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EF2 tornado in Hamilton County, Tennessee

Tornado October 26, 2010 · Hamilton County, Tennessee

EF2

Rating

1.2 mi

Path length

100 yd

Path width

Injuries

$200K

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

NWS storm survey determined an EF2 tornado with maximum wind speed of 125 mph and a length of 1.2 miles with a path width of 100 yards touched down in the vicinity of the Chickamauga Dam. Damage from the storm included a roof torn off an apartment complex, a cement plant demolished, several vehicles on Highway 153 damaged and numerous trees and powerlines downed.

The wider storm

A cold front tracked through the region triggering scattered severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. Storm reports contained mainly damaging thunderstorm wind, but an EF2 tornado formed in Hamilton County. Six people were injured. Tornadoes also formed in Bradley, Loudon and Marion Counties.

Began near Chattanooga (35.1216, -85.1925).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF1 Bradley County EF1 Loudon County EF0 Marion County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 260302. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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