Storm, high winds batter Clarksville

By Christine Anne Piesyk | February 12, 2009 |

Repairing a power line severed by flying metal roofing

Clarksville Department of Electricity and Street Department crews are continuing the work of cleaning up and restoring power after a hefty line of storms and high winds swept through Middle Tennessee.

After repairing primary lines and transformers, crews are now working to restore power to individual homes and businesses affected by the storm. That work should be completed by Friday.

A line of severe weather slammed into Clarksville Wednesday with a mix of brief but torrential rain and winds in excess of 60 mph, causing widely scattered power outages, downed tree limbs and some structural damage.

In downtown Clarksville, Street Department crews in wet weather gear worked to clear a fallen tree from College Street even as winds continued to howl and rip roofing shingles off the “Biscuit Company” building. Throughout the downtown area smaller branches were riding the winds, and traffic lights and street signs were battered and bent. In some areas, roofing shingles were fluttering like flags and being ripped from rooftops. Several globes on some of the city’s ornate street lamps off College Street were shattered. A stockade fence was partially blown down. At the Goble Law Firm, awnings on both sides of the building were shredded.

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Surveying a carport blown from one yard to another

Residents at Vanleer and Ford Streets heard a deep, rumbling roar of wind and a solid thump, followed by a second road and thump: a quick check revealed a neighbor’s carport upended by wind and deposited over power lines, a fence and clotheslines. Police, power crews and the fire department responded to that call, along with many others over the course of the afternoon.

“I was on the phone, and I heard a roar and crash. I told my caller “I think the roof is coming apart.” I was partly right — it was the neighbor’s carport roof landing in my yard.”

The storm left the intersection of Madison and the Bypass, and the KMart Plaza, without power at rush hour, requiriing police assistance in directing traffic

According to the National Weather Service In Nashville, a long thin line of storms which stretched from Indiana to the Gulf states, a narrow band with a big punch. The NWS issued a high wind warning as forecast with the expectation of sustained winds of up to 35 miles per hour and gusts to 57 mph. In fact, wind gusts of as much as 72 mph were officially reported across the north Middle Tennessee area. Just before 11 a.m., the sirens at Fort Campbell and across the city rang out with a severe thunderstorm warning. Within 20 minutes, torrential rain swept across the city, departing as quickly as they arrived but leaving a swath of damage behind. As predicted, an afternoon of high winds followed. To the north and east of Montgomery County, tornado watches were in place during the afternoon.

One police officer reported a traffic light on Madison Street blown from its mooring. A downed tree lib effectively barricaded a driveway at 423 Madison Street. At Madison and the 41A bypass, traffic lights were damaged and power was out at the K-Mart/Food Lion Plaza and at several neighboring businesses at the height of rush hour. Three police officers pulled traffic duty to keep the flow of cars moving through that area at peak time.

Power crews continue to work at restoring power t0 homes and businesses.

Photos by Bill Larson and Christine Anne Piesyk