Tennessee tornadoes: 4 confirmed Wednesday, National Weather Service checks for more Friday (2024)

The National Weather Service confirmed that at least four tornadoes plowed through Middle Tennessee Wednesday, and crews were still surveying damages Friday, so the count could rise.

The Nashville office posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, late Thursday that tornadoes touched down in Maury County, in Columbia, in Robertson County, near Springfield and in Rutherford County, in Eagleville, leaving behind a path of destruction, injuries and at least one death. On Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service confirmed a fourth tornado in Giles County.

Crews responsible for determining if a tornado happened and the path that it took were scheduled to go out again Friday, according to the social media post.

"We know that there are other tornadoes from yesterday, and our survey teams will regroup and head back out Friday morning," read a reply post to the original tweet.

As we wait for updates on the number of tornadoes that actually hit the area, here's what we know so far about the confirmed ones.

Tennessee tornadoes: What part was hit? What were the wind speeds?

The weather service confirmed three tornadoes touched down in Columbia and also in Robertson and Rutherford Counties. Columbia was by the far the strongest and most destructive, as of Friday.

The tornado that hit Columbia was rated at a EF-3 with winds upward of 140 mph, while Robertson County near Springfield was hit with and EF-1 with 90 mph winds and Rutherford County near Eagleville was hit with an EF-0 with 80 mph winds.

Multiple people were injured and at least one person died due to the storms. Crews were continuing to work on cleaning up the damage left behind by the storms as the weekend approached.

On Friday, the weather service confirmed the Giles County tornado as a EF-2 with estimated winds at 115 mph.

Find out more about their path and strength here.

What causes a tornado?

The National Weather Service defines a tornado as " aviolently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm".

The main reason we can see a tornado is because of the funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris.

While the wording ofdefinitions may vary, there is one constant: For a weather phenomenon to be classified as a tornado, it must be in contact with the ground and a thunderstorm cloud at the same time, theStorm Prediction Centerof the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states.

Noground contact means it's just a funnel cloud.

How is a tornado confirmed?

The first step of confirming a tornado is gathering information from the people who are dealing with it first hand: emergency personnel, weather spotters and the public.

Information, videos and photos gathered from these sources allows crews with the National Weather Service to determine if an investigation is needed in an area to determine if a tornado has occurred. If a team is sent out, it will carry out a storm survey.

The storm survey is the preliminary conclusions about the storm's severity and nature due to the damage left behind.

Finally, it's up to a meteorologist to take all the data that has been shared and found in the storm survey and consult with other experts to give a final decision on what the tornado rating is. It could take hours or days to determine a rating, according to the National Weather Service.

What does the EF rating for tornadoes mean?

The Enhanced Fujita scaleis what the EF stands for in the ranking of tornadoes.

The scale measures the strength of a tornado based on the damage it caused. Tornadoes are only rated after they've made their way through an area.

Tornadoes rate from EF-0, which brings light damage, to EF-5 tornado which brings incredible damage. Where a tornado ranks is based on a list of damage indicators and degrees of damage, which help estimate the range of wind speeds the tornado likely produced, according to the National Weather Service.

What is the EF scale for tornadoes?

The EF scale is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage that is seen after a possible tornado has come through an area, according to the NWS. Here's how the EF rating and windspeeds correlate with one another.