SMITHVILLE, TN - A tornado touched down east of Murfreesboro in the Smithville, Tennessee area on Monday afternoon, leaving a trail of structural damage to homes, businesses, barns, and vehicles.

Polly and Joe Payne live in a home just outside the city limits of Smithville... Polly said their home received major damage on Monday.. Thankfully, the Payne's were not injured in the tornado that swept through the area... Note: Partner station WJLE interviewed area residents impacted by the storms on Monday. 

Prior to the storms hitting the DeKalb County area, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had placed the community - - and much of Middle Tennessee in a marginal risk category to receive tornado activity. But conditions changed quickly and six minutes after the National Weather Service issued their first warning for the area, a tornado was confirmed on radar. The storm was closing in on Smithville as it headed east at 25 miles per hour.

Butch Ludwig lives in the area of Highway 56 in DeKalb County and recalled the high winds just before the tornado hit... After confirming he was not injured, Ludwig described some of the damage...

Nearby, at Northside Elementary School, attendees of Literacy Night were directed to take shelter in the cafeteria. Fortunately, the school was not hit, and no injuries were reported.

The Sligo community along Center Hill Lake is a popular destination for boaters, but boating was the last thing on anyone's mind Monday. While a tornado was confirmed to have struck Smithville, DeKalb County Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker believes damage in the Sligo area was likely caused by straight-line winds. Parker said, “I have only had a report of one minor injury and that was in the Sligo area across the river from where a tree had fallen down and a lady was hurt.” Parker went on to state, “We don’t really think that was from the tornado. It was probably more from just straight line winds.”

Overall, there were no serious injuries reported in DeKalb County on Monday, May 6, 2024.

Sources: Partner Station WJLE, NOAA, National Weather Service