1998 Lawrenceburg tornado

1998 Lawrenceburg tornado

NOAA radar image of the Nashville and southwestern Tennessee supercells.
Meteorological history
F5 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Overall effects
Fatalities	0
Injuries	21
Damage	$4 million (1998 USD)
IBTrACS

In the afternoon hours of April 16, 1998, a violent tornado moved through rural areas north of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, injuring 21 people. The tornado, dubbed the Forgotten F5 by the National Weather Service, was part of a larger severe weather outbreak across the South. The tornado produced heavy damage to several homes, earning it a rating of F5, the highest rating a tornado can receive on the Fujita scale. It was the strongest tornado of 1998, and the only F5 tornado ever recorded in Tennessee.

Tornado summary

The tornado first touched down just inside Wayne County and traveled through sparsely populated areas of Lawrence County, west and northwest of Lawrenceburg. There were 21 injuries, however. It did not significantly affect any towns along its 19.3 miles (31.1 km) path.

However, many large and well-built homes with anchor bolts were completely leveled with some swept clean from their foundations, and vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards. One truck was rumored to have been taken about 20 miles (32 km), though this was never confirmed. A 200-foot section of grass was scoured away at a pasture, leaving only bare soil behind. Clumps of dirt were pulled up as well. Many trees and power lines were downed as well as 75 utility poles. Some of the trees were completely debarked, and several livestock were killed as well.

This tornado originally extended from Hardin County southeast of Savannah through Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, and Maury counties as one long-track F5. A 2013 reanalysis determined there were three separate tornadoes with distinct path breaks. The first tornado was rated high-end F4 in Hardin and Wayne counties. The second was the F5 tornado in Lawrence County, and the third, another rated F4, tracked from northern Lawrence through Giles and Maury counties. Due to the media coverage surrounding the Nashville tornado, this tornado has been referred to as "The Forgotten F5".

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