EF2 Tornado — Knox, Tennessee

2023-08-07 · near Byrds Chapel, Knox, Tennessee

Event narrative

The tornado started on Yarnell Road, then reached peak intensity and width as it passed the Lovell Crossing apartment complex. Significant roof damage was noted to several of the homes and apartments in Lovell Cove and Crossing, with partial roof loss and uplift of roof decking common to several apartments. In addition to roof damage, a complete collapse of a garage at Lovell Crossing was noted, along with wooden boards driven into the ground and a large gash in the side of apartment complex office from the impact of a large, but unknown object. Numerous trees in the apartment complex suffered damage from the tornado. The tornado then crossed Pellissippi Parkway, and continued along and north of Bob Gray Road. A driver on Pellissippi Parkway recorded a video of the tornado crossing the parkway. Significant tree damage was observed along Bob Gray Road, with a narrow path of snapped hardwood trees as the tornado progressed eastward. The tornado appears to have dissipated at the intersection of Bob Gray Road and Middlebrook Pike.

Wider weather episode

A highly anomalous pattern for August including an unseasonably intense low pressure system created several hours of severe thunderstorms including the final round of storms that grew upscale into a severe mesoscale convective system.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.9308, -84.1580)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1120634. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.