TMP Reports
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 10:36 am

The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Rutherford County on Friday, a powerful one to the north of Murfreesboro and another weaker tornado in southern Rutherford County.

The path of the Good Friday tornado, which destroyed homes from the Blackman community to Compton Road, in now estimated to be more than 23 miles long.

Initially NWS said the twister touched down near Patterson Road in Rockvale, but new evidence suggests it began near Eagleville.

Click here to download a map of the path in the city of Murfreesboro

“Additional ground surveys of the Murfreesboro tornado indicate that the actual initial touchdown was just north of the Eagleville community,” NWS said in a press release.

The weather service found tree and roof damage beginning near the intersection of Kelley Road and Highway 41A. Tree damage continues intermittently northeast with the tornado’s path becoming unbroken along Rocky Grove Road.

This newly found damage extends the tornado’s path more than eight miles to more than 23 miles with a maximum width of a half-mile and wind speeds of up to 160 mph. The NWS survey team inspected damage from Rocky Grove Road to a residence on Newman Road approximately two miles north of the Windrow Community.

Extensive tree damage was noted along the path. Several instances of multi-vortex damage were noted. A multi-vortex tornado has two or more funnels or debris clouds, often rotating around a common center.

Damage surveyed by the NWS was at least EF-3 in intensity, but could be higher when the final results are released. A second Good Friday tornado has been confirmed in southern Rutherford County.

The second tornado is being classified as an EF-1 with maximum winds of 100 mph. It caused no injuries and damage was limited to along Bradyville Pike, south of Manus Road. In the area, four homes were damaged along with a barn and several trees were snapped or uprooted.