Tornadoes, hail and flash flooding impacted much of Middle Tennessee on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday. At least two people have died as a result of the storms, with multiple injuries reported.
Middle Tennessee is no longer threatened by tornadoes, but flooding remained a concern on Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Robertson and Sumner counties were especially hard hit by flooding, as repeated rounds of heavy rains flooded creeks and roadways, setting in motion water rescues in several areas. Flooding was also reported at White House High School.
AP Photo George Walker IVCharles Hodge works to clear storm damage at a home along Cothran Road on Wednesday in Columbia.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Nashville says it is monitoring conditions in the Cumberland River and will make water management adjustments as necessary. Peak river depths are expected to be just shy of flood stage.
The weather service is gathering information about extreme amounts of rainfall, and has already note that Crossville set a daily rainfall record with 2.53 inches, and that Clarksville took on 4.30 inches — the most since the May 1, 2010 flood.
Here’s what else we know about the storms so far:
- A tornado in Maury County damaged homes, injured residents and killed one in a rural area between Columbia and Spring Hill, near I-65.
- A 22-year-old man in Claiborne County died after a tree, knocked down by heavy winds, struck his car, according to the Associated Press.
- A possible tornado was reported in Stewart County.
- Apple-sized hail was reported in Clarksville.
As of 3 p.m., there are about 37,000 customers without power across the state, down from higher outages. (The numbers were still around 74,000 as of Thursday morning.)
Storm surveyors with the National Weather Service rated the Maury County tornado as EF-3 level, with winds of 140 mph. The length of the tornado’s path has not been determined.
The death in Maury County was caused by a home being blown off of its foundation with a person trapped inside. Other homes were also blown away. There were no storm sirens, since they are not considered to be as effective in rural areas.
Emergency crews worked overnight, rescuing multiple people. In total, 12 people so far have been removed from debris and wooded areas. Maury County officials announced that there are still no reports of missing people, but they are bringing in search dogs and relief crews from neighboring counties to go through damaged buildings for any additional victims today. The damage was concentrated around Blackburn Lane and Old Hwy 99.
Tammy Johnson, a resident on Cathron Road was upstairs when the tornado hit. This is what she woke up to. pic.twitter.com/QlZsrM7LuN
— Blaise L Gainey (@BlaiseGainey) May 9, 2024
Dave Huber lives with his wife on Cothran Road in Columbia, a heavily impacted area. From what they can tell, their home took on no damage, though that wasn’t the case for neighbors.
“Our immediate area, it missed it, but … down to Tom Osborne (Road) this way, all the trees are down,” Huber said. “The path it went — all the power lines, all the poles are laying in the streets. Power lines everywhere. There’s a trampoline up in the one power line that’s standing over there.”
Officials are urging people to consider monetary donations to the Maury County Trustee’s Office.
Schools are closed or starting late today in dozens of counties. Here’s a full list of them via NewsChannel 5.
The director of Rutherford County Schools, one of the closed districts, is dealing with a family emergency. Jimmy Sullivan says his 9-year-old son was badly injured when he was swept into a storm drain near his home. He is currently in critical condition at Vanderbilt Hospital. Rutherford County Schools is hosting a prayer vigil for Sullivan and his family. According to James Evans, the district’s Communications Officer, “the family needs a miracle” for the boy to survive.
Blood Assurance, the blood bank serving Middle Tennessee, asked for donations Thursday morning after a number of blood drives scheduled for yesterday were cancelled. All their centers are open today, including their center in Columbia near the path of one of Wednesday’s tornadoes.
Areas north of Interstate 40, like Gallatin in Sumner County, saw flooded creeks spilling onto roadways and water rescues just before sunset Wednesday.
Cody, 16, was near Station Camp Creek in Gallatin on Wednesday, where he witnessed flooding in the area.
“A bunch of cars started getting carried away,” Cody said. “And then a bunch of cops came around, there was EMS, a fire truck… But all this was flooded over completely.”
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Transportation had closed several state routes due to flooding and downed trees. Those include:
- Macon County: SR 141, SR 56, SR 80
- Smith County: SR 24, SR 80, SR 53, SR 25
- Montgomery County: SR 12
- Robertson County: SR 25
- Maury County: SR 373
- Rutherford County: SR 266
Storms packing strong winds and hail also raked across the region Monday, setting off a cascade of storm warnings. The weather service said an EF-1 tornado traveled three miles through Smithville on Monday, along a path similar to a tornado there in 2012. A second, EF-0 tornado hit Big Springs Road about six miles north of Lebanon.
This is a developing story that was last updated at 11:52 a.m. Thursday.
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