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. Injuries: 25
A fourth tornado emergency was in effect for Dawson Springs and St. Charles as the storm moved through the area. Fulton County, KY:
Structures damaged: 40
A nearby church had minor structural damage. ", "We're going to get through this together and the federal government is not going to walk away," Biden said. (NWS Storm Survey), Blueridge Road near Lake Barkley in Lyon County. NWS storm damage surveys found a violent EF-4tornado began in far northwest Tennesseeand moved across western Kentucky, resulting in significant destruction to portions of the region. The tornado produced EF-4 damage in Cayce, including the total destruction of buildings and complete collapse of the walls in family homes. 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. [8] Though this activity lacked much vigor at its onset due to a strong capping inversion,[9] the convective cells began to show organization as they progressed eastward. Three other tornadoes were reported in Kentucky overnight, though those storms are believed to have been smaller than the one that hit Mayfield. [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. A hangar and some small airplanes were destroyed at the Mayfield Graves County Airport, and multiple homes were badly damaged. Photos by Jeff Stevens on facebook", "Tragic tornado damage to neighborhood on NW side of Bremen, KY", "Kentucky district judge confirmed dead in tornado outbreak", "NWS Damage Survey for 12/10/2021 Tornado Event Ohio/Breckinridge/Grayson County Kentucky Tornado", "One Year Later, Tornado Recovery Continues to Make Progress", "Kentucky tornado survivors living in limbo nearly one year later", "Kentucky hardest hit as storms leave dozens dead in 5 states", "Governor Andy Beshear declares a State of Emergency after Western Kentucky tornadoes", "Mayfield, Ky., mayor: 'There's always hope. ", During a press briefing Saturday, Biden said this was likely "one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history. "We don't know where all those people are.". Deaths: 15
Video: Kentucky tornado devastation captured by drone | CNN Some of the worst damage in Bremen occurred along Bethlehem Cemetery Road, where a row of four homes were obliterated, with debris scattered and wind-rowed long distances through fields across the street. National Weather Service 5 people were injured in west Tennessee. Tornado #1 - Long-TrackEF-4 across western Kentucky. The report notes that the tornado damage rating might have been higher had more wind resistant structures been encountered. He joined the newspaper in September 2021 after previously working with . Cheney Orr / Reuters This is a screen grab from video on my dash camera. One person perished near the western shore of Lake Barkley near Eddyville. Emergency crews respond at a damaged Amazon.com, Inc warehouse after a tornado passed through Edwardsville, Ill., Dec. 10, 2021 in this still image taken from drone video obtained on Dec. 11, 2021. :EF3, or higherEarly estimates of the strength and size of the main Kentucky tornado. Courtesy of Ohio Valley Aerial. More than half of Kentucky's 120 counties did not have a dedicated OB-GYN in 2020 and 2021. The worst of the damage occurred near the Dawson Springs park, where several homes were completely destroyed, including a few low rise apartment buildings. In this instance, however, this is a "debris spike" due to a massive tornado lofting large objects high into the air. Complete destruction of homes on Bethlehem Cemetery Road in Bremen. "This will be, I believe, the deadliest tornado system to ever run through Kentucky," he added. Hundreds of trees were downed in this area, and a couple of structures sustained minor damage. Moving northeast, the tornado raced through Graves County, reaching the city of Mayfield at 9:26 p.m. Mayfield experienced profound damage, including the near-total destruction of Mayfields downtown historic district. "We are strong, resilient people, and we will be there every step of the way.". MAYFIELD, Ky. Three days after tornadoes tore a 200-mile wound through Kentucky, scores of people remained unaccounted for on Monday. [4] The following day, the SPC discussed higher certainty in a corridor of organized severe thunderstorm potential stretching from southeastern Arkansas northeast into southern Indiana, upgrading that region to an enhanced risk. [28] As the tornado entered Mayfield, it regained EF4 intensity, and numerous homes were damaged or destroyed along Cardinal Road, some of which were leveled or swept from their foundations. Paducah, KY, FORECASTS A fire department building had its roof torn off, and large metal boat storage buildings were also destroyed. 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. In Marshall County, the tornado passed along the northwest edge of the city of Benton from 9:45 to 9:50 p.m. with estimated peak wind speeds of 140 MPH. [25], Farther to the northeast, the tornado reached EF2 strength, tearing roofs off homes, damaging or destroying outbuildings, and damaging irrigation equipment. "We're working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue. Additionally dozens of vehicles were tossed hundreds of yards from the buildings parking lot. Once the tornado crossed Fort Campbell Blvd, additional damage to electrical transmission lines was observed including over a dozen wood poles snapped. In Mayfield, according to the National Weather Service, more than 4,000 structures were impacted (damaged or destroyed), including 3,778 residences, 183 commercial buildings, and 103 other structures. 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. Mayfield is south of Paducah, a town in Western Kentucky with an estimated population of about 25,000 people. Items of Interest 2021 Western Kentucky tornado 1 language During the late evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, a violent, long-tracked EF4 tornado moved across Western Kentucky, producing severe to catastrophic damage in numerous towns, including Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen. Uprooted trees on US 51 north of Sawmill Road in Hickman County. The toll makes it the deadliest tornado ever recorded in the United States in the month of December, in addition to being the deadliest tornado in over a decade. Damaged vehicles and personal property are strewn over a wide area, Dec. 11, 2021, in Bremen, Ky, after a devastating tornado swept through the area overnight. Five others suffered serious injuries. "It's a very dire situation at this point," Beshear said. Deaths: 24
Around 40 people were evacuated, although the facility had major structural damage from the storm and housed dangerous equipment, he said late Saturday morning. South of Earlington, the tornado derailed a train, moving several rail cars several feet up an embankment next to the railroad tracks. It will be a "miracle" if anyone is found alive at this point, he said during a briefing Saturday afternoon. Still producing violent EF-4 damage, numerous homes and pieces of infrastructure suffered catastrophic damage. Numerous trees and large branches were broken near and along the Western Kentucky Parkway, starting at the Wendell Ford Regional Training Center grounds and continuing to near Central City. In a statement Saturday night, Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said: "Were deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL. Commercial properties:
In all, the tornado covered over 165 miles in about three hours, claiming 57 lives and injuring over 500 people. [26], Past Midway, the tornado became violent and reached EF4 strength again, producing catastrophic damage as it made a direct hit on the city of Dawson Springs, located along the CaldwellHopkins county line. [47] South-southwest of Dawson Springs, a group of storm chasers photographed a possible satellite tornado associated with the parent tornado. [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. (NWS Storm Survey). Andy Beshear has said. The tornado moved into Hickman County and appeared to intensify dramatically as it crossed US 51, where extreme ground scouring occurred in nearby fields. (NWS Storm Survey), University of Kentucky Research and Education Center south of Princeton. 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. More than 80 feared dead after tornadoes hit central and southern US - CNN A mobile home was completely demolished and significant roofing damage was done to a brick home on Herndon
"One block from my grandparents' house, there's no house standing," Beshear said. five tornadoes that ripped into Kentucky overnight Saturday, Seventy-sixpeople have been confirmed dead, Inside the final frantic hours of the Mayfield candle factory, How to donate to Kentucky tornado relief funds, blood drives, Here's how the National Weather Service decides a tornado's rating, EF3, or higherEarly estimates of the strength and size of the main Kentucky tornado, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Two anchored mobile homes were also swept away and destroyed, with their frames tossed and bent, one of which was thrown 100 yards (91m). [63] More than 4,500 people attended a tornado relief concert in August 2022. Emmons found the cat hiding in a dresser drawer. [55] Some weakening occurred, but significant damage continued after the tornado exited Bremen and crossed US 431, where some homes and mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of large trees were snapped and denuded. Kentucky tornadoes: governor says death toll expected to grow as crews sift through ruins. family brick home near Bear Creek where it took off the roof and top story. 1:46 . Tornadoes were also confirmed on the ground in Mayfield, Kentucky, at about 9:30 p.m. local time and in Princeton, Kentucky, just after 10 p.m. Desesperado rescate en una fbrica que un tornado colaps con 110 About. Destruction in Cambridge Shores looking east across Kentucky Lake. [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. NWS [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. Structures destroyed: 21, Hickman County, KY:
In Bremen, the tornado claimed the lives of 11 residents of the town of 300 people. . Injuries: 5
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. The tornado slightly weakened and moved northeast toward Paris Landing and eventually crossed the Tennessee River. All rights reserved. [1][26], After moving to the northeast of Cayce, the tornado weakened but still remained strong as it moved through rural areas to the northeast of town at EF3 intensity, destroying barns and a cell tower, and tearing the roof and exterior walls from a house. [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. [52][53] A total of 11 people were killed in and around Bremen, and others were injured. 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.) Devastated forecast at Hillman Ferry in Land Between the Lakes NRA. The first observed damage was in Newbern near Washington Street. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene.". The tornado received a maximum rating of EF2 in Christian County and EF1 in Todd County, and 4 people were
Injuries 11 (including 3 critically)
Andy Beshear and more than 70 people killed. President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration, which applies to 15 impacted counties, Saturday afternoon. Many trees continued to be denuded and debarked. Structures destroyed: 45, Caldwell County, KY:
The most severe damage in Caldwell County occurred as the tornado passed just south of Princeton. The concrete foundation was scoured away. Damage to several homes in a neighborhood at the Princeton County Club. [74] The following January, the factory closed and Mayfield Consumer Products laid off approximately 250 workers there, shifting operations and the remaining workers to a new plant in the nearby town of Hickory.[75]. Its 165.7 mile long path length was on the longest for a tornado in U.S. history. Storm and Precipitation Reports Five large chicken houses were destroyed, and hundreds of large hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted along a quarter-mile wide swath along this section of the path. "This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state's history," Beshear said during a Saturday morning press briefing. The storms caused tornadoes to form in the early evening hours west of Kentucky. (NWS Storm Survey), Graves County Courthouse in downtown Mayfield. A mother and her three children survived with relatively minor injuries by hanging on to a mattress as they were thrown 200 feet through the air into a field after the tornado swept their Dawson Springs home from its foundation. The tornadoes were part of a weather system that also caused. SKYWARN 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. Cars were thrown from the parking lot into adjacent fields, metal light poles were ripped from their concrete footings, and ground scouring was noted as well. 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. ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster, Hope Osemwenkhae and Matthew Vann contributed to this report. 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. Several buildings and homes in downtown Dresden suffered significant damage or were completely destroyed. Injuries: At least 200
injured. December 10-11, 2021 Tornadoes - National Weather Service The death toll in the "most severe tornado event in Kentucky's history" may end up "exceeding 100 before the day is done," Beshear said. (Chris Conley), Aerial footage of damage in Dawson Springs. Click here for an interactive StoryMap about the tornado outbreak that occurred across the region.