Global Information2021 Western Kentucky tornado information
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| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 10, 2021, 8:54 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| Dissipated | December 10, 2021, 11:48 p.m. CST (UTC−06:00) |
| Duration | 2 hours, 54 minutes |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 190 mph (310 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 57 (+1 indirect)[1][2] |
| Injuries | 519 |
| Areas affected | Obion County, Tennessee and Western Kentucky, United States |
Part of the tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 and tornado outbreaks of 2021 | |
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.[2] Crossing through eleven counties of the Jackson Purchase and Western Coal Field regions during its almost three-hour lifespan, the tornado was exceptionally long-tracked, traveling 165.6 miles (266.5 km) while at times becoming wrapped in rain. It was the deadliest and longest-tracked tornado in an outbreak that produced numerous strong tornadoes in several states; 57 fatalities were confirmed in the tornado.[2] 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 tornado – which traveled through northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Tennessee – dissipated in western Obion County.[3]
Early estimates suggested that the tornado family—identified by some media outlets as a "Quad-State tornado", due to the storm's long track and similarity to the 219-mile (352 km) Tri-State tornado of 1925—might have cut a path of up to 250 miles (400 km) across the affected areas, making it the longest-tracked tornado in history.[4][5][6] However, storm surveys found that the majority of the storm's path consisted of two distinct EF4 tornadoes, with three short-lived and weak tornadoes in between them in northwestern Obion County, Tennessee. The parent supercell that produced the two EF4 tornadoes, and eleven tornadoes in total, later became known as the "Quad-State supercell".
- ^ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s finalized damage survey by county
- National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee; National Centers for Environmental Information (March 19, 2022). "Tennessee Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Obion County)". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - Kentucky Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
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- ^ a b c "Dec 10–11, 2021 Tornado Event". National Weather Service Forecast Office in Paducah, Kentucky. January 25, 2022. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "December 10–11, 2021 Tornado Outbreak". National Weather Service Forecast Office in Memphis, Tennessee. December 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Ryan Reynolds (December 11, 2021). "Kentucky tornado may have broken 1925 'Tri-State Tornado's' longest continuous path record". Evansville Courier & Press. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "How the 'Quad States' tornado happened". WCPO. December 14, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Longest tornado ever? Deadly twister that hit 5 states may set record". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2021.