F1 tornado — Putnam County, Tennessee

F1 tornado in Putnam County, Tennessee

Tornado March 19, 2003 · Putnam County, Tennessee

Rating

12.2 mi

Path length

440 yd

Path width

Death

Injury

$100K

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 440 yards (0.25 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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 touched down 1.5 miles east of exit #280 on I-40. The tornado continued for about 12.2 miles. One person was killed, and another person was injured inside a mobile home on Pippin Road and near Anderson Rd. The time of the fatality was around 11:15 AM CST. The storm ripped the trailer loose from its anchors and flung it over on its side at least 100 feet from its foundation. Numerous trees and power lines were down. The fallen trees and power lines blocked many roads. A total of 67 properties in the Pippin area reported damage. There was damage to houses, barns, trailers, garages, sheds, and at least one church. In the Buffalo Valley Road area, the tornado destroyed a barn and uprooted several huge trees.All six sirens in Cookeville sounded for the tornado warning, which was issued at 10:58 AM CST.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5346695. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

F1 tornado in Putnam County, Tennessee

What the National Weather Service wrote

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