NOAA Storm Events Database – 2021 Western Kentucky tornado/Fulton County

by The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Event Details:

Event	Tornado
-- Scale	EF4
-- Length	10.17 Miles
-- Width	2000 Yards
State	KENTUCKY
County/Area	FULTON
WFO	PAH
Report Source	NWS Storm Survey
NCEI Data Source	CSV
Begin Date	2021-12-10 20:56 CST-6
Begin Location	1SSE STATE LINE
Begin Lat/Lon	36.503/-89.106
End Date	2021-12-10 21:06 CST-6
End Location	2WNW CRUTCHFIELD
End Lat/Lon	36.592/-88.96
Deaths Direct/Indirect	1/0 (fatality details below, when available...)
Injuries Direct/Indirect	5/0
Property Damage
Crop Damage	0.00K
Episode Narrative	On the evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, a potent storm system moving across the central United States resulted in significant long-track tornadoes. A violent EF-4 tornado began in far northwest Tennessee, and moved across western Kentucky, resulting in dozens of lost lives and a swath of destruction. The tornado was on the ground for 128 miles within the NWS Paducah forecast area, and the total path length was about 165 miles from Obion County, TN to Breckinridge County, KY. Another long-track EF-3 tornado started in Dyer County, TN, and traveled about 125 miles through northwest Tennessee and into Christian and Todd Counties in western Kentucky. A strong upper-level trough over the western Plains induced a deepening surface low that tracked northeast across the Iowa/Illinois border. A very strong and deep southwest wind flow brought moist and unstable air into the Tennessee and lower Ohio Valleys. Record high temperatures were recorded, including a high of 73 at Paducah. The combination of very strong winds aloft, unseasonably warm conditions, and a strong low pressure system were ideal for this tornado outbreak.
Event Narrative	This historic EF-4 tornado was associated with a very long-track supercell that originally formed over eastern Arkansas. The supercell produced a nearly continuous tornado damage path from northeast Arkansas across western Tennessee and western Kentucky. The starting point of this particular tornado was in northwest Tennessee, northwest of Union City (see Storm Data, Tennessee, Western for information on this and other tornadoes associated with the supercell). This tornado crossed from Obion County, Tennessee into Fulton County, Kentucky about 6 miles southeast of Hickman, close to the communities of State Line, KY and Woodland Mills, TN. The tornado rapidly widened, becoming over a mile wide across northeast Fulton County. The primary impact to Fulton County was on the community of Cayce, where the tornado achieved a rating of EF-4. This community was the site of the only fatality in Fulton County. A 57-year-old male occupant of a mobile home was killed. On the southwest edge of Cayce, a house was demolished (DI 2, DOD 9). This demolished house was assigned an estimated wind speed of 170 mph, the highest in the county. A small retail building in the center of town was demolished (DI 8, DOD 8). A total of 61 structures were affected in Fulton County, with 21 of those totally destroyed or uninhabitable. A number of vehicles were thrown and destroyed, including some farm equipment. Nearly total tree destruction was observed in the Cayce area. The average path width was a mile. The tornado exited Fulton County into Hickman County in a rural area about 7 miles northwest of Fulton.

Event Fatality Details:

Type	Age	Gender	Fatality Location
Death (Direct)	57	Male	Mobile/Trailer Home