WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |EF-3 tornado hit Murfreesboro, says National Weather Service

EF-3 tornado hit Murfreesboro, says National Weather Service

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Friday's tornado in Murfreesboro had winds as strong as 165 miles-per-hour, according to a preliminary storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service.

The twister was on the ground in Rutherford County for approximately 15 miles.

"The majority of what we've seen is EF-2 damage," said National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Johnstone, "but a fair amount is EF-3, and we're pushing it on the higher end of EF-3 damage."

Winds in an EF-3 tornado range from 136 to 165 miles-per-hour, according to the Enhanced Fujita tornado scale.

Johnstone was joined by meteorologist Mike Davis on an aerial survey of the damage on Saturday morning.

Then they hit the ground to get a closer look at damage indicators, which help determine how strong the tornado was.

"A damage indicator would be the kind of structure, whether it be a barn, a garage, a single family home," said Johnstone.  "Then we delve deeper into the quality of construction, is it a brick home, a fabricated home."

Their damage findings are plotted using GPS, which helps determine the path length of the twister.

The meteorologists also talk to eyewitnesses of the storms to get a first-hand account of what happened.

Carol Renfroe wasn't at home when she heard a tornado was headed toward her Bushnell Drive house, but her husband and daughter were.

Doug Renfroe and his daughter took cover in the "safe spot" of their two-story home, but Renfroe told News 2 he couldn't resist one final look at the impending twister.

"Me being what I am, I went to the window," said Renfroe, "but it sounded more like a jet than a train."

Renfroe wasn't able to make it all the way back to his safe spot, and was trapped under the rubble for more than one hour.

Amazingly, neither Renfroe nor his daughter was injured, and the father knows he's lucky to be alive.

"Sticks and stones can be replaced," he told News 2.  "It's going to take a while, but it will be replaced."

More than 40 people were injured in Friday's tornado and two people, a mother and her nine-week-old daughter, were killed.