Kentucky tornado compares to Tri-State Twister that devastated southern Illinois

A breakout of severe storms cut a wide swath of devastation through western and central Kentucky, killing at least 70 people Friday night into Saturday.

According to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, one of the tornadoes originated in northeastern Arkansas and lifted up in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, covering a continuous distance of 223 miles. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reported the tornado may have traveled 227 miles.

If the National Weather Services confirms that information, it would break the record for the longest continuous distance ever traveled by a tornado.

The current record belongs to an infamous tornado well known to southern Illinoisians. In 1925, the Tri-State Twister blew 219 miles across three states — Missouri, Illinois and Indiana — and spanned about three-quarters of a mile in width. It covered ground at about 59 miles per hour, taking three and a half hours to carve its path of destruction.

Its trajectory drew a line parallel to that left by the weekend storm in Kentucky, some 70 miles to the north. According to the National Weather Service, the Tri-State Tornado touched down about three miles northwest of Ellington, Missouri, at 1:01 on the afternoon of March 18, 1925, and dissipated about three miles southwest of Petersburg, Indiana.

But the twister didn’t reach the peak of its strength until it arrived in Murphsyboro, Illinois, as a rare F5 storm. It slammed into the city traveling at a record 73 mph with wind speeds believed to have been in excess of 300 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Two hundred thirty four people were killed in Murphysboro alone, a record for a single community. In nearby DeSoto, an additional 33 people were killed at a school, matching the death toll inflicted by a gunman at Virginia Tech University in 2007. Only bombings and gas explosions have killed more in a school disaster, the National Weather Service says.

In all, the Tri-State Tornado outbreak left 695 people dead, injured 2,027 and destroyed more than 15,000 homes.

This weekend’s tornado first struck Mayfield upon entering Kentucky, leaving dozens dead and many more displaced in its wake. The tornado continued traveling northeast through Benton, Princeton, Dawson Springs and Central City before retreating in Breckinridge County.

As of Saturday morning, at least 70 people have been confirmed dead. It will take days for authorities to have a complete list of fatalities, injuries and other losses.

This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Kentucky tornado compares to Tri-State Twister that devastated southern Illinois."