Tornado (F4) — Rutherford, Tennessee
January 24, 1997 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
This was one of those extraordinary cases where the National Weather Service had a 41 minute lead time on a tornado warning . The F4 tornado struck the Southridge Subdivision, near Barfield, TN, at 503 PM. The tornado caused 18 injuries and 4.7 million dollars in property damages. One person had to be hospitalized overnight. The last time an F4 tornado struck Middle Tennessee was on May 18, 1995. The path length of the tornado was 6.5 miles with its intensity reaching F4 and its maximum width of 300 yards.44 homes were destroyed and 47 other homes were damaged in the Barfield area. There was also damage to a Middle School, Food Lion Supermarket and to the Chalet Apartments.The tornado first touched down on Yeargan Road, about 6 miles southwest of Murfreesboro, with an intensity of F1 and
Other notable tornado events in Tennessee
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.