Campus Alert Archive
UT Martin

An Overnight EF-3 With 160 mph Winds Tears Through Selmer at 12:34 AM, Closing UT Martin's McNairy County Center for the Week

TNtornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 12:34 AM CDT on Thursday, April 3, 2025, an EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 160 mph tore through Selmer, Tennessee. The tornado killed five people in McNairy County, damaged 332 structures including over 100 destroyed, and forced the closure of UT Martin's McNairy County Center/Selmer through Friday, April 4. The main UT Martin campus in Martin (130 miles north) later closed on Monday, April 7 due to flooding from the same multi-day storm system.

Alerts
3
Response
min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Tennessee at Martin
Public Masters · TN
~6,700 studentsUT Martin Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Approximate reconstruction231 chars
TORNADO WARNING for McNairy County. A confirmed tornado is on the ground. Take shelter immediately. Move to the lowest interior room or hallway. Stay away from windows. This is a life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to drive.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed; the timing matches the documented National Weather Service tornado warning that preceded the 12:34 AM CDT touchdown
The UT Martin McNairy County Center is located on Tennessee Avenue in central Selmer, near where the EF-3 tracked
The Selmer Center was unstaffed at 12:34 AM, but UT Martin's main campus would have received the NWS-driven alert via its weather notification system
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from UT Martin's documented closure of the McNairy County Center/Selmer on April 3 and the broader public communications pattern from the university during the tornado-and-flooding sequence424 chars
The UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer will be closed today, Thursday, April 3, due to overnight tornado damage in Selmer. Classes and operations at the Selmer Center are suspended until further notice. Students enrolled at the Selmer Center should check their UT Martin email for additional information from instructors. Main campus operations in Martin continue as scheduled. Our prayers are with the Selmer community.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed; UT Martin publicly confirmed the McNairy County Center was closed Thursday April 3 and Friday April 4 due to tornado damage in Selmer
The UT Martin McNairy County Center at 1269 Tennessee Avenue in Selmer is approximately 130 miles south of the main UT Martin campus, allowing main campus to operate normally
UT Martin's main campus was not initially affected by the April 3 tornado, but would later close on April 7 due to flooding from the same multi-day weather system
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from KFVS12 reporting that 'UT Martin closes main campus, three regional centers due to flooding' on April 7, 2025400 chars
Due to flooding and poor road conditions in the region, the UT Martin main campus is closed today, Monday, April 7. Classes are cancelled and administrative offices are closed. The Jackson, Parsons, and Ripley centers are also closed. The Selmer Center remains closed following last week's tornado. Students and employees should not report to campus. Updates regarding Tuesday operations will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed; the closure of the main campus and three regional centers on April 7 is confirmed by KFVS12
This is the first time in recent memory UT Martin has closed both its main campus and four regional centers (Selmer, Jackson, Parsons, Ripley) simultaneously
The April 2-7 storm system was rated as 'devastating' on the Outbreak Intensity Score (96), with 157 confirmed tornadoes and $4.1 billion in damage across the region
Context

Background

The University of Tennessee at Martin is a public master's-granting university in Martin, Tennessee, with about 6,700 students and a network of regional centers in Jackson, Parsons, Ripley, and Selmer. The UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer opened in 1998 in central Selmer at 1269 Tennessee Avenue, offering general-education courses and degree-completion programs to McNairy County residents. At 12:34 AM CDT on Thursday, April 3, 2025, an EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 160 mph tore through Selmer along a 43-mile storm track. Five people died in McNairy County, 14 were injured, and 332 structures were damaged including over 100 destroyed. The UT Martin McNairy County Center was closed Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4 following the tornado. The same multi-day storm system produced historic, life-threatening flash flooding across Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Missouri. On Monday, April 7, UT Martin closed its main campus in Martin and three regional centers (Jackson, Parsons, Ripley) due to flooding — the same multi-day storm system that produced the Selmer tornado. McNairy County total damage was estimated at $30.3 million. The case is significant because it documents the cascade of a single weather system across a distributed university network: the same storm closed an outlying center for tornado damage and the main campus four days later for flooding.
Analysis

Key Findings

The April 3 EF-3 tornado was the deadliest tornado of the April 2-7 outbreak, killing five in McNairy County alone
UT Martin's geographically distributed network of regional centers (Jackson, Parsons, Ripley, Selmer) plus the main campus in Martin meant the same multi-day storm system caused two separate university closures: Selmer on April 3-4 (tornado), the rest on April 7 (flooding)
The 12:34 AM CDT overnight timing of the tornado meant the UT Martin Selmer Center was unstaffed at the moment of impact — but the late-night warning was the most common time slot for the April 2-7 tornado outbreak, with several other fatal tornadoes also striking after midnight
The McNairy County Center's prompt Thursday closure announcement reflected solidarity with the surrounding community as much as facility status — UT Martin's facility itself sustained relatively minor damage
UT Martin's main-campus closure on April 7 was a notable institutional event: the first simultaneous closure of all four regional centers and the main campus in modern memory
Outcome
The UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer facility itself sustained relatively minor damage and reopened the following week; the closure was a precaution given the broader town devastation and impassable roads. Five people died in McNairy County and over a dozen were injured. [Damage in McNairy County reached approximately $30.3 million](https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/mcnairy-county-tornado-flooding-caused-estimated-30-3-million-in-damage/). The main UT Martin campus and three regional centers were closed on Monday, April 7 due to flooding.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    National Weather Service Confirms EF-3 Tornadoes Hit Lake City, AR and Selmer, TN (Action News 5)
    actionnews5.com
  2. News
    UT Martin Closes Main Campus, Three Regional Centers Due to Flooding (KFVS12)
    kfvs12.com
  3. Official
    Selmer Center (UT Martin)
    utm.edu
  4. News
    At Least 5 Killed in Severe Storms in West Tennessee; Tornado Assessments Begin (Tennessee Lookout)
    tennesseelookout.com
  5. News
    McNairy County Tornado, Flooding Caused Estimated $30.3 Million in Damage (Tennessee Lookout)
    tennesseelookout.com
  6. News
    Preliminary Reports: McNairy County, TN Hit by EF-3 Tornado (Action News 5)
    actionnews5.com
  7. Source
    Tornado Outbreak and Floods of April 2-7, 2025 (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  8. Official
    Emergency Preparedness (UT Martin)
    utm.edu
Tags
tornadofloodingweathertennesseepublic-mastersef-3selmerut-martinapril-2025-outbreakregional-centermcnairy-county
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion