NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Saturday, April 5th, a strong thunderstorm barreled through Middle Tennessee. It caused widespread damage from Dickson County, through Nashville, and all the way up to Macon County. The storm had Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Tornado Warnings issued for the whole time.

On Monday, the National Weather Service surveyed the damage and found that none of it was caused by tornadoes. They determined that the dozens of damage reports were caused by very strong straight-line winds and embedded microbursts.

According to the National Weather Service, the thunderstorm produced straight-line winds of 50 to 70 mph. They said in some spots microbursts created wind gusts from 80 to 90 mph. This is equivalent to an EF-0 or EF-1 tornado.

A microburst is a downdraft in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale. Winds can be as strong as 150 mph, which is as strong as an EF-3 tornado.

Even though there were no tornadoes produced by Saturday's storm, the tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service might have saved lives.

It's very important to shelter during a tornado warning, and it's a good idea to shelter during a severe thunderstorm warning, because you can see from Saturday how impactful straight-line winds can be.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/tn-microbursts-damaging-winds-april-2025/