Why Does Kentucky Have So Many Tornadoes? Which Were the Biggest?

There have been 62 killer tornadoes, resulting in 417 fatalities in Kentucky since 1830. The big question is, why does Kentucky have so many tornadoes? In this post, we’ll explain the unique conditions contributing to the occurrence of tornadoes in Kentucky and give examples of the biggest ones in recent times.

A tornado is a destructive vortex of violently rotating winds that looks like a funnel-shaped cloud. Tornadoes are either birthed in thunderstorms or precede them. The most violent tornadoes emanate from what are called supercells. One in a thousand storms becomes a supercell, and one in five or six supercells triggers a tornado. 

Tornadoes occur during distinctive seasons, such as spring or late summer. They are very common in the United States, and every year they kill about 70 people on average, causing property damage worth several millions. 

How Often Does Kentucky Experience Tornadoes?

On average, Kentucky sees about 21 tornadoes per year. Between 1950-2022, Kentucky experienced 1,315 tornadoes with over a billion dollars in damages. The state is part of the Hoosier Alley — a tornado alley that sees a higher occurrence of tornadoes compared to other parts of the country. Weather in Kentucky has become even more unpredictable in recent times, no thanks to climate change. 

The Biggest Tornadoes in Kentucky

Historically, Kentucky wasn’t part of the traditional tornado alley, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The bluegrass state has impressive weather, but isn’t always as afflicted as other states. However, Kentucky has experienced some deadly tornadoes in its history and in recent times. According to data drawn from the National Weather Service Forecast in Kentucky, here are a few of the most memorable ones.

The 1890 Twister

On March 27, 1890, a tornado hit several communities in the Louisville area. It commenced in Shively and gradually transformed into an EF4 with wind speeds between 116 and 200 mph. The storm doubled in strength and damaged the downtown city’s core. The tornado crossed the Ohio River and returned to Louisville, causing even more damage. Ultimately, the damage caused by the 1890 twister totaled over 7.6 billion dollars. Overall, 76 people were killed in the storm. 

The biggest tragedy of this storm took place at Falls City Hall. On the main floor, several children were taking dance classes, while a lodge meeting took place on the second floor. The force of the winds slammed into the windows leading to the building’s eventual collapse. About 44 men, women, and children lost their lives in the rubble. By the time the twister was over, it had blazed through 100 miles wreaking major havoc. 

Destruction in New Albany

On March 23, 1917, residents witnessed a severe tornado tearing through the northern part of the city of Albany before diminishing at Harrods Creek, Kentucky. The tornado roared through 15 miles and claimed 46 lives. This includes eight deaths at a wood processing plant and five deaths at an elementary school. More children were killed on their way home from school, and the damage caused to the northern part of the city was about $19 million in total. This tornado was especially deadly due to the high number of lives it claimed over a short distance.

Super Outbreak

In 1974, 148 tornadoes affected the southern and mid-western parts of America. In Kentucky, 26 vicious tornadoes killed 77 people, injured 1,377, and caused over $100 million in damages. Approximately 2,000 farms were destroyed, 6,000 families were affected by extreme losses, and more than 400 homes were severely damaged. 

The disaster ravaged 39 counties in Kentucky, becoming one of the worst storm catastrophes in the state’s history. The super outbreak of 1974 remains one of the most severe weather episodes in the United States’ history. One of these disastrous storms was an EF5 that touched down southwest of Hardinsburg before crossing into Brandenburg. Within just an hour of the Brandenburg destruction, five more tornadoes slammed into Louisville, the central part of Kentucky.

2012 Devastation

On March 2nd and 3rd, 2012, 81 tornadoes rippled across 11 states. Twenty-two of them occurred in Kentucky. Unlike other natural disasters, this string of storms wasn’t unprecedented. It had been predicted and was expected, yet this knowledge didn’t prepare anyone for the destruction that followed. The largest tornado was an EF4 that started near Fredericksburg, Indiana, and continued rapidly for 49 miles before sauntering into Bedford, Kentucky. Tornadoes of this strength and size rarely hit the US. In fact, they comprise only two percent of all tornadoes within the United States. Since record keeping of tornadoes kickstarted in 1950, this was one of the deadliest. Forty-one people lost their lives and 300 were injured. Additionally, it resulted in 3.1 billion dollars in damages.

2021 Makes History

Most recently, on December 10, 2021, a historic EF4 tornado tore through Kentucky. It developed in Tennessee and traveled through Arkansas and Missouri, before ravaging the towns of Princeton, Mayfield, Dawson Springs, and Bremen. On December 11, Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for parts of Western Kentucky. Later that day, Joe Biden would approve a federal emergency disaster declaration for the state of Kentucky. Over 15,000 buildings were destroyed, and 74 people died in Kentucky alone. The tornado was on the ground for nearly three hours, tracking 160 miles in total.

The tornado ravaged six states in total, and the catastrophe is one of the deadliest on record that happened in December. In addition, this tornado event sparked a debate about the burgeoning relations between climate change and tornadoes. Several scientists think an event like this makes it more difficult to pinpoint what seasons are safe. They predict that more extreme storms and weather changes are on the way since unseasonable warmth can contribute to increased volatility in the atmosphere.

Why Does Kentucky Experience Tornadoes?

Certain factors need to coalesce for a tornado to develop. Atmospheric instability is the first and most important condition. This instability depends on the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, as well as conflicting temperatures at different heights. The second factor is a change in wind direction. Thunderstorms that support tornadoes have a change in the vertical wind shear, which creates the spin characteristic of a tornado. When both factors are in place, tornadoes can occur. 

Unlike earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, tornadoes are difficult to study. They are localized and short-lived, meaning there is limited data on each event. This makes it difficult to attribute certain events to the causal factors of a tornado. Only scientific explanations of the foundational elements give a basic idea. 

However, the horrific 2021 tornado in Kentucky was so brutal that it has very few historical comparisons. This has led most scientists to contend that climate change was responsible for the catastrophe. A report by The Washington Post stated that the outbreak of the storm in December was a rarity because the warm, unstable air required to fuel such storms is greatly limited. 

Yet the record warmth swelling over the eastern part of the state made the atmosphere viable for the storm to occur. Usually, a tornado of such magnitude would only occur in March or April, not December. Scientists are still uncertain of the role that climate change plays in tornado formation. It does, however, seem to contribute to atmospheric instability.

Conclusion

It’s almost impossible to keep a tornado from happening. Hence, scientists work hard to analyze, evaluate, and postulate realistic solutions to limit the impact. Similarly, the government and people must learn to put structures in place for disaster resilience. Although research on climate change and tornado outbreaks is still very much in its infancy, the heightened frequency of these events has intensified the need to find a lasting solution to climate change.

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