Bon Aqua & Auburntown Tornadoes on May 31, 2001

Summary of Bon Aqua and Auburntown Tornadoes, May 31, 2001

Thunderstorms rumbled across middle Tennessee Thursday evening and produced 2 confirmed tornadoes.

The first tornado was in Hickman County in the Bon Aqua area around 5:45 p.m. CDT. The tornado destroyed a mobile home, took the roof off of another home which was deserted, and blew down some trees. A barn was also destroyed. The hardest hit area was on Bee Branch Road. The path length of the tornado was 0.7 miles, path width of 50 yards. The tornado was rated an F1. There were several eye witnesses to this tornado.

The tornado at Auburntown struck around 8:10 p.m. Heaviest damage was at Marshall Creek Road and Hughes Road. A farm house, where there was one fatality, was demolished. There were 2 injuries resulting from the destruction of a modular home across the street. This tornado was rated F2, with a path length of a half mile, and a path width of a quarter of a mile.

The EMA Director in Lawrence County has determined the wind damage in the western part of Lawrence County to be from straight line winds. [Two] people were injured in Lawrence County.

Jerry Orchanian