EF2 tornado in Shelby County, Tennessee
Tornado February 5, 2008 · Shelby County, Tennessee
NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through De Soto County, Mississippi → Shelby County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.
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 the National Weather Service wrote
A tornado continued northeast from DeSoto County, Mississippi. After the tornado crossed into Tennessee, several warehouses sustained damage. The DSC warehouse near Clarke Road was struck causing EF-2 damage. Three people were killed inside the warehouse. Hardy Bottling Company sustained substantial damage as well. Tractor-trailers were tossed about in the area. Windows were shattered in the Willow Lake Business Park and utility poles and trees were snapped in the area. A utility substation sustained severe damage along Clarke Road causing major power outages in the area. The tornado then continued northeast and struck homes along Maple Tree Drive and Pinbranch Court. Five homes received major damage and had to be condemned. Other homes sustained roof damage. The tornado continued northeast and struck the Hickory Ridge Mall causing a wall to collapse at the Sears Department Store. Six injuries occurred at the mall. This damage was estimated at EF-1. The tornado then struck a Taco Bell along Winchester Road before lifting. Thirteen people in all were transported to an area hospital due to injuries sustained from the tornado.
The wider storm
A strong low pressure system tracked from Northern Arkansas into Southern Missouri during the evening hours of February 5th, 2008. Supercells developed out ahead of the system during the late afternoon into the early evening. The storms produced tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. As the supercells moved east during the evening, a cold front moved into West Tennessee. A squall line developed along the front and produced another round of large hail and damaging winds. The front continued to push east into the overnight hours.
Began near Whitehaven (34.9947, -89.9869).
Other tornadoes from the same storm system
11 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 82421. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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