Severe storm damages planes and hangars at Sky Ranch Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee
Severe storms swept through Knoxville, Tennessee on September 4, 2025, damaging dozens of hangars and planes at the Sky Ranch Airport. The storm also knocked out power for over 7 000 customers as it downed trees and power lines across Knox County.
Damaged hangar at Sky Ranch Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee, following severe storms on September 4, 2025. Credit: SKY Program
A severe storm struck the Knox County, TN on September 4, damaging and destroying dozens of hangars and about half a dozen planes at the Sky Ranch Airport in the Alcoa area.
While some reports state that the airport might have been hit by a tornado, it is yet to be confirmed by the authorities.
“The moment we got the visibility back, we couldn’t believe it. It was about 30 seconds,” said Thomas Main, a board member of the East Tennessee Flying Club who keeps two planes at the airport.
“I heard a big noise and then I looked up and the roof was just gone on the next hangar and it was fortunate nothing got blown into the hangar to hurt us or hit us or anything like that,” said Martin Odendall.
“You could see the buckling of the metal on the hangars, the roof and walls and then you hear the roof completely peel back like a tin can,” said Larry King.
“These are all my friends, and I just hate to see anybody have damage to their aircraft or their hanger,” said Main. “We’re going to get all the debris cleaned up. We don’t want that damaging any aircraft, then lots of inspections out here,” he added.
According to a private hangar owner Daniels Jesse Katz, the cost of replacing and repairing the hangars at the airport would cost at least half a million dollars, taking a conservative estimate. He said for a single hangar, it can cost at least $150 000 to put a basic hangar back in to an area where one has been cleanly removed.
Despite the damage, there were no reported injuries. Airport officials and flying-club members said cleanup and safety inspections would begin immediately.
A thunderstorm moving through Knoxville, TN, this afternoon was captured by the @cyclonePORT camera at the University of Tennessee! #TNwx pic.twitter.com/bTBZvioqui
— RadarOmega (@RadarOmega) September 4, 2025
The storm was part of a wider severe weather outbreak across East Tennessee, which produced localized flooding, power outages, prompted multiple tornado warnings.
More than 7 700 Knoxville Utility Board and Oak Ridge Electric customers were left without power as the storm swept through the region.
Videos shared on social media show widespread tree damage around the Knoxville area, with reports of downed power lines and some structural damage.
@NWSMorristown Storm damage near the Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville. pic.twitter.com/bprxYGW6Xk
— yuhhh (@yuhhhh440) September 4, 2025
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Knoxville and surrounding counties earlier that day, warning of damaging winds as the primary hazard and noting that “a brief, spin-up tornado can’t be ruled out.”
Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for Knox, Anderson, Roane, and nearby counties during the afternoon and evening of September 4.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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