MADISON, Tenn. – Security video shows the moment a deadly tornado smashed into an electric facility north of Nashville on Saturday during a dangerous tornado outbreak in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Power outages remain in the thousands across Middle Tennessee after at least 11 confirmed tornadoes ripped through parts of Tennessee and Kentucky during a deadly tornado outbreak.
The tornado damaged power poles and utility lines from the River Road area to the TVA transmission tower in Wilson County, according to Nashville Electric Service. The initial damage survey by the National Weather Service found destruction consistent with an EF-3 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale in Clarksville, Tennessee, where three people were killed, and found EF-2 damage in Madison, where another three deaths were reported.
A high-voltage electric system facility north of Nashville received a direct hit from the tornado.
NES shared two security videos showing the tornado barreling into the north substation in Madison on Saturday. The control building and some of the interior structures at the facility were damaged, according to NES.
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The first video shows sparks flying as the tornado whips debris into the area around the power lines. A second video from a different angle captured the glow of the fire and subsequent explosion after the tornado was gone, leaving bent power poles and charred metal in its wake.
Video taken a few miles away from the facility in Madison shows the explosion lighting up the sky.
More than 48,000 NES customers were powerless after the severe weather outbreak on Saturday. That number has dropped to 3,800 with restoration efforts underway, according to NES. A map from NES shows the outages are concentrated along the damage path of the EF-3 and EF-2 tornadoes.
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“After assessing, crews determined all of the major damage occurred in a straight line between the River Road area and the TVA transmission tower in Wilson County,” NES wrote on X. “So far, crews are reporting at least 19 transmission lines down and 134 power poles broken.”
NES said in some areas, outages could last days, with crews working in rotating 24-hour shifts to restore power.