Survey of Benton/Houston County tornado

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
644 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2008

...SURVEY OF TORNADO THAT STRUCK BENTON AND HOUSTON COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

OFFICIALS OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONDUCTED A GROUND SURVEY OF A TORNADO THAT OCCURRED IN BENTON AND HOUSTON COUNTIES DURING THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 5TH, 2008.

BASED ON THE OBSERVED DAMAGE, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO WAS RATED ON THE HIGH END OF AN EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA INTENSITY SCALE, HAVING WINDS NEAR 110 MPH. THE ENHANCED FUJITA INTENSITY SCALE RANGES FROM EF-0, WITH WINDS AS LOW AS 65 MPH TO EF-5, WITH WINDS OVER 200 MPH.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG DANVILLE ROAD ABOUT 4.3 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF BIG SANDY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF BENTON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS ABOUT 50 YARDS WIDE WHERE IT FIRST TOUCHED DOWN.

THE TORNADO THEN INCREASED TO ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE AS IT MOVED RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ALONG OR CLOSE TO DANVILLE ROAD, DAMAGING HOMES AND SNAPPING AND UPROOTING MANY TREES.

IT THEN CROSSED THE TENNESSEE RIVER AND INTO WESTERN HOUSTON COUNTY ALONG COUNTY HIGHWAY 147, WHERE IT DAMAGED HOMES AND UPROOTED AND SNAPPED MORE TREES. THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED ABOUT ONE HALF MILE WEST NORTHWEST OF MCKINNON.

THE TORNADO TRAVELED 4.6 MILES IN BENTON COUNTY AND 2.6 MILES IN HOUSTON COUNTY, FOR A TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF 7.2 MILES.

THE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT GENERATED THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AND INTO MONTGOMERY COUNTY. DAMAGE CAUSED FROM STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS ESTIMATED AT 80 TO 100 MPH, OCCURRED FOR NEARLY A MILE ALONG INDIAN MOUND ROAD, AND AT A FEW LOCATIONS NEARBY ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 79 BETWEEN OAKWOOD AND WOODLAWN.

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STEIGERWALDT