DUANE SHERRILLEditor

Tullahoma was spared Mother Nature’s fury during a second tornado outbreak in as many weeks this past Saturday. However, towns to the near north and near south of T-Town were not so fortunate as massive pre-dawn tornados struck in Rutherford and Lincoln counties, in some cases nearly wiping towns off the map.

A particularly dangerous tornado warning was given just before 2 a.m. Saturday as the high EF-2 twister sat down in the Chapel Hill area of Marshall County and then began its 16-mile run into the Readyville area of Rutherford County due north of Coffee County. The storms trekked toward Woodbury before lifting in time to miss the city. However, the tornado caused near-complete destruction to the small hamlet of Readyville located just six miles south of Murfreesboro.

“It looked like bomb went off,” revealed Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr, noting that while the town’s residents survived by horrific ordeal, the area itself was “wiped out” by the high EF-2. Claimed by the tornado were numerous homes on Readyville Street, the historic Readyville Mill, Reed’s Produce and Tillford Lumber. The post office there lost its roof.

Ground zero for the touchdown appeared to be the Rutherford-Cannon county line with erratic damage scattered along the tornado’s swath.

“Some homes were eerily left untouched,” Carr noted, adding there was also damage along Highway or John Bragg Highway.

An even stronger storm, categorized as an EF-3 tornado, hit the Tennessee-Alabama border during the same outbreak, marking the second tornado in Lincoln County in a week.

The early Saturday tornado trekked east to Borderline Road, which is along the Alabama and Tennessee state line. Two homes experienced a complete collapse of walls, destroying the structures. One resident just south of the Tennessee border was killed in the storm. Meanwhile, home still under construction was destroyed with a complete collapse of walls. Sporadic trees were uprooted and snapped south of Vanntown, crossing Hester Creek. From Mason Road eastward onto Echols Road, several farm outbuildings housing farm equipment were destroyed.

National Weather Service officials said the tornado finally lifted just after crossing John Hunter Highway – Highway 122 – just south of Elora. Tin was strewn into an open field, but no further tree or structural damage was noted beyond the tree line near Collins Road and Mountain Road.

A damage assessment team with the National Weather Service, Madison County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and Lincoln County EMA issued a statement around 2 p.m. Saturday. The summary stated the team “found evidence of an EF-3 tornado in Northern Madison County and Southeastern Lincoln County. Peak winds were estimated at 160 miles per hour on Borderline Road.” The NWS said the EF-3 tornado was 215 yards wide and traveled 12.10 miles.

Some information used in this story was courtesy of the Elk Valley Times.