During the pre-dawn hours of March 3, 2020, a short-lived but devastating and violent nocturnal tornado that was part of a small yet significant outbreak tracked 8.39 miles through portions of Putnam County, Tennessee, shortly after a long-lived, intense tornado moved through Nashville. The tornado was on the ground for roughly 8 minutes, tracking from Baxter to just west of downtown Cookeville. The tornado quickly intensified along its track, causing catastrophic damage to dozens of homes and businesses within several communities, killing 19 people and leaving another 87 injured.
The tornado first touched down northwest of Baxter, just east of US 70N, and tracked eastward with a forward speed of , inflicting EF0 damage to trees along US 70N. The tornado damaged several homes and demolished a barn before intensifying near Stephanie Lane. The tornado impacted numerous residences and outbuildings at EF1 intensity before strengthening further and inflicting EF2 damage to a home near Partridge trail. The tornado strengthened to EF3 intensity and destroyed several homes near Clemmons Road before crossing a field and approaching Charlton Square. Along Charlton Square, several homes were leveled with one individual getting trapped under debris. Two homes were completely swept clean off their foundations at EF4 strength.
The tornado continued to inflict severe damage to homes before reaching peak intensity on the south side of Hensley Drive. Along the south side of the street, nearly every home was leveled at EF4 intensity, with surrounding homes also sustaining significant damage. The tornado then crossed North McBroom Chapel Road, demolishing more homes, including one that was well-anchored to its foundation. The tornado destroyed the top two stories of an apartment complex and leveled several more homes along Echo Valley Drive before weakening to EF3 intensity and destroying the Echo Valley Market gas station. The tornado continued to weaken, tracking further into Cookeville at EF1 intensity before dissipating after being on the ground for eight minutes.
The tornado inflicted $100 million (2020 USD) in damages, and was the worst tornado on record to affect Putnam County. At least 17 well-built homes were completely leveled, with numerous other buildings sustaining severe damage. The tornado reportedly caught many people off-guard, with most residents in the area sleeping during the time of the storm, and having as little as a one-minute warning near the tornado's touchdown point, with those in the hardest-hit areas having a seven-to-nine minute warning. The tornado was the sixth-deadliest in Tennessee's history.
Meteorological synopsis
At 12:00 a.m. CST, March 2, 2020, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a slight risk for severe weather for western Tennessee, alongside a 2% probability for a tornado within 25 miles of a point within the area as a cold front stretching from the upper Great Lakes region to western Texas began to move eastward. As the day progressed, low-level moisture began to move into the region alongside an increase in low-level wind shear. As atmospheric instability increased and the environment grew more favorable for severe storm development, a 5% probability for a tornado within 25 miles of a point was outlined for portions of western Tennessee at 10:30 a.m. At 2:00 p.m., the regions for 2% and 5% probability for a tornado within 25 miles of a point were expanded to include much of western Tennessee. At 7:00 p.m., thunderstorms began to develop from northern Arkansas to western Kentucky, with some developing into supercells as they traveled into a more favorable environment. Several supercellular thunderstorms developed and traveled across southeast Missouri, southern Kentucky, Tennessee, and central Alabama. A single supercell thunderstorm produced all ten tornadoes within Tennessee, including the tornado that impacted the city of Nashville. All of these tornadoes had a forward speed of around . Several of these tornadoes, including the one that devastated portions of Putnam County, occurred outside of the tornado probability regions issued by the Storm Prediction Center.
Tornado summary
Touchdown and impacts near Baxter The tornado touched down at 1:48 a.m. northwest of Baxter, Tennessee, just west of Thompson Ridge Road and east of US 70N. The tornado began to track eastward with a forward speed of around as it paralleled US 70N, uprooting and damaging trees at EF0 intensity. The tornado inflicted EF0 damage to several homes and outbuildings, with two houses near Birdwell Lane sustaining roof damage. The tornado continued to track eastward, crossing Byers Road and impacting a house along US 70N, damaging the roof and blowing the garage doors inward with estimated wind speeds of . The tornado damaged the roofs of two other houses before crossing Pine Grove Road as it maintained EF0 strength. The tornado tracked over Millie Lane and Tennessee State Route 56 as it completely destroyed an old barn near Oliver Way, blowing the debris northward.
The tornado maintained its easterly course, uprooting softwood trees as it passed over Harris Lane. The tornado then began to enter more residential areas as it intensified slightly, damaging the roofs and siding of several houses along Stephanie Lane at EF0 strength, and completely destroying an outbuilding at EF1 intensity of , with debris being tossed up to away. The tornado passed just north of Big Ben Circle, inflicting EF0 to EF1 damage to several houses. An outbuilding near West Minister Drive was overturned at EF0 strength. The tornado tracked along Partridge Trail, inflicting EF1 damage to over a dozen houses. The tornado intensified further as it crossed Prosperity Drive just north of the intersection with Partridge Trail, with a house just east of this intersection sustaining EF2 damage of 125 mph (201 km/h), with some exterior walls collapsing.
Subsequent strengthening
The tornado tracked across a field, uprooting trees at EF1 to EF2 intensity. A home near Leffew Road suffered EF0 damage. The tornado completely leveled a large hay shelter at EF1 strength. The tornado crossed Bloomington Road into the Double Springs community before intensifying and destroying several houses along Flatt Wheeler Road at high-end EF2 intensity. The tornado strengthened further to low-end EF3 strength as it destroyed two homes and a large garage between Flatt Wheeler Road and Clemmons Road with estimated wind speeds of 140 mph (225 km/h). The tornado then crossed Clemmons Road, destroying two homes at EF2 to EF3 intensity and minorly damaging several others residences.
The tornado crossed another small field before tracking over southern portions of Charlton Square, completely destroying and leveling several residences at high-end EF3 intensity with estimated winds speeds of . One individual was pinned underneath an overturned dresser and debris as their house was destroyed. The tornado then strengthened once more as it struck several homes near the eastern side of Charlton Square, completely destroying two well-built residences and sweeping the slabs clean at low-end EF4 intensity with estimated winds of . Numerous other homes sustained varying degrees of damage. The tornado then tracked just south of Savanna Trace, with two homes along the road sustaining low-end EF3 damage. The tornado crossed Plunk Whitson Road, with several homes being completely destroyed. One house along the west side of the road that was destroyed at high-end EF3 intensity had only one small room standing, in which five people took shelter and survived the tornado. The tornado then passed over houses on the east side of Plunk Whitson Road, with a home being completely destroyed at high-end EF3 intensity with the slab swept clean, and a house just south sustaining low-end EF4 damage, with only a few interior rooms remaining.
Peak intensity within Cookeville's western neighborhoods
The tornado reached its peak intensity with estimated wind speeds of as it began to parallel Hensley Drive just to the south, inflicting catastrophic, EF4-rated damage to nearly all the houses along the south side of the street. Homes north of Hensley Drive also suffered extreme damage, with several being destroyed at high-end EF3 to low-end EF4 intensity. Additionally, various buildings along McBroom Chapel Road were destroyed at mid-range to high-end EF3 intensity, including a mobile home and outbuilding. The tornado then crossed North McBroom Chapel Road, completely destroying a home with a well-attached foundation and sweeping the slab clean near the North McBroom Chapel Road/Mockingbird Hill Circle intersection with estimated wind speeds of 175 mph (282 km/h). Along Hensley Drive and North McBroom Chapel Road, 17 well-built homes were completely destroyed and seven adults and four children were killed. Two businesses near the edge of the tornado along US 70N sustained EF0 to EF1 damage. The tornado then crossed Mockingbird Hill Circle, with several homes sustaining severe damage. One home along the west side of the road sustained low-end EF4 damage. The tornado curved slightly to the southeast as it impacted houses along the east side of Mockingbird Hill Circle, debarking and destroying hardwood trees at low-end EF4 intensity. Several multifamily residences just south of the street sustained EF2 damage.
The tornado crossed a small plot of land and a small creek before directly impacting an apartment complex, completely destroying the structure at low-end EF4 intensity. One woman was killed at this location. The tornado continued eastward before striking houses along Echo Valley Drive, where five houses were completely leveled at EF4 strength. Around this time, the tornado reached its peak width of . Several other houses suffered EF3-rated damage, including one that was shifted off its foundation. The tornado then weakened to high-end EF3 intensity with estimated winds around 165 mph (266 km/h) as it struck the Echo Valley Market gas station, completely destroying it.
Weakening and eventual dissipation The tornado crossed US 70N as it damaged several houses, with a small home that was poorly constructed being completely leveled at high-end EF3 intensity. The tornado tracked across South Drive, damaging several homes at low-end EF3 strength. The tornado struck a metal building as it approached Locust Grove Road, completely destroying it. Additionally, a house and outbuilding suffered EF3-rated damage. The tornado then tracked north of Court, inflicting EF3 damage to numerous houses along the north side of the street. A roof that was reportedly from a home a block away was found in this area. Houses along the south side of the street suffered EF2 damage. As the tornado continued to parallel Court, several storage unit buildings north of the street were destroyed at low-end EF3 intensity. Around this time, a dashcam video of the tornado was captured by a vehicle along Willow Brook Drive. The tornado inflicted minor damage to trees and homes as it tracked over a field. The tornado then crossed Tennessee Avenue, snapping hardwood trees. The tornado weakened to EF2 strength as it struck a metal building while crossing Miller Road, leading to its collapse. The tornado inflicted EF1 to EF2 damage to numerous outbuildings and homes before completely lofting and rolling a mobile home at EF2 intensity with estimated wind speeds of 115 mph (185 km/h). The tornado then once again crossed US 70N as it struck the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation building, shattering several windows at EF1 strength and tossing a trailer onto the roof.