2020 Cookeville tornado
|name=. Remove this parameter; the article title is used as the name by default.Clockwise from top: The tornado (left side) as seen from a dashcam; Aerial view of the tornado damage within Cookeville; The track of the tornado; President Trump touring damage within Cookeville; A Tennessee state flag waving with destroyed homes in the background | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 3, 2020, 1:48 a.m. CST |
| Dissipated | March 3, 2020, 1:56 a.m. CST |
| Duration | 8 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Max width | 900 yards (0.51 mi; 0.82 km) |
| Path length | 8.39 miles (13.50 km) |
| Highest winds | 175 mph (282 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 19 |
| Injuries | 87 |
| Damage | $100 million (2020 USD) |
| Areas affected | Putnam County, Tennessee |
| Power outages | 10,000 |
| Houses destroyed | ~100 |
Part of the 2020 Nashville tornado outbreak and Tornadoes of 2020 | |
During the pre-dawn hours of March 3, 2020, a short-lived but devastating and violent nocturnal tornado that was part of a small yet significant outbreak tracked 8.39 miles through portions of Putnam County, Tennessee, shortly after a long-lived, intense tornado moved through Nashville. The tornado was on the ground for roughly 8 minutes, first touching down northwest of Baxter, and dissipating just west of downtown Cookeville. The tornado quickly intensified along its track, causing catastrophic damage to dozens of homes and businesses within several communities, killing 19 people and leaving another 87 injured. The tornado inflicted $100 million (2020 USD) in damages, and was the worst tornado on record to affect Putnam County. At least 17 well-built homes were completely leveled, with numerous other buildings sustaining severe damage. The tornado reportedly caught many people off-guard, with most residents in the area sleeping during the time of the storm, and having as little as a one-minute warning near the tornado's touchdown point, with those in the hardest-hit areas having a seven-to-nine minute warning. The tornado was the sixth-deadliest in Tennessee's history.