Barns destroyed, trees uprooted: Kentucky had 10 tornadoes on New Year’s Day
The number of confirmed tornadoes that hit Kentucky on New Year’s Day has increased to 10, according to National Weather Service posts from around the state.
The number has increased in the past couple days as experts have surveyed damage across several Kentucky counties. A tornado in Christian County caused EF-2 damage with maximum wind speeds estimated at 115 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
The tornado caused “minor to moderate roof damage” for multiple buildings and removed part of the wall of a brick home, the National Weather Service said. “Many” trees were uprooted or snapped and the tornado destroyed a gas station’s canopy as well as some gas pumps.
Several other tornadoes had winds at 100 miles per hour or greater, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes in Taylor and Madison counties had estimated peak winds at 110 miles per hour. A tornado in Marion County also produced 100-mile-per-hour winds. Those tornadoes were all rated EF-1 or “moderate” based on their wind speed.
Those tornadoes primarily caused roof damage to homes and uprooted or snapped trees, according to the National Weather Service. Electric poles were also bent by the winds. The tornado in Marion County reportedly peeled off a garage roof and tipped over a trailer. The tornado in Madison County damaged “hundreds” of trees, the National Weather Service said.
One property suffered the most substantial damage in Madison County.
“Three substantial outbuildings were completely destroyed, and one was shifted far enough off its foundation to be a total loss,” the National Weather Service said on its website.
An EF-1 tornado also touched down in Barren County, producing 95-mile-per-hour winds and damaging barns. One barn in the county was completely destroyed, with debris slung 400 yards, according to the National Weather Service.
Another EF-1 tornado in Estill County also snapped trees, destroyed a barn and damaged roofs, according to the National Weather Service. The peak wind speed was estimated to be 95 miles per hour.
EF-0 tornadoes with less severe wind speeds touched down in Todd, Allen, Hart and Warren counties, according to the National Weather Service. The storm damaged more trees and did additional exterior damage to homes.
The tornadoes ranged in length from 0.25 miles to 10.6 miles, and the width of the storms varied from 50 yards to 350 yards, according to the National Weather Service.
The New Year’s Day tornadoes occurred less than one month after the historically-catastrophic tornado event which killed dozens in Western Kentucky in December. The state hasn’t reported any deaths from the New Year’s Day tornadoes.