Three tornadoes hit Middle Tennessee in one night, and the whole metro was under warning

Three tornadoes in one outbreak

A strong storm system rolled through on the evening of March 15, firing severe thunderstorms across Middle Tennessee through the overnight. By the time the National Weather Service finished its damage surveys two days later, it had confirmed three separate tornadoes:

• North Clarksville (Montgomery County): EF-0, 75 mph. Shingles torn off roofs, fences down, vinyl siding and metal fascia damaged across several neighborhoods.
• Columbia / Mount Pleasant (Maury County): EF-1, 90 mph. The worst of the night. A 16.5-mile path that blew metal roofing off homes and barns, damaged a building at Columbia State Community College, and caved in the wall of a large metal building along the Duck River.
• Minor Hill (Giles County): EF-1, 105 mph. Crossed up from Alabama. Manufactured homes shoved off their piers, carports thrown, shingles stripped, a chicken farm destroyed.

Even if a tornado missed you, the warning didn't

Here's the part that matters for most Nashville-area homeowners: you didn't need a tornado to take damage that night. At 11:05 p.m., the NWS put Davidson, Sumner, Williamson, Wilson, and Robertson counties under a severe thunderstorm warning for 70-mph winds and 1-inch hail. The warning text spelled it out: “Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.”

That warning covered Franklin, Brentwood, Gallatin, Hendersonville, Lebanon, Mount Juliet, Nolensville, Goodlettsville, Nashville, Springfield, and Ashland City. Basically the whole metro. Seventy-mile-an-hour straight-line wind will lift and crease shingles just as readily as a weak tornado, and one-inch hail bruises shingle mats and strips granules across an entire roof at once.

Watch out for storm-chasers, too

After the Clarksville tornado, the Better Business Bureau put out a warning about storm-chasing contractors, meaning out-of-state crews that flood into a damaged area, knock doors, pressure people into signing, do shoddy work, and disappear. It's a real problem after every Tennessee storm.

The defense is simple: work with a licensed, insured, local crew that'll still be here next spring, gives you a documented inspection with photos, and never pressures you into a decision. If a roof's fine, we'll tell you it's fine.

A documented inspection is the honest first step

The right move after a storm like this isn't to assume the worst or to ignore it. It's to get a real, photo-by-photo look at your roof's condition so you can make a decision based on facts. If you're anywhere in the metro that was under that warning, that's reason enough for a free inspection.

A quick note on insurance: we help you understand and navigate the claims process and we hand you a photo-documented report of what we find. We don't negotiate or adjust the claim for you. That part stays in your hands, with our documentation backing you up.