WARTBURG, Tenn. – The severe weather that swept through eastern Tennessee resulted in the tragic loss of two lives, as local authorities confirmed on Friday. A mother and her daughter, both from the same household, perished in the tornadoes that impacted the Deer Lodge and Sunbright regions of Morgan County the previous night, as reported by the emergency management agency via social media.
Additionally, three individuals sustained injuries during the storm, according to officials. On Friday morning, personnel from the Tennessee Highway Patrol were dispatched to the area to assist in stabilizing damaged and destroyed structures. Capt. Stacey Heatherly noted in an email that officials believe there are no individuals currently unaccounted for.
Preliminary assessments conducted by the National Weather Service in Morristown confirmed that two separate tornadoes struck the area on Thursday night. The tornado that impacted Deer Lodge was classified as an EF2, achieving maximum wind speeds of 135 mph (217 kph), which is regarded as “significant” on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The second tornado, touching down in Thorn Hill, Grainger County, was rated as an EF1, with winds reaching 115 mph (185 kph).
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee expressed his condolences through a statement on Friday, indicating that both he and his wife, Maria, were holding the affected families in their prayers. He mentioned plans to visit the hard-hit rural community later that day. “Join us in offering prayers for our fellow Tennesseans as response teams work to support survivors,” Lee wrote in his social media post.
Additionally, the Tennessee Highway Patrol communicated via social media that troopers were present in Morgan County to ensure the safety of residents while assessing damage to properties.
The Morgan County School District announced on its website that schools would not hold classes on Friday due to the “considerable damage from tornadoes in several parts of our county.” In the Thorn Hill area of Grainger County, while trees were uprooted and property sustained damage, there were no reported injuries or fatalities, as confirmed by county Emergency Management Director, Jeffrey Atkins, in a phone call.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency noted that several other counties were affected by the storm, including Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Putnam, and Sevier. Authorities continued to issue warnings regarding potential severe weather throughout the South, with flood advisories in place for Arkansas, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
In neighboring regions, Kentucky and West Virginia were still in the process of recovering from flooding that occurred due to severe thunderstorms on Thursday, with some water levels remaining slightly above flood stage.
This recent storm came almost a year after a deadly tornado affected northeast Tennessee, including areas within Morgan County, where it caused damage to a funeral home and residential properties in Sunbright.
Emergency management officials have reiterated that Tennessee experiences a high frequency of nighttime tornadoes, more than any other state in the U.S., making it challenging to alert the public, who may be unaware while asleep.
According to the National Weather Service, there were 19 tornadoes recorded in Tennessee last year, resulting in one fatality. In 2023 alone, the state has already seen 40 tornadoes, leading to 17 deaths. Tornado activity typically increases in the spring, however, it’s not uncommon for the numbers to start rising as early as February.
Meanwhile, New England has been grappling with heavy snowfall, prompting over 60 reported crashes on the highways in Maine. Although there were no reports of severe injuries from the Maine State Police as of Thursday evening, the harsh winter conditions made the roads particularly dangerous during peak travel times.
Traffic disruptions also occurred in neighboring states, including an overturned tractor-trailer on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which led to gridlocked traffic.
As New Englanders brace for potential disruptive weather again this weekend, forecasts indicate that an even stronger storm is expected to make its presence known late Saturday into Sunday.
