The 2020 spring severe weather season started off in a devastating way when a damaging tornado struck the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Significant hail, damaging winds, and multiple strong tornadoes caused widespread damage, numerous injuries, and 24 fatalities across several counties.
During this event, AccuWeather SkyGuard warnings had an average of 24 minutes’ advance notice whereas publicly-available sources averaged 7 minutes. The notice that was provided to SkyGuard clients is critical because it gave them the extra time needed to shelter employees and customers, reducing the risk of death and serious injuries as well as legal exposure.
AccuWeather meteorologists actively monitor client assets 24/7, and despite the late hour of the March 3 tornado, SkyGuard clients were the first to receive a warning. The direct contact clients had with our meteorologists was instrumental in their understanding of the tornado’s track and impacts.
One AccuWeather client expressed gratitude for the SkyGuard warning’s role in keeping their employees safe:
"Thanks to SkyGuard we were able to secure our trailer yard and pull all of our yard drivers into the shelter in place location with the associates that were on-site at the time of the tornado. Had the building been hit directly all of our employees were in the safest location they could have been in. Thank you so much for your service.”
—Workplace Health & Safety Manager of a Fortune 100 Global E-Retailer
Weather threats lurk in more ways than one in Tennessee. According to a study from Northern Illinois University, more than half of all tornadoes in Tennessee touchdown after dark—a greater percentage than in any other state. The state also leads in nocturnal storm-related fatalities. Fact: tornadoes at night are 250 percent more likely to result in deaths.
SkyGuard clients had advanced notice on three other tornadoes on the night of March 2-3.
Carroll County Tornado
This EF-2 tornado did not have a publicly-issued warning, while AccuWeather provided a warning with an average advance notice of 21 minutes to clients in the area, giving them the time to execute on business safety plans and procedures.
Nashville Tornado
This long-track EF-3 tracked through Nashville, Mount Juliet and Lebanon before ending in Gordonsville. AccuWeather provided an average of 24 minutes advance notice while publicly- available warnings provided 7.7 minutes. In Nashville itself, AccuWeather provided 26 minutes of advance notice compared to 6 minutes from publicly- available warnings.
Cookeville Tornado
AccuWeather provided clients an average of 26 minutes’ advance notice for a deadly EF-4 tornado compared to just 6 minutes from publicly-available warnings. In some cases, AccuWeather was able to provide clients with more than 35 minutes of advance notice, enabling extra time to shelter employees and safely cease operations in affected areas.
SkyGuard Severe Weather Warnings Help
This recent case in Nashville is one of the hundreds of examples where AccuWeather has provided more advanced, and more accurate notice of impending severe weather hazards, helping companies protect employees and assets while minimizing their risks and liabilities.
As the gold standard in weather warnings and forecasts, AccuWeather is the number one provider of customized, lifesaving, pinpoint weather warnings to businesses.
Benefits of SkyGuard Warnings
- Proactive, site-specific alerts offer advanced warning well before severe weather impacts occur
- Alerts are delivered in a format that aligns directly with your organizational emergency management plan
- All-clear notifications are delivered as soon as a threat is over, minimizing weather-related downtime
- Live one-on-one or group consultation is provided by our severe weather experts anytime day or night
- Warnings are delivered via push notification from the AES mobile app, available on Android and iOS
