With the extreme instability and wind shear, they quickly intensified and eventually became tornadic, shortly thereafter resulting in strong to violent tornadoes.

A widespread complex of supercell storms overspread the states of Mississippi and Alabama and violent tornadoes began rapidly touching down as the afternoon progressed.

The tornado downed several power lines and uprooted small trees as it moved through the town, eventually crossing Will Potts Road into Catoosa County, where EF0 damage was recorded.

The tornado then destroyed a garage west of Brock Road in rural Catoosa County, and several homes sustained minor damage.

[5] The tornado grew to 710 yards (0.65 km) near Holcomb Road, where it damaged several homes and blew in the doors of the Heritage Propane building.

[12][13]EF3 damage was first observed as the tornado crossed Frontage Road and hit a hotel, where the company's sign was lifted from its pole and tossed to the northeast.

Six tennis courts that were positioned in a grid patten on the main campus were ripped from the ground, and the nets were picked up by the winds of the tornado and tossed.

The tornado grew to a width of 1,400 yards (1.3 km) as it moved through a neighborhood located near Friendship Road, where 20 homes were destroyed and deep cycloidal ground scouring was documented.

[28] The tornado continued to produce EF4-consistent damage as it moved across Bill Jones Road, where it obliterated a multi-story brick building and dropped a 1,200 pounds (19,000 oz) gun safe on a family who was sheltering inside of a closet in a nearby home.

[37] Two people were killed on Lead Mine Valley Road as the tornado moved past, and several mobile homes were obliterated nearby.

A short distance away, the tornado narrowly avoided hitting the Blue Springs Elementary School, where a tree fell into the cafeteria.

[45] The tornado damaged hundreds of buildings as it moved through the Cleveland area, with the exterior walls of a home near Bellview Drive collapsing inward.

[47] The tornado weakened as it crossed Young Road, with only minor roof damage being observed in the area near Twin Oaks Drive.

At this point in its life, the tornado was 440 yards (400 m) wide, and began to restrengthen as it moved over Spring Place and Durkee Road, before striking a strip mall.

[48] The tornado obliterated several other homes as it moved across the Brooklawn Trail, and passed through the Willbrook Circle neighborhood near U.S. Route 74 a short time later, where one person was killed.

[50] A man in the English Oaks neighborhood, located to the northeast of Willbrook Circle, was injured when the tornado dropped a large block of concrete on the front porch of his home, which penetrated into the basement.

[53] A man was injured inside of a trailer home on the road as the tornado moved through the area, and uprooted trees before dissipating at 9:07 p.m. EDT to the east of Huffman Avenue.

The tornado was on the ground for a total of 52 minutes, and killed twenty people along a 54.75 miles (88.11 km) path that stretched over five counties through Georgia and Tennessee.