The February 5, 2008 tornado
EF4Hardin County, Tennessee
An EF4 tornado on a 16.2-mile path that killed 3 and injured 5. It was one of 62 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 7 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of February 5, 2008: 62 tornadoes in 9 statesEF4 tornado · February 5, 2008
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF4
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 16.2 mi
- Width up to 880 yards
- Killed
- 3
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 5
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Tuesday, February 5, 2008
- 7:40 PM CST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
The initial tornado touchdown occurred west of the Tennessee River near the intersection of Coffee Landing Road and Towboat Lane about 740 pm CST. The tornado then quickly raced northeast causing extensive damage to homes and trees just east of the Tennessee River in the Oak Grove, Cerro Gordo and Swift Communities. The tornado destroyed 59 houses, 11 mobile homes, 11 public buildings, a vacant store and 11 farm buildings. Another 117 structures received varying degrees of damage. Four of the 11 public buildings belonged to the Sharon Baptist Church. The church lost its sanctuary, preschool, academy and student center, off Cravens Road in the Oak Grove area. Two of the five injuries occurred at the church while two more injuries occurred in homes in the Oak Grove area. All three deaths occurred in mobile homes. Two of the deaths occurred in the Cerro Gordo area while the third fatality occurred in northeast Hardin County in the vicinity of Nance Bend Road and Highway 128. The tornado continued northeast before lifting near the intersection of Highway 114 and Highway 128 around 757 pm CST. The path length was about 16 miles and the maximum width was one half mile. The highest estimated winds were around 170 mph. Utility restoration costs were estimated at around $200,000.
The storm system that day
A strong low pressure system tracked from Northern Arkansas into Southern Missouri during the evening hours of February 5th, 2008. Supercells developed out ahead of the system during the late afternoon into the early evening. The storms produced tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. As the supercells moved east during the evening, a cold front moved into West Tennessee. A squall line developed along the front and produced another round of large hail and damaging winds. The front continued to push east into the overnight hours.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF4, Sharp County13 killed
- EF4, Madison County7.6 mi
- EF3, Sumner County22 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.