MAYFIELD, Ky., Dec 11 (Reuters) - At least 100 people were feared dead in Kentucky after a swarm of tornadoes tore a 200-mile path through the U.S. Midwest and South, demolishing homes,. 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. The report notes that the tornado damage rating might have been higher had more wind resistant structures been encountered. At 10:14 p.m., the tornado reached Caldwell County. "We will get through this, we will rebuild," Beshear said early Saturday. 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. One such stormwhich formed from the initial mid-afternoon activity near Arkadelphia, Arkansasmatured into a long-lived supercell as it progressed in an unstable, deeply moist, and highly sheared environment;[10] this cell ultimately persisted for longer than 550 miles (890km) over several hours from eastern Arkansas to northeastern Kentucky, producing two large and intense tornadoes along its track, among eleven tornadoes in total. [7] Initial storms developed across central Arkansas around 2:00p.m. CST (20:00UTC), with even weaker activity developing over central Missouri a little over .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+12 hours later; additional clusters of thunderstorms developed over southwestern Missouri (forming between Bolivar and Carthage, eventually back-building into northeastern Oklahoma) and central Arkansas (forming southwest of Hot Springs) between 5:00 and 5:30p.m. CST (23:0023:30UTC). [44] Numerous vehicles were thrown into piles in the parking lot of the complex. of Oklahoma), Regional radar loop across the Lower Ohio and Mid-Mississippi River valleys from 6 PM Dec. 10 to 8 AM Dec. 11. . A tornado near Hornersville, Missouri, was on the ground at about 8 p.m. local time. NWS [45] 14 people were killed in the Dawson Springs area, and many others were injured. As the tornado approached Interstate 24, mostly tree damage was observed with a few structures impacted as well. Despite the potential for a higher-end severe threat to materialize, forecasters expressed uncertainty regarding the extent of instability, degree of directional wind shear, and late timing of potential storms. "Heartbreaking devastation and loss of life from tornadoes and severe weather across the Midwest and South," he said on Twitter, adding that DHS and FEMA "stand ready to assist the people of Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee.". Sat 11 Dec 2021 18.29 EST First published on Sat 11 Dec 2021 08.28 EST. Tornado devastation in Dawson Springs on December 13, 2021. (Brett Adair/Live Storms Media), Tornado devastation in Dawson Springs on December 13, 2021. "Rescues and search efforts are ongoing -- even before the wind stopped blowing, crews were out working," Dossett said Saturday morning. 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. As it moved through forested areas, it uprooted thousands of trees. CST. A fire department building had its roof torn off, and large metal boat storage buildings were also destroyed. "One block from my grandparents' house, there's no house standing," Beshear said. The worst of the damage occurred near the Dawson Springs park, where several homes were completely destroyed, including a few low rise apartment buildings. First responders surround a damaged Amazon Distribution Center on Dec. 10, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. Injuries: 5 Two other buildings were also heavily damaged along with multiple silos destroyed. (NWS Storm Survey), Graves County Courthouse in downtown Mayfield. A tornado outbreak tore through six states on Friday night: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The Violent Tornado Outbreak of December 10-11, 2021 Structures damaged: Unknown [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. NOAA Climate Service, LOCAL INFORMATION ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster, Hope Osemwenkhae and Matthew Vann contributed to this report. Night of devastating tornadoes likely kills more than 100 in Kentucky [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. Recovery efforts in Princeton,Dawson Springs, and Bremen. A school bus garage, metal industrial buildings, and apartment buildings also sustained major structural damage or were destroyed in other areas of town. (NWS Storm Survey), University of Kentucky Research and Education Center south of Princeton. [41] Damage continued through the Briensburg community at EF2 intensity, where homes sustained partial to total roof loss, outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and a metal truss tower collapsed. [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. Structures damaged: 341 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. In Bremen, the tornado claimed the lives of 11 residents of the town of 300 people. The tornado initially caused minor damage to trees and roofs as it moved through the north side of Woodland Mills, crossing SR 5. [37] 22 people were killed in and around Mayfield, with hundreds more injured, many severely.[38][39][40][26]. Documentary titled "The Deadliest Tornado Outbreak in 10 Years: December 10th, 2021 - A Retrospective" which includes NWS and SPC interviews, Tornado outbreak of December 1011, 2021 Meteorological synopsis, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, List of F4 and EF4 tornadoes (2020present), "Dec 8, 2021 0830 UTC Day 3 Severe Thunderstorm Outlook", "Dec 9, 2021 0700 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook", "Dec 10, 2021 1630 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook", "Deadly path: How tornadoes ripped through states", "December tornadoes aren't rare, but Friday's outbreak was something totally different", "The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers", "An overview of the Mesoscale Discussions", "How Friday night's rare and deadly December tornado outbreak unfolded", "Many trapped, two dead as tornado hits nursing home in Arkansas -media", "Environment Canada issues wind warning for most of southern Ontario", "Storm Event Database 2021-12-10 20:54 CST-6", "Some ground scouring along Hwy 51 between Clinton and Fulton, KY", "At least 70 feared dead in Kentucky as tornadoes rip through swaths of U.S.", "Catastrophic tornado damage reported in Mayfield, Kentucky", "Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens", "Kentucky tornadoes: 8 confirmed dead at candle factory, 8 still missing", "Factory workers threatened with firing if they left before tornado, employees say", "Deadly tornadoes, storms strike US; roof collapse at Amazon", "Kentucky tornado death toll: 50 people have been confirmed dead after storms by officials", "Severe tornado hits Mayfield, Kentucky, destroying buildings; Police say loss of life 'expected', "Usually, we can call these "hail spikes." occurred to several homes, farm outbuildings, and structures on Palmyra Road. To be exact, 72 of those counties are without obstetric services. In 2022, Timothy Marshall, . Structures damaged: 141 The total damage caused by the tornado in Tennessee was estimated at $25,000 (2021 USD). Several dozen workers were able to escape from the building on their own, Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback said Saturday morning. Thetornado initially produced EF-1 damage but while progressing northeast, it continued to strengthen to EF3 as it approached Dresden, TN. 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. Structures destroyed: 21, Hickman County, KY: Satellites Spot Tornado Tracks Across Midwest - NASA (NWS Storm Survey), Blueridge Road near Lake Barkley in Lyon County. Hundreds of trees were downed in this area, and a couple of structures sustained minor damage. Tornado Watch Issued Friday; 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. In Kentucky, it struck Mayfield directly before moving northeast through Benton, Princeton and Beaver Dam before weakening in Breckinridge County. Activity Planner, CLIMATE AND PAST WEATHER 2023 www.courier-journal.com. [18][19], The SPC issued a record-setting 43 mesoscale discussions (MCD) throughout the course of the day (12 UTC December 10 to 12 UTC December 11), all of which were associated with the broader storm system: 38 of the MCDs issued were convective discussions relating to the severe thunderstorm activity, and five were non-convective discussions relating to heavy snow associated with the system that concurrently fell throughout much of the Upper Midwest. A road sign along the Western Kentucky Parkway was blown about a tenth of a mile near the end of the track. The program was created after an EF-4 tornado ripped through Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 10, 2021. Many homes were destroyed along this portion of the path, including several that were obliterated and completely swept away, with little debris remaining. The storms caused tornadoes to form in the early evening hours west of Kentucky. Uprooted trees on US 51 north of Sawmill Road in Hickman County. "This will be, I believe, the deadliest tornado system to ever run through Kentucky," he added.