In Like A Lion
March 2020 has roared in like a lion, bringing turbulent weather to Tennessee in the late evening hours of March 2nd and early hours of March 3rd. While locally strong storms made a showing around 4 am eastern time the impact was minimal compared to the devastation left in their wake in middle Tennessee. As of mid afternoon on March 3rd the death toll had risen to 22 and, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the number of injured was still unknown. Of the fatalities areas, Putnam County took the hardest hit with 16 known fatalities. Wilson County has three known fatalities due to the strong storm line, Davidson has two and Benton one fatality.
Speculation of a tornado touching ground in Middle Tennessee and the fast movement, as well as strong winds, hail and lightening had the Weather Center issuing tornado warnings and watches for East Tennessee counties above or just sitting on the Interstate 40 line. Areas of Jefferson County experienced high winds, hail and multiple lightening strikes as the storm made its way on to east at around sixty miles per hour.
Though locally little damage was reported, the extent of damage in the middle of the state had government offices closing and the Governor of Tennessee calling for a state of emergency. At this time it is not known if more fatalities will be identified or the extent of damages to homes and buildings. Four shelters have been established for those that need assistance and crews are working to restore power to thousands of citizens that are currently without in the impacted areas.
