WEATHER

Weather service: Despite multiple warnings, no tornado confirmed in East Tennessee

The National Weather Service has not confirmed any tornado activity in East Tennessee after a line of severe thunderstorms prompted multiple tornado warnings — not watches — across Knox and surrounding areas Thursday evening.

As the storm moved southeast at 35 mph, weather spotter reports and radar observations indicated significant rotation inside the system.

"That's a telltale sign it could come down and become a tornado," said meteorologist Derek Eisentrout, with the NWS office in Morristown.

Forecasters issued brief tornado warnings, which indicate the imminent threat of a tornado and prompt people to immediately take cover, for Sneedville, Tennessee, in Hancock County, and the Halls Crossroads and Mascot areas in Knox County, shortly after 5 p.m..

A third warning followed for areas in Hawkins and Greene counties.

The worst reported damage from the storm was a few downed trees in Halls, as well as 1-inch diameter hail in Anderson County.

A rare EF0 tornado was confirmed in Montgomery County, north of Nashville, on Wednesday night. No injuries or significant damage was reported.

Forecasters were double-checking East Tennessee storm spotter reports Friday morning, "but we haven't heard anything as of now," Eisentrout said.

Another round of scattered showers and thunderstorms, with the possibility of severe weather, are forecast for the Knoxville area overnight and early Saturday, and again Sunday. High temperatures in the mid-80s are expected throughout the weekend.