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Tornado outbreak of April 15–16, 1998
Mid-season tornado outbreak in the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The tornado outbreak of April 15–16, 1998, also known as the 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak, was a two-day tornado outbreak that affected portions of the Midwestern United States, Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys on April 15 and April 16, 1998, with the worst of the outbreak taking place on the second day. On that day, 13 tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee—two of them touching down in Nashville, causing significant damage to the downtown and East Nashville areas. Nashville became the first major city in nearly 20 years to have an F2 or stronger tornado make a direct hit in the downtown area.[1]
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
![]() Tornado damage to trees near The Hermitage | |
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Duration | 1 day, 7 hours, 30 minutes |
Tornado outbreak | |
Tornadoes | 63 |
Maximum rating | F5 tornado |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 12 |
Injuries | 120 (approximately) |
Damage | >$133 million (1998 USD)[citation needed] |
Areas affected | Midwestern and Southern United States |
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1998 |
In addition, the outbreak produced several other destructive tornadoes in Middle Tennessee. One of them, southwest of Nashville, was an F5 tornado—one of only two (the only official one) ever recorded in the state (the other, unofficial however, being in Pinson, Tennessee in 1923). That tornado remained mainly in rural areas of Wayne and Lawrence counties.[1] Other tornadoes during the 2-day outbreak struck Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, and Kentucky.
12 people were killed by tornadoes during the outbreak: two in Arkansas, three in Kentucky, and seven in Tennessee (one in Nashville, three in Wayne County, and three more elsewhere).
This tornado outbreak occurred at the end of the record-setting 1997–1998 El Niño event.[2]