Homes were significantly damaged, barns and mobile homes were destroyed, a cow was killed, and thousands of large hardwood trees were downed. A church and a business were damaged nearby, and further weakening occurred further to the northeast, where EF0 to EF1 damage to trees and structures was noted. "This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state's history," Beshear said during a Saturday morning press briefing. CST. The Weather History. 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). 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. The tornado then lifted just before impacting the city of Elkton where straight-line winds became dominant. 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. The tornado again reached EF4 intensity as it tore directly through the small community of Cambridge Shores, located along the western shore of Kentucky Lake. occurred to several homes, farm outbuildings, and structures on Palmyra Road. A music venue housed in an old school building was badly damaged, and the Cayce Volunteer Fire Department building was totally destroyed, with the metal beams of the structure being severely twisted, while pieces of heavy machinery were tossed around. Seventy-sixpeople have been confirmed dead, Kentucky Gov. Near the southwest city limit of Central City, a metal retail building suffered extensive loss and some damage to walls. [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]. Despite a COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, Beshear said hospitals were in good shape. [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. 165 damaged and 18 destroyed (NWS Storm Survey). The tornado outbreak that took place this night over the western Kentucky region resulted in damage costs up to $3.5 billion. 12:01am CST #SPC_Watch WW 2 TORNADO AR KY MO TN 010555Z - 011300Z, #arwx #kywx #mowx #tnwx, https://t.co . Authorities had initially said two people were killed. Kentucky tornadoes: governor says death toll expected to grow as crews sift through ruins. destroyed with the occupants injured. The tornado produced EF-4 damage in Cayce, including the total destruction of buildings and complete collapse of the walls in family homes. [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 fire department building had its roof torn off, and large metal boat storage buildings were also destroyed. All NOAA. December 13, 2021: HQ-21-260: Release Date: . It moved through an abandoned coal strip mine, overturning a large section of a coal conveyor belt, snapping many trees, and downing power poles. No deaths or injuries. Activity Planner, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER Deaths: 0 Click to enlarge. [26][56] The last area of EF3-strength damage occurred along KY 69 and Utley Drive northeast of Hartford, where a poorly-anchored block-foundation home was swept away and completely destroyed, and other houses nearby sustained total loss of their roofs and exterior walls. Injuries: 200 to 225 [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 tornado paralleled the OhioGrayson county line, and very briefly crossed a bend in the Rough River into Grayson County. During the second, more intense tornado, peak gate-to-gate velocities of 128mph (206km/h; 111kn) were recorded at 9:58p.m. CST (04:58 UTC) over northeastern Marshall County, Kentucky. In this area, 15 residents of Dawson Springs perished. As it moved through forested areas, it uprooted thousands of trees. 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). [50] Almost every house in the small community was damaged or destroyed, including some that were leveled, though they were not well-constructed. At 10:14 p.m., the tornado reached Caldwell County. The tornado was the deadliest in U.S. history to occur in the month of December. 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. Observed Precipitation, RADAR Across Graves County, 24 people died, and at least 200 people were injured. [45] 14 people were killed in the Dawson Springs area, and many others were injured. Injuries: 5 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. was granted after FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and DHS Sec. First responders surround a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on Dec. 10, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. A road sign along the Western Kentucky Parkway was blown about a tenth of a mile near the end of the track. Tornado path through an open field south of Hodge Road in Hickman County. Its. [44] Numerous vehicles were thrown into piles in the parking lot of the complex. . Deaths: 24 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 EF-3 tornado had peak winds of at least 155 mph, according to the National Weather Service. 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. 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 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. [1] Meanwhile, according to FEMA, in Mayfield 257 residential buildings were destroyed and about a thousand more were damaged, in a town with a population of just over 10,000. Trees in this area were debarked and denuded, cars were thrown, and mobile homes were obliterated. From there the tornado progressed over U.S. Highway 68, where power lines were destroyed along with collapsed metal truss towers, before arriving at the Cambridge Shores community on the western shore of Kentucky Lake at 9:57 p.m. One person died here, and the tornado produced EF-4 damage, including several homes with all the walls collapsed, large sections of roofs torn off, and uprooted hardwood trees. (NWS Storm Survey), Graves County Courthouse in downtown Mayfield. This time frame coincides with the start of the main tornado, following three weak tornadoes that split the two EF4's paths, implying the supercell underwent a mesocyclone re-strengthening phase during this period. Still producing violent EF-4 damage, numerous homes and pieces of infrastructure suffered catastrophic damage. Structures destroyed: 45, Caldwell County, KY: [21][15], Multiple PDS tornado warnings and tornado emergencies were also issued as well in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri. Deaths: 1 The storm spawned one single. As of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 437,000 customers were without power across Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. . (Brett Adair/Live Storms Media), Tornado devastation in Dawson Springs on December 13, 2021. Hundreds of trees were downed in this area, and a couple of structures sustained minor damage. Damaged homes on US 62 west of Dawson Springs in Lyon County. The report notes that the tornado damage rating might have been higher had more wind resistant structures been encountered. Recovery efforts in Princeton,Dawson Springs, and Bremen. "It's a very dire situation at this point," Beshear said. (NWS Storm Survey), Aerial view of the destruction of the Cambridge Shores community on Kentucky Lake (NWS Storm Survey). Additionally dozens of vehicles were tossed hundreds of yards from the buildings parking lot. Injuries 11 (including 3 critically) The freight train was carrying hazardous materials, Beshear wrote in his letter asking for a federal emergency declaration. The tornado tracked northeast over mostly open country before causing significant damage to several homes off of Boddie Road and Darnell Road. "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. AFTER (right): Overview of damage in downtown Mayfield, Ky. on Dec. 11, 2021. . 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. Courtesy of Ohio Valley Aerial. A few farm outbuildings were also damaged or destroyed in this area. Damage estimates were in the millions according to the owners for just this one farm. Entering Breckinridge County at EF1 intensity, it paralleled the BreckinridgeGrayson county line and passed northwest of Falls of Rough. Serving Madisonville and Hopkins County, KY. [58], In 2022, Timothy Marshall, a meteorologist, structural and forensic engineer; Zachary B. Wienhoff, with Haag Engineering Company; Christine L. Wielgos, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service of Paducah; and Brian E. Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service of Omaha, published a damage survey of portions of the tornados track, particularly through Mayfield and Dawson Springs. 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 . Structures damaged: 341 ", Kentucky tornado donations:How to donate to Kentucky tornado relief funds, blood drives. A CSX freight line train was derailed as the tornado struck Barnsley, and 25 multi-ton freight cars were derailed, several of which were thrown from the tracks, including one that was tossed into a house. The tornado slightly weakened and moved northeast toward Paris Landing and eventually crossed the Tennessee River. Alejandro Mayorkas visited affected areas of Kentucky Sunday to see tornado destruction firsthand and meet with first responders and emergency management officials conducting operations throughout the state. Weakening slightly to high-end EF3 strength but continuing to cause major damage, the tornado tracked to the northeast beyond Dawson Springs, passing north of Ilsley and through the rural community of Carbondale. 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. [52][53] A total of 11 people were killed in and around Bremen, and others were injured. A tale of two loads of Kentucky tornado relief collected, distributed, with owner-op Daniel Koors (Podcast Episode 2021) Movies, TV, Celebs, and more.