Tennessee tornado damage estimated at over $1bn

The total damage to property from the recent tornado event in Tennessee is likely to exceed $1 billion, according to data and analytics provider CoreLogic.

A line of severe thunderstorms that stretched across the US Southeast produced deadly tornadoes in Nashville, Tennessee around 2am local time on March 3, 2020. More than 20 fatalities have been reported as the search through damaged properties continues.

Tornadoes can occur throughout the year, but March represents the beginning of the higher frequency severe convective storm season. The intensity of tornadoes is represented by the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, a measurement that considers the damage caused. The Tennessee tornadoes are preliminarily estimated at an intensity of EF3 to EF4, or severe to devastating damage. Nashville, Tennessee, was the community most impacted by this event. The 2018 Census tabulates 319,529 housing units in Davidson County, the location of Nashville.

The CoreLogic Weather Verification analytic service provides near real-time weather monitoring for all of the aspects of severe thunderstorms (tornadoes, hailstorms and high winds), enabling insurers and contractors to more rapidly and proactively assist those affected. The Tornado Path Map currently estimates that approximately 250 square miles were affected by the damaging effects of the tornadoes. The current estimate of damaged residential and commercial properties from the 50-mile-long Tennessee tornadic event, extending well beyond the Nashville metro area.