EF2 tornado, Scottsboro to Willard, Tennessee, December 9, 2023

1. EF065 to 85 mph

   Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

2. EF186 to 110 mph

   Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. EF4166 to 200 mph

   Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

6. 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.

7. 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.

Rating

EF2

Date

December 9, 2023

Touchdown

4:39 PM CST (22:39 UTC)

Lifted

5:27 PM CST (23:27 UTC)

On the ground

48 minutes

Path length

34.8 miles (55.9 km)

Path width

400 yards (366 m)

Deaths

3

Injuries

22

Property damage

$20 million

Counties

Davidson, Sumner and Trousdale counties

Touchdown point

36.255, -86.785

Lift-off point

36.457, -86.213

Record number

2312091639-01

383 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS OHX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 130 mph.

• At least one tree uprooted. Multiple surrounding trees snapped and mangled.
• Fatalities occurred at this location
• 3, maybe 4 mobile homes destroyed. Fatalities occurred at this location.
• Building intact but garage door blown in

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

A major tornado outbreak impacted Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours of December 9, 2023. With a surface low pressure system situated over the Great Lakes area, a cold front was oriented north-to-south from the Great Lakes southward into the southeastern United States. Ahead of this cold front, southerly flow advected plenty of moisture into Middle Tennessee as the atmosphere destabilized. Meanwhile, a potent low-level jet resulted in an abundant amount of wind shear. This helped to set the stage for organized thunderstorms with a tornado threat. Thunderstorms began to cross the Tennessee River into the mid-state during the early afternoon hours. The first tornado of the day touched down in Indian Mound in Stewart County. That same supercell spawned another, more significant, tornado in Montgomery County that impacted Clarksville. This was the strongest tornado of the event, causing EF-3 damage before it continued its path into Kentucky. In total, six tornadoes were confirmed from this event, including another long-track EF-2 tornado that impacted Davidson, Sumner, and Trousdale counties which was warned with a Tornado Emergency. Unfortunately, seven people were killed during this event.

This tornado touched down in the Claylick community in eastern Dickson County, snapping and uprooting several trees and destroyed an outbuilding. It quickly intensified to low-end EF-2 strength as it crossed Nosegay Road and demolished a single-story manufactured home. The tornado continued to Pack Annex Road where it did minor damage to the tops of high-tension powerlines and continued to snap large trees as it moved northeast into Cheatham County. The tornado weakened and caused sporadic tree damage as it moved into Cheatham Wildlife Management Area. It strengthened once more, causing prolific tree damage and structure damage to homes along Dry Creek Road south of Ashland City. Just before leaving Cheatham County, the tornado caused minor outbuilding damage and snapped a few trees near River Road. At this point, the tornado Crossed into Davidson County and crossed the Cumberland River. On Pecan Valley Road, some structural damage was observed, but damage was consistent with a weakening tornado with maximum winds of 90 mph. The tornado lifted after crossing Old Hickory Boulevard, just north of Ashland City Highway.

This strong EF-2 tornado touched down just to the east of I-24 on Brick Church Lane in Davidson County. There were a few trees down and shingle damage to several homes in this area. The tornado strengthened in the Madison area causing EF-2 damage with winds up to 120-125 mph. The heaviest damage was confined to two areas, off of East Campbell Road as well as Nesbitt Lane. Multiple mobile homes were destroyed on Nesbitt Lane, and this is where three fatalities occurred. Multiple single family homes and a church off of East Campbell Road were missing large sections of their roofs with some exterior walls collapsed. Several metal power poles in the area were bent as well. Nearby, an apartment complex off Palmer Avenue sustained damage. As the tornado moved further northeast, substantial damage was found to houses in a cul-de-sac on Stoney River Lane. Two buildings were toppled and several others damaged in an industrial complex off of Myatt Drive. The tornado then continued across the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake, coming onshore again in the immediate dam vicinity. It is this location in which the strongest winds were found, up to 130 miles per hour, due to substantial damage to a grove of hundreds of trees in which all of them were either snapped, uprooted, or missing major branches. The tornado persisted into Hendersonville, downing hundreds of trees and causing roof damage to multiple homes. It damaged many businesses along Main Street. The tornado continued northeast into Gallatin where EF-2 damage with maximum winds of 115 mph was found to a few homes in the Club at Foxland Harbor as we as the Foxland Harbor Golf and Country Club. At this point, the tornado began to weaken though EF-1 damage was found as it crossed Highway 109 and Steam Plant Road. Several trees were still found to be uprooted along with minor roof and shingle damage to a couple of homes as the tornado crossed Hartsville Pike. Scattered trees continued to be blown down along Lauderdale Lane and Homer Scott Road before the tornado crossed Highway 231 into Trousdale County. Trees continued to be blown down on Browning Branch Road and a home suffered significant roof and porch damage on Hawkins Branch Road. Trees continued to be blown down until the tornado lifted near Shephard Hollow Lane. Around 600 homes and businesses were damaged in Sumner County.

This strong EF-2 tornado touched down just to the east of I-24 on Brick Church Lane in Davidson County. There were a few trees down and shingle damage to several homes in this area. The tornado strengthened in the Madison area causing EF-2 damage with winds up to 120-125 mph. The heaviest damage was confined to two areas, off of East Campbell Road as well as Nesbitt Lane. Multiple mobile homes were destroyed on Nesbitt Lane, and this is where three fatalities occurred. Multiple single family homes and a church off of East Campbell Road were missing large sections of their roofs with some exterior walls collapsed. Several metal power poles in the area were bent as well. Nearby, an apartment complex off Palmer Avenue sustained damage. As the tornado moved further northeast, substantial damage was found to houses in a cul-de-sac on Stoney River Lane. Two buildings were toppled and several others damaged in an industrial complex off of Myatt Drive. The tornado then continued across the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake, coming onshore again in the immediate dam vicinity. It is this location in which the strongest winds were found, up to 130 miles per hour, due to substantial damage to a grove of hundreds of trees in which all of them were either snapped, uprooted, or missing major branches. The tornado persisted into Hendersonville, downing hundreds of trees and causing roof damage to multiple homes. It damaged many businesses along Main Street. The tornado continued northeast into Gallatin where EF-2 damage with maximum winds of 115 mph was found to a few homes in the Club at Foxland Harbor as we as the Foxland Harbor Golf and Country Club. At this point, the tornado began to weaken though EF-1 damage was found as it crossed Highway 109 and Steam Plant Road. Several trees were still found to be uprooted along with minor roof and shingle damage to a couple of homes as the tornado crossed Hartsville Pike. Scattered trees continued to be blown down along Lauderdale Lane and Homer Scott Road before the tornado crossed Highway 231 into Trousdale County. Trees continued to be blown down on Browning Branch Road and a home suffered significant roof and porch damage on Hawkins Branch Road. Trees continued to be blown down until the tornado lifted near Shephard Hollow Lane. Around 600 homes and businesses were damaged in Sumner County.

This strong EF-2 tornado touched down just to the east of I-24 on Brick Church Lane in Davidson County. There were a few trees down and shingle damage to several homes in this area. The tornado strengthened in the Madison area causing EF-2 damage with winds up to 120-125 mph. The heaviest damage was confined to two areas, off of East Campbell Road as well as Nesbitt Lane. Multiple mobile homes were destroyed on Nesbitt Lane, and this is where three fatalities occurred. Multiple single family homes and a church off of East Campbell Road were missing large sections of their roofs with some exterior walls collapsed. Several metal power poles in the area were bent as well. Nearby, an apartment complex off Palmer Avenue sustained damage. As the tornado moved further northeast, substantial damage was found to houses in a cul-de-sac on Stoney River Lane. Two buildings were toppled and several others damaged in an industrial complex off of Myatt Drive. The tornado then continued across the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake, coming onshore again in the immediate dam vicinity. It is this location in which the strongest winds were found, up to 130 miles per hour, due to substantial damage to a grove of hundreds of trees in which all of them were either snapped, uprooted, or missing major branches. The tornado persisted into Hendersonville, downing hundreds of trees and causing roof damage to multiple homes. It damaged many businesses along Main Street. The tornado continued northeast into Gallatin where EF-2 damage with maximum winds of 115 mph was found to a few homes in the Club at Foxland Harbor as we as the Foxland Harbor Golf and Country Club. At this point, the tornado began to weaken though EF-1 damage was found as it crossed Highway 109 and Steam Plant Road. Several trees were still found to be uprooted along with minor roof and shingle damage to a couple of homes as the tornado crossed Hartsville Pike. Scattered trees continued to be blown down along Lauderdale Lane and Homer Scott Road before the tornado crossed Highway 231 into Trousdale County. Trees continued to be blown down on Browning Branch Road and a home suffered significant roof and porch damage on Hawkins Branch Road. Trees continued to be blown down until the tornado lifted near Shephard Hollow Lane. Around 600 homes and businesses were damaged in Sumner County.

The deaths

3 direct deaths are recorded for this tornado, each with what Storm Data knows of it.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

30 minutes of warning. NWS OHX issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:09 UTC, 30 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 17:36 UTC and running to 00:42 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 20:03 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 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.

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:37 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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in TennesseeEvery tornado in Tennessee since 1950Warnings in force in Tennessee nowThe forecast where you are

11 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.