[26], Soon after, it intensified again and crossed into Caldwell County, producing EF4 damage as it impacted the south edge of Princeton, where a tornado emergency was issued. Map of storm reports and warning polygons, (red=Tornado Warning, yellow=Severe Tstm Warning), Convoy of Hope in Lyon County (Lyon County EMA), Rebuilding homes in Lyon County (Lyon County EMA), Delivering new appliances to tornado victims in Lyon County (Lyon County EMA). Tornado devastation in Dawson Springs on December 13, 2021. It abruptly intensified to high-end EF4 strength as it crossed and paralleled KY 175 through the north side of town. After crossing Kentucky Lake, the tornado thrashed across the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, where thousands of trees were ravaged. Deaths: 11 Share on Facebook; . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Injuries: 5 However, the National Weather Service did not confirm this.[48][49]. Emergency Management director Michael Hennigan remembers it . [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]. 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. Injuries: 5 Please select one of the following: At 10:14 p.m., the tornado reached Caldwell County. Many family residence homes experienced. 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. [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. 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. Our Office 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. [68], In June 2022, the Mayfield City Council put several blocks in the city's heavily impacted downtown under a building permit freeze as they strategized how to rebuild in the area, before rezoning the area in December 2022 for "less restrictive" commercial and residential mixed-use development. All rights reserved. The Associated Press has confirmed the deaths of 22 people in Kentucky from the storms, as search and rescue missions are ongoing. The next tornado then touched back down just to the east across the Todd/Logan County line. [26][56] The path was the ninth longest in recorded history. "We will get through this, we will rebuild," Beshear said early Saturday. (NWS Storm Survey), Damage to a forest along Bayou de Chien in Hickman County. Injuries 11 (including 3 critically) After moving through Mayfield, the tornado showed no signs of weakening as it tracked northeast through rural eastern Graves County and western Marshall County. 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. Fire Weather [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. The cell began exhibiting surface-based rotation southwest of Searcy, Arkansas around 5:30p.m. CST (23:30UTC). [11] One of the first tornadoes associated with the storm, an EF0, touched down in western Poinsett County (near Weiner) around 6:40p.m. CST; about fifteen minutes later, storm spotters reported a large tornado near Greenfield, prompting a PDS tornado warning for portions of Poinsett, Craighead and Mississippi counties (including areas to the south of Jonesboro). [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. Numerous large trees were snapped, denuded, and debarked, and vehicles were thrown in this area. Snowfall "I think the largest loss of life in this tornado event is and will be there.". Its 165.7 mile long path length was on the longest for a tornado in U.S. history. Below are some pictures and videos showing the recovery work that happened in 2022. 12:01am CST #SPC_Watch WW 2 TORNADO AR KY MO TN 010555Z - 011300Z, #arwx #kywx #mowx #tnwx, https://t.co . [54] Among the fatalities was District Judge Brian Crick, who represented Muhlenberg and McLean counties, as confirmed in a statement from the Supreme Court of Kentucky on December 11. Aerial view of damage to the Cambridge Shores and Sherwood Shores communities on Kentucky Lake. (NWS Storm Survey). Kentucky tornadoes: governor says death toll expected to grow as crews sift through ruins. Since 1917 270-824-3300 [12], Doppler radar analysis estimated that the supercell maintained a nearly continuous high-end rotational vorticity signature, averaging at 94mph (151km/h; 82kn) for approximately four hours and 20 minutes, among a rarity of thunderstorms (averaging 1.5% of all supercells) that produce mesocyclonic vorticity exceeding such speeds. The Dawson Village apartment complex was totally destroyed, and several two-story brick apartment buildings sustained EF4 damage there, being largely reduced to rubble with only a few first-floor interior walls left intact. . Numerous tornadoes occurred with storms that traveled through Kentucky Friday evening into Saturday morning (Dec 10-11) including a significant long track tornado that devastated Mayfield, KY. widespread and severe damage in Stewart County was between Indian Branch and Morgan Branch, to the south of Bumpus Mills. [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. The lawsuit alleges that the factory had up to three and a half hours to let workers leave as safety precautions and did not, and the company showed a "flagrant indifference to the rights of workers" and violated the Kentucky occupational safety and health workplace standards, by refusing evacuations. Continuing northeast, the tornado entered Dawson Springs in far eastern Hopkins County at 10:32 p.m. [45] 14 people were killed in the Dawson Springs area, and many others were injured. The University of Kentucky Research Center was destroyed, with metal roof trusses carried hundreds of yards from the structure and wrapped around trees. 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. (Chris Conley/270 Drones Aerial Imagery), Tornado devastation in Bremen on December 13, 2021. A neighborhood near the Princeton Golf and Country Club was hit at 10:18 p.m., and several structures experienced EF-4 tornado damage. It downed power lines as it crossed KY 79 at EF0 strength, where it damaged a large boat storage facility and scattered debris 300 yards (270m) to the northeast, across the runway of a small airport. The small community of Cayce in Fulton County was struck directly at 9:01 p.m. (Chris Conley), Aerial footage of damage in Dawson Springs. Courtesy of Ohio Valley Aerial. The tornado struck a well constructed single 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. Local Observations 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. Structures destroyed: 21, Hickman County, KY: [50] Almost every house in the small community was damaged or destroyed, including some that were leveled, though they were not well-constructed. Drone footage from storm chaser Brandon Clement shows the devastation left by a powerful storm in Mayfield, Kentucky. (NWS Storm Survey), Poultry farm on Clark Road in Fulton County. The tornado continued northeast causing mostly tree damage before completely destroying four tobacco barns and damaging three equipment garages off of Bradshaw Road. After the dissipation of that tornado in Obion County northeast of Samburg, the supercell produced three weak, brief tornadoes before this one formed several miles to the northeast. The tornado produced EF-4 damage in Cayce, including the total destruction of buildings and complete collapse of the walls in family homes. Land Between the Lakes area of Stewart County and did massive tree damage to heavily wooded areas uprooting thousands of trees along its path. Two other buildings were also heavily damaged along with multiple silos destroyed. Authorities had initially said two people were killed. WFO Paducah Navigator 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.) Damaged homes on US 62 west of Dawson Springs in Lyon County. "Dozens" were killed at a candle factory in Mayfield, where 110 people were working when the storm hit Friday night, Beshear said at a 4 a.m. press conference. Activity Planner, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER The tornado finally weakened and dissipated near the Falls of Rough in Grayson County at 11:55 p.m. First responders at the scene of a nursing home damaged by severe weather in Monette, Arkansas, where several people were trapped inside, Dec. 11, 2021. A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning of December 11, 2021. [47] South-southwest of Dawson Springs, a group of storm chasers photographed a possible satellite tornado associated with the parent tornado. Another long-track EF-3 tornado with estimated peak winds of 160 mphstarted in Dyer County, TN, and traveled 122.7 miles through northwest Tennessee and into Christian and Todd Counties in western Kentucky. [3], On December 8, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) delineated a slight risk of severe weather along much of the Mississippi Valley. A neighborhood near the Princeton Golf and Country Club was hit at 10:18 p.m., and several structures experienced EF-4 tornado damage. 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. [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. Additional high-end EF3 damage occurred and another tornado emergency was issued as it moved through Barnsley, just south of Earlington. Emmons found the cat hiding in a dresser drawer. [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. Damage in this area was rated EF2 to low-end EF3.[26]. Large trees sustained severe denuding and debarking, grass was scoured from the ground, and vehicles were thrown through the air and severely mangled. Hazardous Weather Support 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). The western Kentucky town of Mayfield was "ground zero" of the. An aerial view of homes and business destroyed by a tornado on December 11, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Several duplexes were destroyed at Clarkdale Court, including one that was leveled with only a pile of debris remaining. [63][64] Beshear also announced the creation of a tornado relief fund and asked people to donate blood, as donated blood was running low throughout the pandemic. December 13, 2021: HQ-21-260: Release Date: . (NWS Storm Survey), University of Kentucky Research and Education Center south of Princeton. of Oklahoma), Regional radar loop across the Lower Ohio and Mid-Mississippi River valleys from 6 PM Dec. 10 to 8 AM Dec. 11. [27] However, no structures were impacted near US 51, and no rating was applied to the intense scouring. 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. 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. Injuries: 54 (Chris Conley), Complete destruction of a home near Bremen. GUNNAR WORD/AFP via Getty Images A resident of the The Cardinal Inn in Bowling Green, Kentucky, looks at the damage after a tornado touched down on December 11, 2021. (NWS Storm Survey), Aerial view of the destruction of the Cambridge Shores community on Kentucky Lake (NWS Storm Survey). With a confirmed death toll of 57, it was the deadliest single tornado in the United States since the Joplin, Missouri tornado on May 22, 2011, ten years earlier. 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. Aviation Weather [66], The tornado's major impacts on Graves County Court operationsincluding the destruction of the courthouse in Mayfieldled the Kentucky Supreme Court to suspend the county's court operations (including physical and electronic court filings) between December 13, 2021 and January 11, 2022. Once the tornado moved out of Pembroke, two mobile homes were completely An aerial view of the damage to the candle factory after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several states, in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 11, 2021. 200 PHOTOS . The tornado entered a flatter area to the west of Hartford and began to intensify once more, and large steel power poles were bent over or broken along Johnson School Road, earning an EF3 rating. [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. President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration, which applies to 15 impacted counties, Saturday afternoon. 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.