NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A single supercell thunderstorm tracked eastward across the length of Tennessee near and north of I-40 on March 3, 2020, spawning at least 10 tornadoes and killing 24 people across multiple counties.
Nashville tornado
On March 3, 2020, an EF-3 tornado touched down west of John Tune Airport in west Nashville at 12:32 a.m. and tracked more than 60 miles across Davidson, Wilson, and Smith counties. The tornado passed within a half-mile of the state capitol building in downtown Nashville.
The storm killed five people, injured 220 others, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Its 60.13-mile path is the longest recorded in Middle Tennessee since official tornado records began in 1950. It is also among the longest known tornado paths in state history. This was the first tornado to strike within the downtown loop of Nashville since 2000.
Putnam County tornado
Less than an hour later, an EF-4 tornado moved across central Putnam County just before 2 a.m., killing 19 people and injuring 87 others. The storm destroyed dozens of homes and businesses.
The Putnam County tornado was the deadliest in the county’s history and the worst tornado in the Upper Cumberland region since 1974…