NWS confirms five tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee Monday morning

Adam Friedman, Rachel Wegner and Natalie Neysa Alund, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

Five tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee on Monday, officials with the National Weather Service confirmed.

The strongest, an EF-1 tornado with winds peaking at 90 mph, started in Coffee County before crossing into Moore County and then Bedford County, passing through Tullahoma in the process. NWS also confirmed that four EF-0 tornadoes touched down in Trousdale, Lawrence, Overton and Pickett counties.

The storms were the first-ever on record December tornadoes for Trousdale, Overton, Pickett and Coffee counties, NWS said.

FRIDAY FORECAST: Middle TN faces second round of potentially severe storms

Monday's weather triggered several tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings throughout Middle Tennessee. Power outages rippled across the region before dawn, with nearly 6,000 without power at the peak.

Here's a breakdown of the data on each tornado, according to NWS.

NASHVILLE WEATHER: Going from warm to freezing, and back to warm again later in the week

Trousdale County

An EF-0 with peak winds of 85 mph was on the ground for six minutes, crossing roughly 4 miles. It toppled dozens of trees, destroyed a few barns and outbuildings and blew an RV on top of a school bus. No students were on board, but the driver was briefly trapped inside. He escaped unhurt.

It was the first tornado on record in December for Trousdale County, NWS said.

Lawrence County

An EF-0 with peak winds of 70 mph was on the ground for about a minute and traveled around 500 yards. It uprooted several large trees in an open field.

Overton County/Pickett County

One EF-0 with peak winds of 85 mph was on the ground for three minutes and traveled just under 3 miles. It damaged several roofs, outbuildings and barns, and blew down trees. It was the first tornado on record in December for Overton County, NWS said.

A second EF-0 with peak winds of 85 mph crossed from Overton County into Pickett County. It was on the ground for two minutes and traveled roughly 3 miles. It caused damage to a recycling plant and other buildings, and blew down trees. It was the first tornado on record in December for Pickett County, NWS said.

Coffee/Moore/Bedford County

An EF-1 with peak winds of 90 mph was on the ground for 8 minutes and traveled around 8 miles across Coffee, Moore and Bedford counties. It knocked down trees, caused minor damage to homes and passed through Tullahoma before it lifted.

It was the first tornado on record in December for Coffee County, NWS said.

Adam Friedman is The Tennessean’s evening reporter covering breaking news, crime, cops and a little bit of everything else. If you have a news tip, he wants it. Email him at afriedman@tennessean.com or call him at 731-431-8517.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tornadoes touched down in Tullahoma, Trousdale Monday, NWS confirms