Nashville tornado outbreak of 1998
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| Date of tornado outbreak: | April 16, 1998 |
| Duration1: | 10 hours, 25 minutes[1] |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F5 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 10+ |
| Damages: | >$133 million (1998 USD)[2] |
| Fatalities: | 4[2] |
| Areas affected: | Middle and East Tennessee[2] |
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1Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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The Nashville Tornado Outbreak of 1998 occurred on April 16, 1998. On that day, at least ten tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee—three of them touching down in Nashville, causing significant damage to the downtown and East Nashville areas. Nashville became the first major city in nearly 20 years to have an F2 or larger tornado make a direct hit in the downtown area.[3]
In addition, the outbreak produced several other destructive tornadoes in Middle Tennessee. One of them, southwest of Nashville, was an F5 tornado—one of only two ever recorded in the state. That tornado remained mainly in rural areas of Wayne and Lawrence counties.
Remarkably, only four people were killed in the outbreak, including 3 by the F5 tornado.
This tornado outbreak occurred at the end of the record-setting 1997-1998 El Niño event.
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[edit] Confirmed Tornadoes
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | ||||||
| F3 | SE of Tidwell | Dickson | 1210 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
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| F3 | Adams area | Montgomery, Robertson | 1518 | 8.3 miles (13.4 km) |
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| F0 | SE of Buffalo | Humphreys | 1705 | 0.5 mile (800 m) |
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| F2 | E of Willette | Macon | 1735 | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
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| F0 | NE of Pegram | Cheatham | 2015 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
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| F3 | Nashville area (1st tornado) | Davidson, Wilson, Trousdale | 2030 | 32 miles (51 km) |
1 death - Main Nashville tornado - See section on this tornado | |
| F2 | Nashville area (2nd tornado) | Davidson, Wilson | 2120 | 28 miles (46 km) |
See section on this tornado | |
| F5 | Clifton to Culleoka | Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Maury | 2150 | 62.5 miles (100 km) |
3 deaths - Homes were completely wiped off their foundation and debris scattered. Considered one of only two F5's to have ever occurred in Tennessee (the other being in Pinson, Tennessee in 1923).[4] | |
| F2 | Nashville area (3rd tornado) | Davidson | 2215 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
See section on this tornado | |
| F3 | Byrdstown area | Pickett | 2235 | 8.6 miles (13.8 km) |
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| Source: Middle Tennessee Tornadoes | ||||||
[edit] Nashville tornadoes
The storm first crossed into Nashville at around 3:30 p.m. (CDT), moving from west to east across the city. Of the three tornadoes that hit Nashville, one was rated F3 on the Fujita scale, and the other two were rated F2.[1] The F3 tornado touched down near the intersection of Charlotte Pike and Forty-sixth Avenue and travelled directly through downtown. After crossing the Cumberland River, it passed through East Nashville, Donelson, and Hermitage before finally lifting near Hartsville in Trousdale County.[5]
At least 100 people were injured by the storm.[6] Vanderbilt University student Kevin Longinotti was trapped under a fallen tree in Centennial Park and later died from his injuries.[7] Nearly 300 buildings were damaged in the storm including the Tennessee State Capitol. At least two buildings collapsed and numerous cars were crushed by debris.[6] Several cranes at the construction site of the Tennessee Titans' new stadium (now known as LP Field) were damaged. Total property damage within Nashville was estimated at over $100 million.[8]
[edit] See also
- List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- April 6-8, 2006 Tornado Outbreak - 9 fatalities in the Nashville area.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Middle Tennessee Tornadoes. Visited April 11, 2006.
- ^ a b c Timothy W. Troutman, Timothy P. Marshall, and Mark A. Rose (2000). "A Comparison of WSR-88D Radar Velocity Signatures to Tornado Damage for the April 16, 1998 Tornado Outbreak in Middle Tennessee", Symposium on the Mystery of Severe Storms, American Meteorological Society.
- ^ John D. Gordon, Bobby Boyd, Mark A. Rose, and Jason B. Wright (2000). "The Forgotten F5: The Lawrence County Supercell", National Weather Service paper. Visited May 8, 2005.
- ^ US F4, F5 Tornadoes Since 1900. Visited April 4, 2006.
- ^ Mark A. Rose. "The Nashville Tornado of March 14, 1933". Visited August 12, 2004.
- ^ a b "Tornadoes rip through heart of Nashville" from CNN.com. Visited August 12, 2004.
- ^ Ian Demsky. "Tornado sirens go unheard in many areas". The Tennessean, June 9, 2004.
- ^ NCDC Event Record for Nashville F3 tornado. Visited April 11, 2006.
