. HELICITY VALUES AHEAD OF FRONT HI ENUF TO SUPPORT ISOLD SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT B4 SQUALL LINE ARRIVES. ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE EARLY MORNING MAINLY EAST...AND DRY SLOT WILL MOVE ACROSS DURING DAY...BUT H925 MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND SYSTEM BACK OVER CWA DURING DAY. WED NITE INTO THU NITE COOLER AND QUIET. .LONG TERM... A WEAK TROF MOVES ACROSS FRI NITE BUT VERY LITTLE PRECIP WITH IT. HI PRES RULES ON SAT. 1040 ARCTIC HI CENTER OVER IA SUN WILL BUILD S. RETURN FLOW SUN NITE AND MON. SOME WAA CONVECTION POSSIBLE AROUND TUE. GFS HAS BEEN FLIP-FLOPPING ON TEMPS FOR SAT- TUE TIME FRAME...AND LEANED TOWARD HPC NUMBERS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 54 56 31 48 / 100 60 10 10 CLARKSVILLE 51 51 28 47 / 100 30 10 10 CROSSVILLE 57 59 30 44 / 100 80 10 10 COLUMBIA 55 57 31 49 / 100 60 10 10 LAWRENCEBURG 55 57 30 51 / 100 30 10 10 WAVERLY 52 53 30 48 / 100 30 10 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 17/MAG
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 5, 5:10 AM CST, 14 hours 55 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...COR EXPIRATION TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 510 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-061130- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON-HOUSTON- HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE-SMITH-JACKSON- PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS-WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL -RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DEKALB-WHITE-CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN- GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-GILES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DOVER...CLARKSVILLE...SPRINGFIELD... GALLATIN...LAFAYETTE...CELINA...BYRDSTOWN...CAMDEN...ERIN... WAVERLY...DICKSON...ASHLAND CITY...KINGSTON SPRINGS...NASHVILLE... LEBANON...MOUNT JULIET...HARTSVILLE...CARTHAGE...GAINESBORO... COOKEVILLE...LIVINGSTON...JAMESTOWN...ALLARDT...LINDEN... LOBELVILLE...CENTERVILLE...HOHENWALD...FRANKLIN...BRENTWOOD... COLUMBIA...LEWISBURG...MURFREESBORO...WOODBURY...SMITHVILLE... SPARTA...CROSSVILLE...FAIRFIELD GLADE...SHELBYVILLE...TULLAHOMA... MANCHESTER...MCMINNVILLE...TRACY CITY...ALTAMONT...COALMONT... SPENCER...WAYNESBORO...LAWRENCEBURG...PULASKI 506 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT. WARM MOIST AIR WILL BE IN PLACE AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES INTO MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY UNSTABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO DEVELOP. STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU REGION WEDNESDAY MORNING...AS THE STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHES EAST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING. 04
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 5, 6:36 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED THE TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 636 PM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-060834- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON- HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE- SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS- WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DEKALB-WHITE- CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DOVER...CLARKSVILLE...SPRINGFIELD... GALLATIN...LAFAYETTE...CELINA...BYRDSTOWN...CAMDEN...ERIN... WAVERLY...DICKSON...ASHLAND CITY...KINGSTON SPRINGS...NASHVILLE... LEBANON...MOUNT JULIET...HARTSVILLE...CARTHAGE...GAINESBORO... COOKEVILLE...LIVINGSTON...JAMESTOWN...ALLARDT...LINDEN... LOBELVILLE...CENTERVILLE...HOHENWALD...FRANKLIN...BRENTWOOD... COLUMBIA...LEWISBURG...MURFREESBORO...WOODBURY...SMITHVILLE... SPARTA...CROSSVILLE...FAIRFIELD GLADE...SHELBYVILLE...TULLAHOMA... MANCHESTER...MCMINNVILLE...TRACY CITY...ALTAMONT...COALMONT... SPENCER...WAYNESBORO...LAWRENCEBURG...PULASKI 636 PM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 ...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL CONTINUES THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING... THE COMBINATION OF AN UNSEASONABLY WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS...AND AN APPROACHING POWERFUL COLD FRONT...WILL BRING THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES...TO MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. DUE TO A WARM LAYER ALOFT...IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR STORMS TO FORM DURING THE EVENING. HOWEVER...IF THEY DO...THEY COULD QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS. THEN...AS THE SLOWLY MOVING COLD FRONT APPROACHES OVERNIGHT...A SQUALL LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE MID STATE FROM WEST TO EAST. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THE OVERNIGHT SQUALL LINE...WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. COMPUTER MODELS HAVE BEEN SLOWING THE SYSTEM DOWN WITH EACH RUN...SO NEWER MODEL RUNS MAY YIELD A LITTLE BETTER TIMING. AS OF RIGHT NOW...IT STILL LOOKS AS THOUGH THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FROM MIDNIGHT THROUGH 6 AM. HOWEVER...SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING...PARTICULARLY ACROSS WESTERN MIDDLE TN. ALREADY THIS EVENING...SOME TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN WESTERN TN AND NORTHERN MS. IF YOU LIVE IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...BY DECIDING WHERE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL SEEK SHELTER. IN A HOME OR BUILDING...MOVE TO A PRE-DESIGNATED SHELTER...SUCH AS A BASEMENT. IF AN UNDERGROUND SHELTER IS NOT AVAILABLE...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AND GET UNDER A STURDY PIECE OF FURNITURE. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS...AND GET OUT OF AUTOMOBILES. MOBILE HOMES...EVEN IF TIED DOWN...OFFER LITTLE PROTECTION FROM TORNADOES AND SHOULD BE ABANDONED. STAY ALERT...BY LISTENING TO COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION...AND KEEP A NOAA RADIO...WITH AN ALARM...NEARBY WHILE SLEEPING TONIGHT. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE. 21
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), 00:00Z
2.1 hours before the tornado, 132 km from the path. February 6, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 706 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -45 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 750 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 812 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 300 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 362 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.3 K/km
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 12:00Z
9.9 hours after it, 132 km from the path. February 6, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -75186 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 675 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 75 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -77 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 221 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.0 K/km
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:05 UTC | TORNADO | Puryear | Henry, TN | 2 HOMES DESTROYED AT PURYEAR. |
| 01:36 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Huntingdon | Carroll, TN | GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL |
| 01:42 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Huntingdon | Carroll, TN | TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN JUST SOUTH OF HUNTINGDON. |
| 02:07 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 9 N Camden | Benton, TN | TRAILERS DAMAGED AND NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN BIG SANDY. |
| 02:07 UTC | TORNADO | Big Sandy | Benton, TN | TRAILERS DAMAGED AND NUMEROUS TREES DOWN |
| 02:12 UTC | HAIL 1.25 | Big Sandy | Benton, TN | HAIL COVERING THE GROUND |
| 02:12 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 9 W Tennessee Ridge | Houston, TN | THIS TORNADO IS A CONTINUATION OF A TORNADO THAT STARTED IN NORTHERN BENTON COUNTY. IT DAMAGED HOMES AND UPROOTED AND SNAPPED MANY TREES ALONG HIGHWAY 147 FROM THE TENNESSEE RIVER EAST TO JUST WEST NORTHWEST OF MCKINNON. |
| 02:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Waverly | Humphreys, TN | 3 TREES DOWN IN COUNTY. |
| 02:40 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 6 Se Dover | Stewart, TN | MINOR TREE DAMAGE FROM CARLISLE TO INDIAN MOUND. |
| 03:43 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 10 W Clarksville | Montgomery, TN | 5 HOUSES DESTROYED AND 8 MOBILE HOMES WITH DAMAGE. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in TennesseeEvery tornado in Tennessee since 1950Warnings in force in Tennessee nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 5, 2008
61 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | 3:26 PM CST | EF1 | Ashley, AR | 0.6 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| February 5 | 4:04 PM CST | EF0 | Chicot, AR | 1.1 | 50 | |||
| February 5 | 4:27 PM CST | EF0 | Phillips, AR | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| February 5 | 4:45 PM CST | EF0 | Bolivar, MS | 3.4 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| February 5 | 4:49 PM CST | EF4 | Atkins–Clinton tornado, AR | 121.8 | 1,320 | 13 | 139 | $119 million |
| February 5 | 4:50 PM CST | EF1 | Smith, TX | 1.0 | 300 | $30,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:00 PM CST | EF2 | Shelby, TN | 8.1 | 150 | 1 | $1.0 million | |
| February 5 | 5:02 PM CST | EF2 | Marion, AR | 12.5 | 880 | 1 | 36 | $18 million |
| February 5 | 5:18 PM CST | EF0 | Tipton, TN | 0.2 | 50 | $7,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:18 PM CST | EF0 | DeSoto, MS | 2.6 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:23 PM CST | EF1 | Tipton, TN | 0.7 | 50 | $75,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:31 PM CST | EF0 | Yell, AR | 0.6 | 30 | |||
| February 5 | 5:32 PM CST | EF1 | Tipton, TN to MS | 0.3 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:32 PM CST | EF2 | DeSoto, MS to TN | 10.2 | 440 | 3 | 13 | $128 million |
| February 5 | 5:53 PM CST | EF0 | Panola, MS | 0.2 | 25 | $12,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:55 PM CST | EF1 | Weakley, TN | 5.1 | 150 | $160,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:57 PM CST | EF1 | Lafayette, MS | 6.9 | 25 | $25,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:57 PM CST | EF3 | Lafayette, MS | 7.2 | 1,000 | 14 | $35 million | |
| February 5 | 6:02 PM CST | EF0 | Shelby, TN | 4.9 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:12 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, IL | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| February 5 | 6:12 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, IL | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| February 5 | 6:21 PM CST | EF3 | Fayette, TN | 31.1 | 600 | 3 | 14 | $10 million |
| February 5 | 6:25 PM CST | EF1 | Calloway, KY | 1.4 | 150 | $35,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:36 PM CST | EF0 | Tippah, MS | 1.4 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:45 PM CST | EF1 | Trigg, KY | 0.1 | 40 | $8,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:50 PM CST | EF0 | Tippah, MS | 2.5 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:50 PM CST | EF1 | Trigg, KY | 5.6 | 150 | $60,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:56 PM CST | EF1 | Alcorn, MS | 2.6 | 100 | 4 | $250,000 | |
| February 5 | 6:59 PM CST | EF4 | Jackson tornado, TN | 7.6 | 125 | 51 | $100 million | |
| February 5 | 7:05 PM CST | EF1 | Faulkner, AR | 5.5 | 100 | $140,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:09 PM CST | EF2 | Christian, KY | 14.1 | 275 | 2 | $4.4 million | |
| February 5 | 7:13 PM CST | EF2 | Madison, TN | 0.4 | 150 | $200,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:13 PM CST | EF1 | McNairy, TN | 8.9 | 150 | $250,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:19 PM CST | EF0 | St. Francis, AR | 0.1 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:20 PM CST | EF1 | Randolph, AR to MO | 31.9 | 200 | 4 | $280,000 | |
| February 5 | 7:30 PM CST | EF0 | Union, AR | 7.0 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:40 PM CST | EF4 | Hardin County tornado, TN | 16.2 | 880 | 3 | 5 | $18 million |
| February 5 | 7:44 PM CST | EF3 | Muhlenberg, KY | 18.1 | 375 | 3 | 24 | $21 million |
| February 5 | 7:48 PM CST | EF0 | Monroe, AR | 8.0 | 75 | $15,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:59 PM CST | EF0 | Lee, AR | 0.1 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:03 PM CST | EF1 | Butler, MO | 3.4 | 300 | $100,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:07 PM CST | EF2 | Benton, TN | 6.6 | 440 | $10 million | ||
| February 5 | 8:10 PM CST | EF1 | Lewis, TN | 22.9 | 200 | $900,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:10 PM CST | EF1 | Wayne, TN | 10.1 | 50 | |||
| February 5 | 9:15 PM EST | EF1 | Greene, IN | 2.0 | 50 | $1.3 million | ||
| February 5 | 8:18 PM CST | EF2 | Butler, MO | 13.9 | 200 | $300,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:40 PM CST | EF2 | Hickman, TN | 25.3 | 300 | 1 | $750,000 | |
| February 5 | 10:02 PM CST | EF3 | Sumner, TN to KY | 50.3 | 880 | 22 | 63 | $28 million |
| February 5 | 11:54 PM EST | EF1 | Meade, KY | 6.5 | 350 | $2.0 million | ||
| February 5 | 11:17 PM CST | EF0 | Catahoula Parish, LA | 1.5 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:21 AM EST | EF2 | Hardin, KY | 7.1 | 400 | $3.0 million | ||
| February 5 | 12:27 AM EST | EF2 | Hardin, KY | 1.0 | 300 | $150,000 | ||
| February 5 | 11:32 PM CST | EF1 | Hart, KY | 10.5 | 150 | $500,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:38 AM EST | EF0 | Spencer, KY | 0.7 | 220 | $150,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:38 AM EST | EF2 | Nelson, KY | 1.3 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 11:41 PM CST | EF0 | Perry, TN | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| February 5 | 12:43 AM EST | EF0 | Spencer, KY | 0.6 | 220 | 1 | $200,000 | |
| February 5 | 12:46 AM EST | EF2 | Shelby, KY | 7.0 | 250 | $175,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:50 AM EST | EF2 | Nelson, KY | 0.8 | 300 | 2 | $250,000 | |
| February 5 | 11:51 PM CST | EF0 | Hickman, TN | 0.1 | 20 |
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.