Tornadoes · United States · Tennessee · 2011
EF2 tornado, Suggs Creek to Lebanon Arpt, Tennessee, February 24, 2011
From Suggs Creek to Lebanon Arpt, this EF2 tornado ran 8.0 miles across Wilson County on February 24, 2011, touching down at 10:14 PM CST and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 2, and did $500,000 of property damage.
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 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
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
- EF2
- Date
- February 24, 2011
- Touchdown
- 10:14 PM CST (04:14 UTC)
- Lifted
- 10:22 PM CST (04:22 UTC)
- On the ground
- 8 minutes
- Path length
- 8.0 miles (12.9 km)
- Path width
- 150 yards (137 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Property damage
- $500,000
- County
- Wilson County
- Touchdown point
- 36.119, -86.418
- Lift-off point
- 36.184, -86.300
- Record number
- 1102242214-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A strong storm system moved across Middle Tennessee during the evening hours on Thursday, February 24th. This system produced several severe thunderstorms, resulting in mainly tornadic and straight line wind damage events across several counties in the mid state.
Damaged occurred in the Smith Springs Area of southeast Davidson County. Damage began near the intersection of Butler and Smith Springs Road where two churches experienced significant roof damage. Damage continued to the northeast across the Priest Lake Forecast Community where approximately ten homes suffered significant roof damage. A couple of homes had complete roof loss including a two story home which lost most of its second floor. Damage continued northeast across Percy Priest Lake and eventually into Wilson County. The last evidence of damage was near the intersection of Gladieville Circle and Stewarts Ferry Pike.
An EF2 tornado touchdown just south of Central Pike along Gladieville Road. Damage continued northeast for eight miles with the last evidence of damage near Interstate 40 and Cumberland Street South of Lebanon. The most significant damage occurred between Franklin Road and State Highway 840. Several warehouse buildings suffered significant roof and wall damage, and a consturction trailer was completely destroyed with debris spread out over hundreds of yards. A 500kv TVA high tension metal truss tower was completely bent over. Hundreds of hardwood trees were either snapped and uprooted.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
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 24, 8:29 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 8:29 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 829 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011 .UPDATE... LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE TSTORMS CONTINUES TO PRECEDE COLD FRONT... WHICH IS CURRENTLY NEARING THE MS RIVER. NUMEROUS WARNINGS CONTINUE ACROSS WEST TN. THIS COLD FRONT...AND LINE OF STORMS WILL CONTINUE EAST...PLOWING RIGHT ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH 07Z OR SO. TOR WATCH REMAINS VALID THRU THAT TIME. THE WEATHER WILL IMPROVE DRASTICALLY AFTER THE FRONT PASSES AS DRIER AIR SETTLES IN. WILL ADJUST GRIDS TO REFLECT PASSING STORMS AND INCOMING DRIER AIR LATER TONIGHT. MAY MAKE SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPS AS WELL. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 534 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ UPDATE...FOR 00Z TAFS. AVIATION... STRONG SFC LOW ACRS CENTRAL AR WILL MOVE RAPIDLY TO CENTRAL KY BY 06Z... THEN OFF TO WV ARND 12Z. THIS WILL BRING A STRONG COLD FRONT ACRS THE CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT...WHICH WILL BE PRECEDED BY A LINE OF TSTORMS. THIS LINE WILL MOVE TO NEAR BNA 04-06Z THEN CSV 07-09Z. PASSING PCPN WILL PRODUCE MVFR/IFR CEILINGS/VSBYS...WITH VSBYS GREATLY INCREASING AFTER 12-14Z FROPA. CEILINGS HOWEVER WILL BE SLOW TO LIFT ON FRI. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 352 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST REASONING WILL LEAN TOWARD A CONSENSUS MODEL SOLUTION COMPROMISE FOR THE FORECAST PERIOD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. FORECAST QUANDARIES...AN ACTIVE SVR WX EVENT LOOKS TO BE SET UP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. WITH SEVERAL OF OUR W COUNTIES UNDER A TOR WATCH THRU 04Z...AND EXPECTING THE CHANCE OF ISO TORNADOES THRU THE ENTIRE NIGHT...HAVE MENTIONED THIS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD TONIGHT. AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES... SOME TRIMMING OF THESE AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE...AS THE STRONG SFC COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO W PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE BY 06Z...MOVE ACROSS THE NASHVILLE METROPOLITIAN AREA BY AROUND 09Z...AND BEGIN TO EXIT THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AREA BY 12Z FRI. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AIRMASS IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE... .ESPECIALLY ACROSS SW PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE...WHERE INSTABILITY AND LIFTING MECHANISMS ARE MOST ENHANCED. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE ACROSS W PORTIONS OF MID STATE THRU AT LEAST 04Z...MAINLY ALONG AND W OF A LINE FROM CLARKSVILLE TO LAWRENCEBURG...AND THEN CONTINUE TO MOVE E. IMPRESSIVE LOW LEVEL JET DYNAMICS WITH THIS POTENTIAL SVR WX EVENT ALSO...WITH 850 MB WIND FIELDS MODEL CONSENSUS SHOWING AN 80KT JET MAX ACROSS THE NASHVILLE METRO AREA...WITH A 60KT-70KT JET MAX ACROSS E PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...PLEASE SEE THE PREVIOUSLY ISSUED 2128Z MESOSCALE DISCUSSION FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT SHORT TERM IMPACTS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. AS STORM SYSTEM MOVES EWD OF THE MID STATE ON FRI...AND STRONG RIDGING INFLUENCES BUILD ACROSS THE MID STATE FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST...LOOK FOR A DECREASING CLOUDINESS TREND WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE...CHANCE E PLATEAU...PER REMAINING RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BEHIND FRONTAL PASSAGE...OF LIGHT SHWRS FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND E OF I-65 THRU THE MORNING HOURS ON FRI. EXPECT AFTERNOON HIGHS CLOSE TO GFS/NAM FORECASTED VALUES. WITH MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO AT LEAST N PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE BY 12Z...WILL GO WITH AN INCREASING CLOUDINESS TREND ACROSS THESE AREAS AND SLIGHTLY RAISE LOWS FRI NIGHT FROM MODEL GUIDANCE FORECAST NUMBERS. EXPECT MID TO UPPER LEVEL CLOUDINESS TO MOVE INTO THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY REGION DURING THE DAY ON SAT...WITH SLY WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS MUCH OF THE MID STATE...AS A STATIONARY FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP JUST N OF THE MID STATE BY 12Z SUN. AS FOR HIGH TEMPS SAT AFTERNOON...WILL LOWER SLIGHTLY ACROSS N PORTIONS OF MID STATE PER STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH OVERALL CLOUDINESS ACROSS THIS AREA. ALSO BY 12Z SUN...OVERALL ATM MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS W PORTIONS OF MID STATE...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHWRS...DUE TO MARGINAL INSTABILITY/LIFT ACROSS THESE LOCATIONS. THUS...WILL RAISE LOWS TEMPS ACROSS THESE LOCATIONS FOR SAT NIGHT ALSO. ANOTHER POSSIBLE POTENT STORM SYSTEM IS STILL FORECAST TO SWEEP ACROSS THE MID STATE SUN AND MON...LIKELY BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. AFTER THIS NEXT STORM SYSTEM EXITS OUR REGION MON NIGHT...THE MID STATE SHOULD EXPERIENCE DRY WEATHER...AS HIGH PRESSURE INFLUENCES BUILD ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. HYDROLOGY... AS OF 2 PM CST...HERE AT THE NWS OFFICE IN OLD HICKORY...WE HAD 1.76 INCHES OF RAINFALL. AS MENTIONED ABOVE...WILL CONTINUE WITH THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 12Z. HAVE MADE JUST SOME SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE HPC QPF VALUES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NW PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE...WITH A SWATH OF ONE INCH TO ONE...STARTING FROM NEAR WAYNESBORO TO PORTLAND...INCREASING TO ONE AND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH IN LOCATIONS ACROSS THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES REGION OF NW TN...THRU 06Z. EXPECT THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL ACROSS LOCATIONS JUST W OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU...AND W PORTIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU... WHERE GENERALLY 0.60 INCH IS EXPECTED. THESE ARE GENERAL VALUES ANTICIPATED...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE DUE TO PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR TNZ005>011-022>031- 033-056-057-059. && 07
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 24, 7:18 AM CST, 14 hours 56 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 718 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-251130- 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-DE KALB-WHITE- CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- 718 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE UNTIL 600 AM FRIDAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. MOST AREAS CAN EXPECT A TOTAL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN. AREAS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF NASHVILLE CAN EXPECT 2 TO 3 INCHES, WITH THE CLARKSVILLE AND DOVER AREAS RECEIVING 3 TO 4 INCHES. THERE IS ALSO A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE, INCLUDING THE NASHVILLE METRO AREA, WITH A SLIGHT RISK ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MID STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SWEEP ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING, BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... REPORTS FROM TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED. SPOTTER THUNDERSTORM REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN ROSE
In the hours before
Local storm report, Feb 24, 9:37 PM CST, 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
937 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0915 PM TSTM WND DMG DICKSON 36.08N 87.38W
02/24/2011 DICKSON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
HARMON SPRINGS - TREE IN HOUSE
0915 PM TSTM WND DMG DICKSON 36.08N 87.38W
02/24/2011 DICKSON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
ACCIDENT I-40...WIND RELATED. MILE MARKER 165.
&&
MRICHARDLocal storm report, Feb 24, 9:46 PM CST, 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
946 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0941 PM TSTM WND DMG DICKSON 36.08N 87.38W
02/24/2011 DICKSON TN AMATEUR RADIO
TREES DOWN CRAB CREEK ROAD. HWY100...TRANSFORMER BLOWN
OFF POLL. POWER OUTAGES.
&&
MRICHARDLocal storm report, Feb 24, 9:51 PM CST, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
951 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0950 PM TSTM WND DMG DICKSON 36.08N 87.38W
02/24/2011 DICKSON TN AMATEUR RADIO
HWY100/YELLOW CREEK ROAD...NUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWN.
&&
MRICHARDLocal storm report, Feb 24, 10:01 PM CST, 13 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Feb 24, 10:05 PM CST, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1005 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0950 PM TSTM WND DMG LEWISBURG 34.87N 89.82W
02/24/2011 DESOTO MS TRAINED SPOTTER
LEWISBURG AND MATCH HATCHER TREES DOWN
&&
MRICHARDLocal storm report, Feb 24, 10:14 PM CST, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1014 PM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0950 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 WNW FRANKLIN 36.74N 86.61W
02/24/2011 SIMPSON KY AMATEUR RADIO
POWER OUTAGES IN WESTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY
0958 PM TSTM WND DMG NASHVILLE 36.17N 86.78W
02/24/2011 DAVIDSON TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREE DOWN ON HOUSE ON PETWAY AVENUE IN EAST NASHVILLE
&&
MRICHARDThe 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
4.2 hours before the tornado, 22 km from the path. February 25, 2011.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -79 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 793 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 74 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 538 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 629 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.0 K/km
The surface observations
Lebanon (M54), 6 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:15 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.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in TennesseeEvery tornado in Tennessee since 1950Warnings in force in Tennessee nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 24, 2011
12 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 24 | 3:53 PM CST | EF1 | Perry, AR | 11.1 | 80 | $165,000 | ||
| February 24 | 4:56 PM CST | EF1 | Lonoke, AR | 2.3 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| February 24 | 5:03 PM CST | EF1 | Lonoke, AR | 1.6 | 235 | $400,000 | ||
| February 24 | 6:15 PM CST | EF0 | Fulton, KY | 1.1 | 50 | $30,000 | ||
| February 24 | 6:32 PM CST | EF1 | Hickman, KY | 7.2 | 100 | $80,000 | ||
| February 24 | 7:25 PM CST | EF1 | West Carroll Parish, LA | 6.5 | 75 | $750,000 | ||
| February 24 | 7:50 PM CST | EF2 | Christian, KY | 5.7 | 300 | $600,000 | ||
| February 24 | 7:50 PM CST | EF2 | Sharkey, MS | 7.3 | 400 | $1.0 million | ||
| February 24 | 8:30 PM CST | EF2 | Decatur, TN | 12.2 | 400 | $1.5 million | ||
| February 24 | 10:02 PM CST | EF2 | Davidson, TN | 7.5 | 100 | $550,000 | ||
| February 24 | 10:18 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, AL | 0.6 | 100 | $75,000 | ||
| February 24 | 11:10 PM CST | EF0 | Cullman, AL | 0.2 | 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.