National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Whites Creek EF-0 Tornado (Blount County)
  April 12, 2020

 

Event Summary

EF-0
 
Estimated Maximum Wind:
75 mph
Injuries/Fatalities:
None
Damage Path Length:
0.47 miles
Maximum Path Width:
125 yards
Approximate Start Point/Time:
3 NW Dallas
33.8819/-86.6877
at 544 pm
Approximate End Point/Time:
3 NNW Dallas
33.8832/-86.6797
at 544 pm

 

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed the damage in southern Blount County and determined it was the result of an EF-0 tornado.

A brief EF-0 tornado touched down near Whites Creek, generally along Center Springs Road. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted before the tornado moved east causing minor roof damage to at least two homes, uprooting trees, and destroying a storage shed. The tornado quickly weakened and lifted as it moved over a heavily wooded area just to the east-northeast where remnant debris lied in the tree line. Aerial photos helped establish a clearly identifiable convergent debris pattern. The tornado damage path was 0.47 miles long and was 125 yards wide at its widest point. The maximum winds were estimated around 75 mph.

 

Radar Image
Reflectivity (left) and velocity (right) of the circulation as the tornado touched down.
Images are from KBMX at 544 pm.