Deadly Tornado Aftermath: At Least 74 Dead in Kentucky Tornadoes; Biden The tornado began in the community of Woodland Mills in Obion County, Tennessee along Woodland Mills Road at 8:54p.m. CST (02:54 UTC), produced by the same supercell that had previously produced another violent long-tracked tornado that affected northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake.
Video: Kentucky tornado devastation captured by drone | CNN Photos: Before and after satellite images reveal extent of tornadoes Its 165.7 mile long path length was on the longest for a tornado in U.S. history. A powerful supercell thunderstorm traveled more than 200 miles Friday night, from Arkansas to Kentucky, and likely spawned several large, strong tornadoes across four states. PADUCAH McCracken County Judge Executive Craig Clymer has declared a state of emergency the county in light of tornado damage sustained during Friday's severe weather. (NWS Storm Survey), Ground level view of the destruction in downtown Mayfield. Here's how the National Weather Service decides", "More than 4,500 attend Mayfield tornado relief concert", "Mayfield City Council rezones parts of historic downtown to aid in tornado recovery", "Temporary tornado memorial placed in Mayfield court square", "Kentucky candle factory bosses threatened to fire those who fled tornado, say workers", "Kentucky tornado: Candle factory workers threatened with being fired if they fled approaching storm, report says", "Kentucky tornado aftermath: Candle factory workers file lawsuit as state death toll rises to 76", "Kentucky candle factory destroyed by deadly tornado is closing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2021_Western_Kentucky_tornado&oldid=1140392622, 2021 natural disasters in the United States, December 2021 events in the United States, Articles to be expanded from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, December 10, 2021, 11:48p.m. CST (UTC06:00), This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 22:26. Sun 12 Dec 2021 08.32 EST First published on Sun 12 Dec 2021 00.57 EST. One person was killed at a nursing home in Monette when a suspected tornado moved through Friday night, Craighead County, Arkansas, Judge Marvin Day told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT. The tornado initially caused minor damage to trees and roofs as it moved through the north side of Woodland Mills, crossing SR 5. UPDATE: Tornado Warning extended to 3:15 PM Posted by Butler County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 27, 2023 As of 3:08 p.m., wind gusts were closed at 51 mph at Lunken Airport and 46 mph at CVG. Its 165.7 mile long path length was on the longest for a tornado in U.S. history. Tornado Watch Issued Friday; [61] The tornado destroyed primarily low-income rental housing units, leading to a depleted stock of affordable housing in the city; the Mayfield Housing Authority reported that it had more than 700 requests for one-bedroom units almost a year after the tornado. The First Christian Church sustained collapse of its domed roof and upper walls, while the First United Methodist Church's sanctuary, which was constructed with very thick masonry exterior walls, collapsed. More than half of Kentucky's 120 counties did not have a dedicated OB-GYN in 2020 and 2021. Structures damaged: 81
Click here for an interactive radar loop for the entire event. [47] South-southwest of Dawson Springs, a group of storm chasers photographed a possible satellite tornado associated with the parent tornado. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also pledged assistance to people affected by the tornadoes. "[73] On December 17, it was reported that multiple workers at the candle factory filed a lawsuit against Mayfield Consumer Products in state court, seeking compensation and punitive damages. The tornado then crossed KY 54, where the last area of EF2 damage occurred, as a frail home was destroyed and left with only a few walls standing, and large trees were snapped, one of which fell on and destroyed a car.
2021 Western Kentucky tornado - Wikipedia After exiting Bremen, the tornado crossed through mainly rural areas of eastern Muhlenberg, Ohio, Breckenridge, and Grayson counties. Deaths: 1
The tornado outbreak that took place this night over the western Kentucky region resulted in damage costs up to $3.5 billion. Structures damaged: Unknown
Tornado damaged businesses after multiple tornadoes tore through the area, Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. A line of severe storms sparked tornadoes overnight in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Arkansas. Hopkinsville, KY [26][56] Damage of up to high-end EF2 intensity occurred beyond this point as the tornado crossed Humble Valley Road, Halls Creek Road, and Mount Vernon Road before passing north of Olaton. The storm originated in Arkansas, according to Kentucky Division of Emergency Management director Michael Dossett, and touched down in Missouri and Tennessee before making its way into the Bluegrass State, where it ripped through the western half of the state before finally weakening in central Kentucky. A fourth tornado emergency was in effect for Dawson Springs and St. Charles as the storm moved through the area.
Tornado damage in Kentucky and other states Dec. 12, 2021 - CNN A tale of two loads of Kentucky tornado relief collected, distributed The first observed damage was in Newbern near Washington Street. Below are some pictures and videos showing the recovery work that happened in 2022. occurred to several homes, farm outbuildings, and structures on Palmyra Road. Deaths: 15
:EF3, or higherEarly estimates of the strength and size of the main Kentucky tornado. Its path length of 165 miles was the ninth longest tornado path ever recorded in the U.S. After moving northeast a half mile (0.8km), it crossed the TennesseeKentucky state line near the community of State Line in Fulton County, causing additional EF0 tree damage. Filmed in August 2022 by Chris Conley/270 Drone Aerial Imagery. I bailed eastward about 15 seconds later", "Tornado Emergency For Earlington and Afton, KY", "Kentucky tornado derails a train in Hopkins County; one car lands on home", "Before and after photos from a newly constructed home in Bremen. Beshear has activated the National Guard, with 181 guardsmen deployed for search and rescue and recovery operations. It then intensified again as it approached and crossed the Marshall County line before moving through the northwestern and northern outskirts of Benton, damaging or destroying many homes, garages, and outbuildings, downing numerous trees and power lines, and flipping RV campers. Another person remains missing in Lake County, he said. A nearby church had minor structural damage. However, no tornadoes were expected nor reported north of the border.[24]. (NWS Storm Survey), Damage to a medical center on Water Street in Mayfield.
Local tornado survivor celebrates newly renovated home in Mayfield Our Office A house had roof damage and windows were blown out. Eight of the tornado warnings issued during the event by the NWS offices in Memphis, Tennessee, and Paducah, Kentucky were tornado emergency declarations, the most issued during the month of December (breaking the previous record of three issued on December 23, 2015). . Many homes were destroyed along this portion of the path, including several that were obliterated and completely swept away, with little debris remaining. There were at least 22 reported tornadoes across six states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Commercial properties:
At 5:51p.m. CST, the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock issued the first tornado warning associated with the storm for portions of Jackson, Lawrence, White, and Woodruff counties. [37] 22 people were killed in and around Mayfield, with hundreds more injured, many severely.[38][39][40][26]. [57] It was rated high-end EF4, with an estimated peak wind speed of 190mph (310km/h). Forecasters indicated that atmospheric conditions favored the development of nocturnal supercells capable of producing long-tracked, strong tornadoes.[6]. [35][26][46] A photograph was lofted from a destroyed house in Dawson Springs and transported almost 130 miles (210km) by the intense tornadic updrafts, eventually being found in New Albany, Indiana. An interior view of tornado damage to Emmanuel Baptist Church, Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.
Scott County to install tornado shelters near mobile home parks The most severe damage in Caldwell County occurred as the tornado passed just south of Princeton. One tornado potentially was on the ground for 227 miles, Beshear said, devastating towns like Mayfield and Princeton late Friday. EF4 damage continued near the Mayfield Bypass (US 45 Bypass), where Mayfield Consumer Products, a candle factory where approximately 110 employees were working, was flattened. The storm spawned one single. At least 74 people in Kentucky have died after a weekend tornado outbreak across eight states flattened homes and businesses in the Midwest and South. In all, there were 15 fatalities, 200 injuries, and over 1500 damaged structures in Hopkins County. Additional high-end EF3 damage occurred and another tornado emergency was issued as it moved through Barnsley, just south of Earlington. It then continued to travel northeast where it passed Indian Branch and Morgan Branch where it continued to uproot trees and destroyed some farm outbuildings, lifted the roofs off of some single and double wide mobile homes and completely flattened some barns and single wide structures. Mayfield, with a population of about 10,000, is in Graves County, which borders Tennessee. In southern Illinois, in Edwardsville, an Amazon distribution warehouse was hit by a tornado, causing massive damage to the facility, officials said. [1] The second significant tornado in an exceedingly long-tracked tornado family, this tornado began just inside northern Obion County, Tennessee, a few miles after another long-tracked EF4 tornado which traveled through northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Tennessee dissipated in western Obion County. Snowfall Several dozen workers were able to escape from the building on their own, Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback said Saturday morning. "This is a tragic day in Illinois history," the governor said during a press briefing. "I say to all the victims, you're in our prayers.". One fatality occurred in Cayce, and several other people were injured. FEMA was advising residents from east-central Mississippi to extreme southwestern Virginia to stay vigilant as the storm system moved east. [33] Several other industrial businesses were also damaged or destroyed near the candle factory, while semi-trucks and other industrial vehicles were thrown and destroyed as well, some of which were left unrecognizable. Crick served McLean and Muhlenberg counties, the court said. Rescuers continued to search for survivors Monday after tornadoes tore through Kentucky and neighboring states over the weekend, devastating entire towns and killing dozens of people. After crossing Kentucky Lake, the tornado thrashed across the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, where thousands of trees were ravaged. [13][14][15], Elsewhere, multiple lines of intense storms, some featuring embedded supercells, developed across the Mississippi Valley region through the overnight hours, contributing to additional strong and long-lived tornadoes. [43] Trees were stripped of their limbs and partially debarked in and around Princeton, barns and farm buildings were obliterated, livestock was killed, and cycloidal markings were left in fields outside of town. The tornado began in Obion County, in northwest Tennessee, and tracked across 11 counties in western Kentucky: Fulton, Hickman, Graves, Marshall, Lyon, Caldwell, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Breckenridge, and Grayson. Around 10:55 p.m. the tornado left Hopkins County and entered Muhlenberg County, reaching the small community of Bremen at 11:00 p.m. Several homes experienced catastrophic EF-4 damage here.
The Violent Tornado Outbreak of December 10-11, 2021 Damage to a house in rural Hickman County. Courtesy of Ohio Valley Aerial. University of Kentucky Research and Education Center south of Princeton. Mayfield is south of Paducah, a town in Western Kentucky with an estimated population of about 25,000 people. ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster, Hope Osemwenkhae and Matthew Vann contributed to this report. Structures destroyed: 45, Caldwell County, KY:
Structures damaged: 40
[5], As an intense upper-level trough progressed across the High Plains, with robust instability and moisture return realized across the Mississippi Valley, the SPC expanded the enhanced risk and introduced a moderate risk area from northeastern Arkansas into southern Illinois on the morning of December 10. Submit a Storm Report, CURRENT CONDITIONS [65] The NWS office in Paducah requested mental health officers be there to assist the meteorologists due to potential trauma from assessing the path of devastation from the tornado. Past Briensburg, EF3 damage was noted along Lowery Road, where a poorly-anchored home was leveled, and a few other homes sustained EF2 damage along this segment of the path. Dual polarization radar imagery showed that the tornado had lofted debris up to 30,000 feet (9,100m) into the air as it impacted the city. Aerial footage of damage in Dawson Springs. The report notes that the tornado damage rating might have been higher had more wind resistant structures been encountered. Devastated forecast at Hillman Ferry in Land Between the Lakes NRA. Track Map (Screenshot taken from interactive map above), Tornado #2 - Long-Track EF-3 across NW TN into W KY. Drone footage from storm chaser Brandon Clement shows the devastation left by a powerful storm in Mayfield, Kentucky. Evansville, IN Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service. [34][35] Most of the structures in downtown Mayfield were heavily damaged or destroyed, including multiple large, well-built, multi-story brick buildings that completely collapsed. "I think the largest loss of life in this tornado event is and will be there.". The worst of the damage occurred near the Dawson Springs park, where several homes were completely destroyed, including a few low rise apartment buildings. "We're working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue. Most of the damage through this section of Marshall County ranged from EF2 to EF3 in intensity, though a few homes to the southwest of Benton were leveled or swept from their foundations at high-end EF3 strength. Most of the damage in this area was to farm buildings, but some homes near the town of Hartford in Ohio County suffered EF-3 damage. "It's a very dire situation at this point," Beshear said. Aviation Weather A neighborhood near the Princeton Golf and Country Club was hit at 10:18 p.m., and several structures experienced EF-4 tornado damage. Unreal #kywx", "Kentucky tornado updates: Death toll now 76; another Mayfield candle factory worker dies", "We're out here at the UK Research Center in Princeton and this is the most intense tornado damage I've ever seen in my life", "Damage Survey of the Mayfield, KY Tornado: 10 December 2021", "Tornado Emergency For Dawson Springs and St. Charles", "Dawson Springs mother clutched her 2 kids in bed when the storm lifted her mattress into the air", "Photo from tornado-damaged home lands almost 130 miles away", "1.) Its path length of 165 miles was the ninth longest tornado path ever recorded in the U.S. Tornado devastation in Mayfield on December 11, 2021. [67], Disaster relief and humanitarian groups such as the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and World Vision collected donations and provided aid after the tornado. Two other buildings were also heavily damaged along with multiple silos destroyed. The tornado then took straight aim for the city of Pembroke where significant tree damage was observed along with multiple houses with roof damage. The next tornado then touched back down just to the east across the Todd/Logan County line. [51] Thousands of large trees were mowed down, and vehicles were flipped. A potent storm system moved across the central United States on December 10-11, 2021 resulting in widespread severe weather. [16][17] By the pre-dawn hours of December11, a decrease in instability led to a gradual weakening of a line of thunderstorms stretching along the associated cold front from eastern Kentucky southward into central Alabama. Click to enlarge. The tornado passed closest to Princeton around 10:21 p.m. Just south of the city, the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center experienced severe structural damage. The most severe damage in Caldwell County occurred as the tornado passed just south of Princeton. [28], The National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency for Mayfield at 9:26p.m. CST (03:26 UTC) as the now-massive wedge tornado approached the town from the southwest. Deaths: 1
Paducah, KY8250 Kentucky Highway 3520West Paducah, KY 42086-9762270-744-6440Comments? A fire department building had its roof torn off, and large metal boat storage buildings were also destroyed. Four fatalities occurred in Princeton, along with numerous injuries. tornado then continued northeast across the far northwest corner of Fort Campbell Army Base continuing to blow down trees before moving into Kentucky.
74 dead, more than 100 still unaccounted in Kentucky tornado disaster All four tornadoes touched down in Western Kentucky. (NWS Storm Survey). Injuries: 200 to 225
Structures damaged: 40
The CBS program 60 Minutes interviewed staff from NWS Paducah and survivors of the tornado to share the power of its devastation with the world. [62], In Marshall County, containing the heavily-damaged community of Cambridge Shores, 356 structures were destroyed or 'made uninhabitable', and 341 more sustained light or moderate damage. A hangar and some small airplanes were destroyed at the Mayfield Graves County Airport, and multiple homes were badly damaged. The worst of the damage occurred near the Dawson Springs park, where several homes were completely destroyed, including a few low rise apartment buildings. [60], On December 11, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for parts of western Kentucky, followed that same day by President Joe Biden's approval of a federal emergency disaster declaration for the state of Kentucky. A tornado outbreak tore through six states on Friday night: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Fulton County, KY:
An RV camper was thrown 30 yards (27m) in this area as well, landing upside down, while tractors and large hay bales were also thrown considerable distances. The tornado scoured multiple trenches into the ground in this area, with all grass and several inches of topsoil removed in the worst affected areas. Amazon truck cabs are seen outside a damaged Amazon Distribution Center after it was hit by a tornado, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images The deadliest tornado in Kentucky history was March 27, 1890, when 76 people died, according to the National Weather Service. It's a radar artifact that is usually caused by very large hail. [52][53] A total of 11 people were killed in and around Bremen, and others were injured. Timothy Marshall, a meteorologist, and structural and forensic engineer, Christine L. Wielgos, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service of Paducah, & Brian E. Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service of Omaha, later published a damage survey from Dawson Springs which rated this apartment complex as mid-EF3 intensity with winds estimated at 155 miles per hour (249km/h). Continuing northeast, the tornado entered Dawson Springs in far eastern Hopkins County at 10:32 p.m. The tornado was the deadliest in U.S. history to occur in the month of December. US Dept of Commerce
Aerial footage shows extent of tornado damage in Kentucky - video At least 1,000 . (NWS Storm Survey). (NWS Storm Survey), Poultry farm on Clark Road in Fulton County.