NOAA Storm Events Database – 2021 Western Kentucky tornado/Graves County
| Event | Tornado |
| -- Scale | EF4 |
| -- Length | 21.09 Miles |
| -- Width | 2300 Yards |
| State | KENTUCKY |
| County/Area | GRAVES |
| WFO | PAH |
| Report Source | NWS Storm Survey |
| NCEI Data Source | CSV |
| Begin Date | 2021-12-10 21:16 CST-6 |
| Begin Location | 1SW BALTIMORE |
| Begin Lat/Lon | 36.666/-88.816 |
| End Date | 2021-12-10 21:40 CST-6 |
| End Location | 1NE HICKSVILLE |
| End Lat/Lon | 36.817/-88.485 |
| Deaths Direct/Indirect | 24/0 (fatality details below, when available...) |
| Injuries Direct/Indirect | 210/0 |
| 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 the beginning of this tornado). This tornado crossed from Hickman County into Graves County about one-half mile north of where Highway 58 crosses the county line, close to the tiny community of Baltimore. The tornado was about 1.3 miles wide when it entered the county. It varied from 1 to 1.3 miles in width as it traversed Graves County. The primary impact to Graves County was on the city of Mayfield, where the tornado achieved a rating of EF-4. This city suffered a devastating impact, in terms of both loss of life and property destruction. There were 23 fatalities countywide and many more injuries. On the southwest edge of Mayfield as the tornado entered the city, a candle factory was demolished (DI 23, DOD 7). At least nine workers in the factory were killed. The tornado continued northeast through the heart of Mayfield at 9:28 PM CST, averaging just over one mile in width. The downtown area was directly impacted, crippling the police and fire department headquarters and emergency communications. Residential neighborhoods both southwest and northeast of downtown were destroyed. Numerous businesses in the downtown business district collapsed. Several damage sites in the city of Mayfield received a wind speed estimate of 188 mph, the highest in the county. Many of the structures were historic brick buildings (DI 17, DOD 7). At least 1,500 structures were damaged or destroyed, including a couple hundred businesses. The Red Cross estimated that 730 dwellings were uninhabitable. A large number of vehicles were thrown and destroyed, including some farm equipment in rural areas outside the city. Nearly total tree destruction was observed. The first EF-4 damage in the county was noted at and around the candle factory on the southwest side of Mayfield. Near the candle factory, a house was swept clean off the concrete slab (DI 2, DOD 10). The last EF-4 damage points in the county were on the northeast side of Mayfield, including a nursing home (DI 7, DOD 7). After entering Graves County, the tornado intersected I-69 (formerly the Purchase Parkway) four miles southwest of the Mayfield city limit. A wind gust to 93 knots or 107 mph was measured at the University of Kentucky mesonet site 6 miles southwest of Mayfield. The tornado then closely followed Interstate 69 northeast all the way to Marshall County. The tornado crossed the interstate multiple times. The first crossing was two miles southwest of Mayfield, then again northeast of Mayfield just east of the Highway 131 interchange, and again at the Marshall County line. The interstate was blocked in spots by trees, power lines, and debris. From Highway 131 to Highway 301 northeast of Mayfield, the tornado followed the exact same path as the May 10, 2016 EF-3 tornado. Some of the same structures that were damaged in that tornado were destroyed by this tornado. The tornado exited Graves County into Marshall County along Interstate 69 (formerly the Purchase Parkway) where it crosses the county line. |
| Type | Age | Gender | Fatality Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death (Direct) | 66 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 0 | Not Available | Unknown |
| Death (Direct) | 4 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 60 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 44 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 3 | Male | Permanent Home |
| Death (Direct) | 87 | Male | Permanent Home |
| Death (Direct) | 77 | Female | Permanent Home |
| Death (Direct) | 80 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 50 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 31 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 31 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Death (Direct) | 60 | Female | Unknown |
| Death (Direct) | 33 | Female | Unknown |
| Death (Direct) | 47 | Male | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 50 | Female | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 21 | Male | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 52 | Female | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 36 | Male | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 57 | Female | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 51 | Male | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 30 | Female | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 35 | Male | Long Span Roof |
| Death (Direct) | 7 | Female | Mobile/Trailer Home |
| Information about this edition | |
|---|---|
| Source: | Storm Events Database: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=994196 |
| Contributor(s): | National Centers for Environmental Information & National Weather Service |
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