Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2026
Tornado Warning 32, NWS Paducah, KY
NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2026, 6:45 PM CDT for Todd County, Kentucky. It was in force for 15 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 22, 2026, 6:45 PM CDT (23:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 22, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 15 min
- Issued by
- NWS Paducah, KY
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Radar indicated
- Hail
- 0.75 in
County Todd County, KY
The radar
The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 30 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:44 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 378 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1069 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 80 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 154 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
689
WFUS53 KPAH 222345
TORPAH
KYC219-230015-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0032.260522T2345Z-260523T0015Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Paducah KY
645 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026
The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a
* Tornado Warning for...
Northeastern Todd County in south central Kentucky...
* Until 715 PM CDT.
* At 645 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles north of Elkton, moving northeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.
Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree
damage is likely.
* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
northeastern Todd County, including the following locations...
Clifty.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.
&&
LAT...LON 3687 8706 3685 8709 3698 8718 3705 8711
3705 8709 3706 8706
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 226DEG 25KT 3692 8711
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN
$$
JGG1 follow-up statement
016
WWUS53 KPAH 230000
SVSPAH
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Paducah KY
700 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026
KYC219-230010-
/O.CAN.KPAH.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-260523T0015Z/
Todd KY-
700 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN TODD COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning has
been cancelled.
&&
LAT...LON 3687 8706 3685 8709 3698 8718 3705 8711
3705 8709 3706 8706
TIME...MOT...LOC 2359Z 226DEG 25KT 3699 8701
$$
JGGWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 22, 6:21 PM CDT, 24 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- There remains a marginal risk for severe weather across the far southeast Kentucky Pennyrile late this afternoon into the early evening. A weak spin up tornado and isolated damaging winds will be the primary hazards should a severe storm occur.
- Daily chances of showers and thunderstorms continue. Saturday will be the driest day with only a 20-30% chance of an isolated shower or storm.
- Total average rainfall between 1 and 2.5 inches is forecast over the next week; localized higher totals could result in minor flood issues.
Area forecast discussion, May 22, 6:21 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 621 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - There remains a marginal risk for severe weather across the far southeast Kentucky Pennyrile late this afternoon into the early evening. A weak spin up tornado and isolated damaging winds will be the primary hazards should a severe storm occur. - Daily chances of showers and thunderstorms continue. Saturday will be the driest day with only a 20-30% chance of an isolated shower or storm. - Total average rainfall between 1 and 2.5 inches is forecast over the next week; localized higher totals could result in minor flood issues. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1201 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 Expect showers/maybe a thunderstorm as a wave lifts across the TN Valley thru this evening. It rides along and lifts a warm sector boundary, which models nudge its way into our southeastern Pennyrile counties. If so, and if BINOVC occurs in conjunction, there may juice up just enough instability for surface based convection, and if that happens, increasing mid level flow/shear atop it with some broadening of the hodographs due to the low/warm sector vicinity track increases helicity enough to warrant the SPC MRGL risk svr for isolated spinup/damaging winds; a non-zero chance. Primarily it's a good soaking rain potential with the NAEFS E-SAT still indicating high 99th percentile PW's in excess of 1.75" yielding 5-10 yr return intervals suggestive of localized flooding potential, although overall it's generally welcome overtop our driest grounds in the CWA still running D3 across southern Ky. The aforementioned represents the first in a succession of rounds or chance rounds of pcpn over the holiday weekend. It won't be entirely wet despite the daily chances though, as much of Saturday looks dry for much of the area, despite small chances that exist. Most ensuing daily chances come either with a wave/its presence or the diurnal breathing cycle (and/or both), beginning with next best chances over the back half of the weekend. Chances swell again in the mid week portion of the forecast, although if the developing Rex block pattern that looks like is taking shape changes its synoptic feature modeling latitudinally or longitudinally even just a little bit, this will greatly affect our pops forecast. Otherwise it looks steady as she goes on the new week's forecast with daily highs near 80F or in the lower 80s and lows that'll start running nightly in the mid-upper 60s. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 614 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 Rain showers moving through the terminals for the first couple hours will shift east of the sites before midnight. Low clouds will linger through Saturday morning with generally MVFR/IFR ceilings along with some briefly reduced visibilities. Expect improving conditions by late Saturday morning into the afternoon. Winds will remain fairly light at 10 kts or less. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && DISCUSSION... AVIATION...KC
Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 1:15 AM CDT, 17 hours 30 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 115 AM CDT Fri May 22 2026 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-230615- Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton- White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-Johnson-Pope- Hardin-Alexander-Pulaski-Massac-Gibson-Pike-Posey-Vanderburgh- Warrick-Spencer-Fulton-Hickman-Carlisle-Ballard-McCracken-Graves- Livingston-Marshall-Calloway-Crittenden-Lyon-Trigg-Caldwell- Union KY-Webster-Hopkins-Christian-Henderson-Daviess-McLean- Muhlenberg-Todd-Perry MO-Bollinger-Cape Girardeau-Wayne MO-Carter- Ripley-Butler-Stoddard-Scott-Mississippi-New Madrid- 115 AM CDT Fri May 22 2026 /215 AM EDT Fri May 22 2026/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A isolated severe thunderstorm is possible mainly over the far southeast Kentucky Pennyrile late this afternoon into the evening. A weak spin up tornado and damaging winds is the main hazard of concern. Minor flooding is also possible across the entire region. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Daily thunderstorms are forecast Saturday through Thursday. Heavy rainfall is the main hazard of concern. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time. DW
The office that day
Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 4:52 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | PAH | Calloway | 3 hr |
| May 22, 6:59 PM CDT | Special Weather Statement | PAH | Todd | 31 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.