F2 tornado — Sumner County, Tennessee

F2 tornado in Sumner County, Tennessee

Tornado May 18, 1995 · Sumner County, Tennessee

Rating

5.0 mi

Path length

75 yd

Path width

Injuries

$3.0M

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 75 yards (0.04 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado first touched down near Goodlettsville and moved northeast. The tornado struck near the Rivergate Mall. At least two dozen business were damaged. Nearly 500 cars were damaged beyond repair at a nearby auto dealership. In Sumner County, 35 apartments were destroyed along with three mobile homes. Several business were damaged. An elementary school in Westmoreland lost a large area of roofing above the gymnasium. The Gallatin Civic Center suffered major damage to its swimming pool. Several high tension towers were bent. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 10348892. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

F2 tornado in Sumner County, Tennessee

What the National Weather Service wrote

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