EF1 tornado in Grainger County, Tennessee

The tornado began near McAnally Rd and Campground Rd before moving east along Highway 131. Tree damage began sporadically at first, with a few cedar trees split or blown over, tree damage then began to intensify towards the heart of the damage path. There were several barns and outbuildings with roof damage along 131, and numerous snapped trees. A small chicken coop was lofted up and over the pen around the coop, and left upside down in a ditch but with no scratches or visible damage to the coop. The most significant damage was to a large barn on Highway 131 that was completely destroyed. The tornado continued to Clinch River Hardwoods and Thorn Hill Church. At that location a large tanker trailer was overturned, and the church had some light damage to siding and windows. The tornado lifted where trees were snapped on the side of Clinch Mountain near US Highway 25E.

Warm front lifted north into Kentucky and severe thunderstorms, including discrete supercells, moved ahead of the cold front into East Tennessee, producing multiple hazards. Two tornadoes occurred in this event, an unusual occurrence for February in East Tennessee. The Morgan County tornado was the first confirmed February tornado in the county and the strongest February tornado in our area since 1993. The 2nd tornado occurred in Grainger County and was only the 4th confirmed tornado in recorded history in Grainger. These tornadoes were the first February tornadoes in our area since 2011.