What path did the tornado in Columbia, Tennessee take? Weather service crews out looking at damage path

A tornado cut a path through Columbia on Wednesday, causing untold damage and the death of at least one person in Middle Tennessee.

As people sifted through the destruction and tried to make sense of what happened in their community, crews with the National Weather Service were out surveying the path that the tornado took.

"We have a crew out in the Columbia area to survey tornado damage," the Nashville National Weather Service wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Crews will also be dispatched to other areas including Springfield. We expect to have basic path and intensity levels later this afternoon."

Here's what we know so far about the path of the tornado.

What path did the tornado take in Columbia?

Initial reports from the National Weather Service on Wednesday had the tornado on the ground near Columbia around 5:46 p.m. From there, the tornado moved into northwest Marshall County.

One person was killed, four others injured, according to the Maury County Regional Hospital.

A shelter station will be set up for displaced Columbia families at Riverside Elementary School, 203 Carter St., Maury County Emergency Management officials said at a media briefing Wednesday night.

Maury County Director of Emergency Management Jeff Hardy said buses will be available to transport affected families and a command post will be set up at Maury County Fire Station No. 10, 1520 Lasea Rd., for anyone seeking assistance.

The storm system that moved through Middle Tennessee Wednesday afternoon into Thursday brought tornado and flash flood warnings for the area. Columbia was hit with a tornado, a tornado was also reported in Robertson County, while other communities are battling flood waters.

Was anyone killed in Tennessee storms?

At least two people were reported dead across the state Wednesday as strong scattered storms made their way through. One was reported in Maury County where a tornado touched down in Columbia; another was reported in East Tennessee, where a person was killed by a fallen tree in Tazewell.