NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - It’s been six months since eight tornadoes touched down in portions of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.
As a result of the powerful twisters on Dec. 9, 2023, seven people lost their lives, four in Clarksville and three in Madison. At least seven dozen others were hurt.
The National Weather Service (NWS) determined an EF-2 tornado hit the Madison-Hendersonville area with winds peaking at 130 miles per hour.
The strongest of the storms was in Montgomery County and Clarksville where the NWS classified the damage as an EF-3 tornado with 150 mph winds. It stayed on the ground for over an hour before eventually crossing into Kentucky.
Hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed that weekend and some of those affected are still cleaning up and building back to this day.
The Dec. 9, 2023 twisters brought the total to 21 tornadoes for 2023, which was more than double the typical average of 10.
So far in 2024, Middle Tennessee has seen 12 tornadoes, 10 of which happened in May.
For more context on tornado descriptions, the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
- EF0: 65 to 85 mph
- EF1: 86 to 110 mph
- EF2: 111 to 135 mph
- EF3: 136 to 165 mph
- EF4: 166 to 200 mph
- EF5: More than 200 mph
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