The April 27, 2011 tornado

EF3Greene and Washington counties, Tennessee

An EF3 tornado on a 15.8-mile path that killed 6 and injured 33. It was one of 210 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 35 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of April 27, 2011: 210 tornadoes in 16 states

EF3 tornado · April 27, 2011

How it happened

Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.

About this replay

Local time (EST)—Historical replay — logged times

Distance—of 15.8 miles

Now in—

RatingEF3

The tornado

Rating: EF3; Enhanced Fujita scale
Path length: 15.8 mi; Width up to 1,500 yards
Killed: 6; Along the whole path
Injured: 33; Along the whole path
Date and time: Wednesday, April 27, 2011; 9:51 PM EST
That day: 210; tornadoes in the U.S.; every one, with a replay of the day

The National Weather Service account

Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.

Horse Creek Tornado. A NWS storm survey reported an EF3 tornado touched down in Greene County in the Horse Creek area, near the path where the Camp Creek tornado had passed about 1 hour and 40 minutes before. The tornado continued northeast into Washington county. It had a total path length of about 14 miles and a path width of 1000 yards. The maximum wind of 160 mph downed trees and also damaged and destroyed many houses and trailers. Multiple barns were destroyed. Two people died in the tornado...one in Greene County and one in Washington County. The fatalities were a 63 year old women (Greene County) and a 47 year old man (Washington County), both dying in their homes. The death in Greene County occurred on Morgan Branch Road. Approximate damage was 15 houses destroyed with 40 damaged; 10 mobile homes destroyed, and around 25 farms with structures destroyed.||In total, between the Camp Creek and Horse Creek tornadoes in Greene County there were 7 deaths, 293 injuries with 10 admitted to hospitals; 54 houses destroyed with 156 damaged; 46 mobile homes destroyed and 78 damaged, one public building destroyed, and structures on 88 farms destroyed with 109 damaged.

The storm system that day

Favorable atmospheric conditions resulted in a deadly tornado outbreak across east Tennessee on the 27th. The thunderstorms produced more than 50 tornadoes across the east Tennessee area with 32 deaths and more than 200 injured. The tornadoes produced from light to heavy damage to hundreds of homes and businesses. Hail as large as baseballs was also reported.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Counties on its path

Other notable tornadoes that day

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.