page_title: 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
section_title: Southaven, Mississippi/Memphis, Tennessee
hierarchical_section_title: 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak / Confirmed tornadoes / Southaven, Mississippi/Memphis, Tennessee
caption_attribution_description: English: Doppler radar scan of the supercell that produced the Southaven/Memphis tornado.
context_page_description: The 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak which affected the Southern United States and the lower Ohio Valley on February 5 and 6, 2008. The event began on Super Tuesday, while 24 states in the United States were holding primary elections and caucuses to select the presidential candidates for the upcoming presidential election. Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee were among the affected regions in which primaries were being held. Some voting locations were forced to close early due to the approaching severe weather.
  The outbreak generated 87 tornadoes over 15 hours from the afternoon of February 5 until the early morning of February 6. The storm system produced several destructive tornadoes in heavily populated areas, most notably in the Memphis metropolitan area, in Jackson, Tennessee, and the northeastern end of the Nashville metropolitan area.
  A total of 57 people were killed across four states and 18 counties, with hundreds of others injured. The outbreak, at the time, was the deadliest in the era of modern NEXRAD doppler radar, which was fully implemented in 1997.
context_section_description: At 5:32 p.m. CST (2332 UTC), a supercell thunderstorm produced a multiple-vortex tornado in Southaven, Mississippi. The tornado first struck Southaven High School, where 30 windows were broken, minor roof damage occurred, and damage was rated EF0. In the nearby Carriage Hill subdivision, several homes sustained minor damage as well. The tornado rapidly intensified to EF2 strength as it crossed the intersection of Stateline Road and Airways Boulevard, destroying three warehouse buildings. One of the buildings destroyed was the Cooper Lighting Plant, and a gas station in this area was damaged as well. Numerous trees and power poles were also downed in Southaven.
  The tornado maintained EF2 intensity as it quickly tracked across the Mississippi – Tennessee state line and into southeastern portions of Memphis, where WREG tower cameras broadcast live footage of the tornado moving through the southeastern parts of Memphis, producing multiple bright blue power flashes along the way. By this point, the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Emergency (the first of five to be issued during the outbreak) for most of the Memphis metropolitan area. The tornado produced an extensive swath of damage as it moved through residential and commercial areas. Considerable damage was reported at Memphis International Airport, where a hangar lost its roof, the FedEx freight terminal's fire station suffered roof damage, airstair trucks were thrown 100 yards (91 m), and aircraft were moved around, including a Boeing 737 that was moved one foot. FedEx service was disrupted due to flight delays and closed roads, all because of the tornado damage in surrounding areas. The airport weather station's reporting equipment recorded a wind gust of 73 knots (84 mph, 135 km/h). In the Clarke Road area, tractor trailers were tossed around, a power substation was severely damaged, and several warehouse structures sustained heavy damage. This included a DSC warehouse that was destroyed, killing three people inside. Numerous windows were shattered at the Willow Lake Business Park, and utility poles and trees were snapped in the area. Multiple homes along Maple Tree Drive and Pinbranch Court were damaged, five of which sustained major damage. The Hardy Bottling Company facility was also damaged, which released 120,000 pounds (54,500 kg) of anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere, although no public health impacts were reported. Continuing northeast, the tornado weakened to EF1 strength and struck the Hickory Ridge Mall, resulting in total collapse of a large wall and much of the roof at the Sears department store. Damage surveyors noted very poor construction at this location, and six people in the mall were injured. Cars and semi-trailers near the mall were flipped and damaged as well. A Taco Bell and a few other businesses were damaged along Winchester Road before the tornado dissipated. Numerous trees and power poles were snapped along much of the tornado's path through Southaven and Memphis, and electricity supply to about 65,000 customers was briefly cut.
  
  The National Weather Service office in Memphis rated the tornado as an EF2. Three people were killed and 13 others were injured. Shelby County Election Commission administrator James Johnson stated the weather did not interfere with Super Tuesday primary voting.
caption: Terminal Doppler radar scan of the supercell that produced the Southaven/Memphis tornado
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