May 1996 Kentucky tornado outbreak

Last updated
May 1996 Kentucky tornado outbreak
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationMay 28, 1996
Tornadoes
confirmed
11
Max. rating1 F4 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
3 hours, 55 minutes
Fatalities11 injuries
Damage102.01 Million USD (1996 dollars) [1]
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The May 1996 Kentucky tornado outbreak was a small outbreak of tornadoes that occurred in Central and northern Kentucky on May 28, 1996. The outbreak resulted in over $100 million in damages. [1]

Contents

Southern Louisville suburbs tornado

Southern Louisville suburbs tornado
F4 tornado
Max. rating1 F4 tornado
Fatalities10 injuries
Damage$100 million (1996 USD
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

After touching down, the tornado passed over I-65 at the Brooks exit where it overturned five tractor-trailers and damaged an Arby's, a Cracker Barrel, and a Budgetel Inn. From there it moved east through the towns of Pioneer Village, Hillview, and Mount Washington at F4 intensity. The tornado, at times half a mile wide, then proceeded into Spencer County where it narrowly missed the county seat of Taylorsville before finally, after thirty miles and over an hour of destruction, it dissipated near Little Mount. [2]

More than a thousand homes were damaged or destroyed, with the value of property damaged estimated at over US$100 million (1996 dollars). Many of these homes were large, expensive, and well-built. In spite of all the destruction, only ten injuries occurred, with the worst injury being a man treated for broken ribs. [3] This tornado was later rated EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2022. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Waco tornado outbreak</span>

A deadly series of at least 33 tornadoes hit at least 10 different U.S. states on May 9–11, 1953. Tornadoes appeared daily from Minnesota in the north to Texas in the south. The strongest and deadliest tornado was a powerful F5 tornado that struck Waco, Texas on May 11, causing 114 of the 144 deaths in the outbreak. Alongside the 1902 Goliad tornado, it was the deadliest tornado in Texas history and is the 11th deadliest tornado in U.S. history. The tornado's winds demolished more than 600 houses, 1,000 other structures, and over 2,000 vehicles. 597 injuries occurred, and many survivors had to wait more than 14 hours for rescue. The destruction dispelled a myth that the geography of the region spared Waco from tornadoes, and along with other deadly tornadoes in 1953, the Waco disaster was a catalyst for advances in understanding the link between tornadoes and radar-detected hook echoes. It also generated support for improved civil defense systems, the formation of weather radar networks, and improved communications between stakeholders such as meteorologists, local officials, and the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2004</span>

The Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2004 was a series of tornado outbreaks that affected much of southern Ontario, the Central and Southern United States from east of the Rockies to the Mid-Atlantic States from May 21 to May 31, 2004. Particularly hard hit were the central Plains from Missouri to Iowa and the Ohio Valley. The Central Plains were hit by two significant outbreaks on May 22 and May 24, the first outbreak of which produced a very large and violent tornado in Hallam, Nebraska. The Ohio Valley was affected by one of the largest tornado outbreaks ever during the Memorial Day weekend on May 29–30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2008 Carolinas tornado outbreak</span> 2008 tornado outbreak

The November 2008 Carolinas tornado outbreak was a brief but deadly tornado outbreak which began shortly after midnight, while many people were sleeping. Most of the eight tornadoes that touched down were produced by two supercell thunderstorms over North Carolina. At 12:25 a.m. EST, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for most of eastern North Carolina as the risk of tornadoes increased. Not long after, the first tornado of the outbreak, an EF2, touched down in South Carolina. Almost an hour later, the second tornado touched down in Robeson County, North Carolina. Three other minor tornadoes, two EF0 and an EF1, touched down over the next two hours. Around 3:10 a.m. EST, the first of two killer tornadoes touched down near Kenly, North Carolina. The EF2 tornado destroyed a few homes and damaged several others. Roughly 20 minutes later, an EF3 tornado touched down in Wilson County. This tornado killed one person and injured a few others after destroying several homes. Total damages from the outbreak amounted to $2.5 million, about half of which was a result of the EF3 tornado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">March 2009 tornado outbreak sequence</span> Tornado outbreaks in the United States

The March 2009 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of tornado outbreaks which affected large portions of the Central, Southern, and Eastern United States from March 23 to March 29. A total of 56 tornadoes touched down during the event, two of which were rated as EF3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho</span> 2009 derecho striking the Southern Midwest of the USA

The May 2009 Southern Midwest Derecho was an extreme progressive derecho and mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) event that struck southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, and southwestern Illinois on May 8, 2009. Thirty-nine tornadoes, including two of EF3 strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, were reported in addition to high non-tornadic winds associated with the derecho and MCV. Due to the abnormal shape of the storm on radar and the extremely strong winds, many called this an "inland hurricane." A new class of storm, the Super Derecho, has been used to describe this event after analysis in 2010. Embedded supercells produced hail up to baseball size in southern Missouri, a rare event in a derecho. A wind gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) was recorded by a backup anemometer at the Southern Illinois Airport after official National Weather Service equipment failed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of April 22–25, 2010</span>

The tornado outbreak of April 22–25, 2010 was a multi-day tornado outbreak across a large portion of the Southern United States, originally starting in the High Plains on April 22, 2010 and continuing through the Southern Plains on April 23, and the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys on April 24. The most severe activity was on April 24, particularly in Mississippi. The outbreak was responsible for ten tornado-related fatalities on April 24, all in Mississippi from a single supercell that crossed the entire state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornadoes of 1996</span>

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1996, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes, however by the 1990s tornado statistics were coming closer to the numbers we see today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak</span>

The June 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak was one of the most prolific summer tornado outbreaks in the Northern Great Plains of the United States on record. The outbreak began on June 16th, with several tornadoes in South Dakota and Montana. The most intense storms took place the following day across much of eastern North Dakota and much of Minnesota. The system produced 93 tornadoes reported across four states while killing three people in Minnesota. Four of the tornadoes were rated as EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the most violent tornadoes in a 24-hour period since there were five within 15 hours in the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. This was the region's first major tornado outbreak of the year and one of the largest on record in the region, comparable to a similar outbreak in June 1992. The 48 tornadoes that touched down in Minnesota on June 17 marked the most active single day in the state's history. June 17 was the second largest tornado day on record in the meteorological summer, behind the most prolific day of the 2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak on June 24, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of April 9–11, 2011</span>

One of several tornado outbreaks in the United States to take place during the record month of April 2011, 49 tornadoes were produced across the Midwest and Southeast from April 9–11. Widespread damage took place; however, no fatalities resulted from the event due to timely warnings. In Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes touched down, ranking this outbreak as the state's largest April event on record as well as one of the largest single-day events during the course of any year. The strongest tornado of the outbreak was an EF4 tornado that touched down west of Pocahontas, Iowa on April 9, a short-lived satellite to a long-track EF3 tornado. Between 0256 and 0258 UTC that day, five tornadoes were on the ground simultaneously in Pocahontas County, Iowa, all of which were from one supercell thunderstorm. Other tornadoes impacted parts of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee on April 9, hours before the event in Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011</span>

From April 14–16, 2011, a tornado outbreak, among the largest recorded tornado outbreaks in U.S. history, produced 178 confirmed tornadoes across 16 states, resulting in severe destruction on all three days of the outbreak. A total of 38 people were killed from tornadoes and an additional five people were killed as a result of straight-line winds associated with the storm system. The outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes led to 43 deaths in the Southern United States. This was the largest number of fatalities in an outbreak in the United States since the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. However, this outbreak was soon surpassed no more than two weeks later by the 2011 Super Outbreak, which killed 324 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Super Outbreak</span> Largest, costliest tornado outbreak in United States history

The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest, costliest, and one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks ever recorded, taking place in the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States from April 25–28, 2011, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake. Over 175 tornadoes struck Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which were the most severely damaged states. Other destructive tornadoes occurred in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, and Virginia, with storms also affecting other states in the Southern and Eastern United States. In total, 360 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) and Government of Canada's Environment Canada in 21 states from Texas to New York to southern Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak. April 27 was the most active day, with a record 216 tornadoes touching down that day from midnight to midnight CDT. Four of the tornadoes were rated EF5, which is the highest ranking on the Enhanced Fujita scale; typically these tornadoes are recorded no more than once a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak sequence of April 19–24, 2011</span> Tornado outbreak in April, 2011

An extended period of significant tornado activity affected the Midwest and Southern United States from April 19 to April 24, 2011, with 134 tornadoes being spawned across six days. The outbreak produced an EF4 tornado that tore through the St. Louis metropolitan area on April 22, while other tornadoes caused damage in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma, and other parts of Missouri during the period. No fatalities were reported in this outbreak. This event was directly followed by the largest tornado outbreak in the history of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012</span> Windstorm in the southern United States

On March 2 and 3, 2012, a deadly tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States into the Ohio Valley region. The storms resulted in 41 tornado-related fatalities, 22 of which occurred in Kentucky. Tornado-related deaths also occurred in Alabama, Indiana, and Ohio. The outbreak was the second deadliest in early March for the U.S. since official records began in 1950; only the 1966 Candlestick Park tornado had a higher death toll for a tornadic system in early March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornadoes of 2013</span>

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2013. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, and somewhat regularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Hattiesburg, Mississippi tornado</span>

On Sunday, February 10, 2013, a large EF4 multiple-vortex wedge tornado devastated the cities of West Hattiesburg, Hattiesburg, and Petal. The tornado was one of eight that touched down in southern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama that day. It reached a maximum path width of 0.75 miles (1.21 km) in its path through the Hattiesburg area and reached estimated maximum sustained winds of 170 mph (270 km/h) in Oak Grove neighborhood of West Hattiesburg. It destroyed many structures and impacted University of Southern Mississippi and two high schools. Mississippi was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama, and a state of emergency was issued by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornadoes of 2014</span>

This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2014. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil, and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, and somewhat regularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak of December 23–25, 2015</span> Storm

On December 23, 2015, an outbreak of supercell thunderstorms produced tornadoes across northern Mississippi and middle Tennessee, resulting in 13 tornado-related deaths and numerous injuries. Other tornadoes occurred as far north as Indiana and Michigan. Scattered tornado activity continued over the next two days before the outbreak ended. This was the first of two deadly tornado outbreaks to impact the southern United States during December 2015 with the other occurring just a day after this one ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado outbreak sequence of December 1–6, 1953</span> Weather event affecting Southeastern United States

The first six days of December 1953 produced a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak sequence across the Southern United States. There were 19 confirmed tornadoes, including a violent F4 tornado that hit the northwest side of Alexandria, Louisiana and even more violent F5 tornado that hit Vicksburg, Mississippi. In all, the tornadoes killed 49 people, injured 404 others, and caused $45,709 million in damage. This was the last in a series of deadly and catastrophic outbreaks to strike the US in 1953.

References

  1. 1 2 "NCDC Query Output". National Climatic Data Center. 2008-04-06. Archived from the original on 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  2. National Weather Service Office Louisville, Kentucky. Public Information Statement. Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
  3. National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
  4. "Tornadogenesis in High-end Tornadic Supercells (Part 3) Moore, Oklahoma EF5 on May 20, 2013 A Case Representative of Tornadogenesis" (PDF). Retrieved 11 January 2023.