Nashville, TN

Weather Forecast Office

February 29, 2012 Tornado Outbreak

February 29, 2012 map

February 29, 2012 Tornadoes
#	Counties	Rating	Time (CST)	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Fatalities	Injuries
1	DeKalb/White	EF1	1546	13.47	500	1	0
2	Fentress/Morgan	EF1	1552	4.09	400	0	0
2	White	EF0	1604	2.16	50	0	0
3	Cumberland	EF2	1630	14.17	1000	2	7

Reports & Outlooks
SPC Outlooks	SPC Storm Reports	SPC Event Archive
Public Information Statements	Local Storm Reports	SPC 2012 Killer Tornadoes

Overview

A strong upper level trough of low pressure moved across the Central Plains states on February 28, 2012, then spread eastward into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on February 29. An associated intense surface area of low pressure as deep as 987 mb moved northeastward from Colorado and through the Great Lakes, dragging a strong cold front rapidly across the Plains states into Middle Tennessee by the afternoon of the 29th. Scattered thunderstorms that developed ahead of the front produced numerous tornadoes across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky from late afternoon on February 28 through the night into February 29, resulting in several fatalities and dozens of injuries. As the front moved into Middle Tennessee during the afternoon, strong wind shear aloft with winds as high as 170 mph around 35000 feet above the ground, along with unusually warm temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s at the surface, combined to produce additional scattered showers and thunderstorms. Although these thunderstorms remained weak west of the I-65 corridor, the combination of strong wind shear and moderate instability led to some of the thunderstorms becoming supercells east of I-65 to the Cumberland Plateau region, resulting in 4 tornadoes and several reports of large hail and wind damage. The tornadoes combined caused millions of dollars in damage, 3 fatalities, and 7 injuries in the Mid State.

EF1 DeKalb/White County Tornado
Counties:	DeKalb/White
Time:	3:46 PM CST
EF Scale:	EF1
Wind Speed Estimate:	100 MPH
Damage Path Length:	13.47 Miles
Damage Path Width:	500 Yards
Fatalities:	1
Injuries	0
Storm Data: An EF1 tornado touched down about 1 mile northwest of Smithville along Highway 83, then tracked rapidly east-northeast across Center Hill Lake before ending in western White County about 7 miles northwest of Sparta. Scattered trees were snapped or uprooted and some minor damage to homes occurred on the north side of Smithville. A small warehouse-type building was destroyed at Smithville Highway and Pine Grove Road with debris thrown northward into fields. The tornado increased in intensity as it moved along and north of Alpine Drive, with hundreds of trees snapped or uprooted. One home on stilts was knocked down a hillside and destroyed, resulting in one death. The tornado moved out of DeKalb County into White County near Twilight Lane with a mobile home damaged and a church steeple blown off along Browntown Road and two nearby outbuildings suffering roof damage. A barn was heavily damaged west of Austin Road before the tornado lifted.
DeKalb County NWS Storm Survey Photos:
White County NWS Storm Survey Photos:

EF1 Fentress/Morgan County Tornado
Counties:	Fentress/Morgan
Time:	3:52 PM CST
EF Scale:	EF1
Wind Speed Estimate:	95 MPH
Damage Path Length:	4.09 Miles
Damage Path Width:	400 Yards
Fatalities:	0
Injuries	0
Storm Data: This EF1 tornado is not in official Storm Data records, and was determined in 2024 from a combination of Google Earth high resolution satellite imagery, radar data, and emergency manager reports. The tornado touched down near Banner Springs Rd south of Press Beaty Rd, then moved rapidly eastward blowing down hundreds of trees in a strongly cyclonic pattern along Georgee Rd, St Anthony Dr, Jay Loop, Sara Ln, Press Beaty Rd, and Pierce Rd. One tree fell onto and heavily damaged a home at 300 Georgee Rd, and another tree crushed a detached garage at 399 Pierce Rd. Several power poles and power lines were blown down as well. The tornado continued eastward along the Fentress/Morgan County border and roads such as Gatewood Ford Rd, Old Turnpike Rd, and Gatewood Trail, blowing down hundreds of more trees before lifting.
Fentress County Photos (courtesy of Fentress County Emergency Management):

EF0 White County Tornado
Counties:	White
Time:	4:06 PM CST
EF Scale:	EF0
Wind Speed Estimate:	85 MPH
Damage Path Length:	2.16 Miles
Damage Path Width:	50 Yards
Fatalities:	0
Injuries	0
Storm Data: An EF0 tornado with maximum wind speeds around 85 mph touched down near the Macedonia community northwest of Sparta, then moved rapidly eastward across Highway 111 before ending east of Walnut Grove Road. A home and barn suffered roof damage on Linville Road, and several trees were snapped or uprooted along the path.
White County Photos (courtesy of White County Emergency Management):

EF2 Cumberland County Tornado
Counties:	Cumberland
Time:	4:30 PM CST
EF Scale:	EF2
Wind Speed Estimate:	125 MPH
Damage Path Length:	14.17 Miles
Damage Path Width:	1000 Yards
Fatalities:	2
Injuries	7
Storm Data: An EF2 tornado with maximum wind speeds around 125 mph touched down west of Castro-Pugh Road north of Plateau Road in northern Cumberland County. Intermittent damage continued to the east-northeast before the damage became continuous along Clear Creek Road. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and snapped and a home suffered roof damage in this area. The tornado continued east-northeast and reached EF2 intensity in the Rinnie community along Highway 127. A brick home slid off its foundation and was completely destroyed, killing one woman, and another nearby home lost its entire roof. A double wide mobile home along Hollow Road was also completely destroyed, killing another woman, with debris tossed hundreds of yards. At least a thousand trees were uprooted or snapped around this location. Aerial imagery from Google Earth released in Spring 2013 indicated the tornado continued eastward and widened to 1/2 mile, blowing down thousands more trees before it lifted east of Roy Taylor Road.
Cumberland County NWS Storm Survey Photos:
Aerial Photos (courtesy of WSMV-TV):