A developing storm system bringing a wild variety of weather across the East produced severe thunderstorms across the South on Saturday, including at least one confirmed tornado that produced damage in northwest Tennessee.
A “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Tornado Warning was issued for a confirmed large tornado near Dresden, Sharon and Gleason in Tennessee just after noon CT Saturday. It was moving northeast at 50 mph and was on the ground for several minutes.
Emergency managers report some storm damage in Rutherford, Tennessee, including “significant” damage to a fire station north of town.
Photos and videos taken after the storm showed flipped vehicles and extensive tree damage.
“Numerous poles downed or broken in Rutherford area,” Gibson Electric Membership Corporation posted on Facebook, adding nearly 4,500 people were without power in the community and 25,000 in the state, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
Another tornado was spotted outside of Clarksville, Tennessee, eventually moving into Kentucky. The NWS reports some power lines down and debris in the roads near Cumberland City, Tennessee.
Wind damage was reported in Weakley, Tennessee, including large trees down and some structural damage to the National Guard Armory. It’s unclear if the damage was from a tornado or straight-line thunderstorm wind.
A Tornado Watch is in effect for parts of southeast Arkansas, northern Mississippi, western and central Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky until least 7 p.m. CT.
More severe storms likely through Saturday afternoon
As the moisture builds and strong wind shear – the change in wind speed and direction with height – develops, more severe weather is likely in the area through Saturday afternoon and into the evening.
Areas including Nashville and Memphis in Tennessee, Little Rock in Arkansas and Jackson and Tupelo in Mississippi are included in the severe weather threat areas.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. A Level 3 risk has been highlighted for portions of west-central Tennessee, northern Mississippi and extreme southern Kentucky.
The primary concerns are for tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall.
More rain on Sunday
By Sunday, the rain and thunderstorms will be the big weather story across the South and much of the eastern U.S. Areas in far northeastern Georgia, along with parts of North Carolina and Virginia, could see up to 3 inches of rainfall by Monday.
The FOX Forecast Center said the threat of strong to severe thunderstorms will still exist by Sunday as the system shifts farther east, stretching from Tallahassee, Florida across the southeast and into the mid-Atlantic, including Washington, D.C.
The biggest threats are damaging winds and a few brief tornadoes, according to the SPC.
