East Tennessee Hit by Dual EF-1 Tornadoes, Extensive Surveys and Cleanup Underway

East Tennessee was struck by at least two tornadoes Tuesday night, as confirmed by the National Weather Service. An assessment of the damage in the Oliver Springs area led officials to believe that a tornado, moving with wind speeds of approximately 100 mph, carved a path about half a mile long and 100 yards wide, as reported by WVLT News.

The NWS has classified this tornado as an EF-1, which signifies moderate damage. In a statement obtained by WVLT, NWS meteorologist David Hotz explained, "The damage itself seems to be pretty concentrated, not as spread out as you might think for straight-line wind damage." Hotz also noted that the process of surveying after storms is crucial to "calibrate ourselves to know what we’re looking at on the radar versus what actually happens on the ground," as per a report by WBIR.

A second tornado, also given an EF-1 rating and with peak wind speeds of around 105 mph, caused damage over a nearly five-mile stretch in south Cumberland County, including downed trees and minor structural damage to homes, as mentioned by WIVK. This tornado reportedly touched down along Vandever Road. Thankfully, despite the property damages, there were no fatalities or injuries reported.

The tornadoes touched down amid two lines of storms that swept through East Tennessee — the first around 3 p.m. and a second later around 10:30 p.m. According to NWS officials, homes in Oliver Springs suffered minimally, with Hotz telling WBIR, "Mainly the biggest problem is trees coming down on top of homes." In southern Cumberland County, emergency management officials reported up to 15 homes were damaged during the second round of storms.

With the NWS-Morristown crews having spent the day surveying affected counties, the focus now turns to recovery and clean-up. Downed power lines and trees interrupted life in various counties, but the community's response was swift.