Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, March 12, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, March 12, 1986
Start: 1986-03-12T00:15
End: 1986-03-12T18:00
Location: Kentucky

March 12, 1986 · NWS SDF · 36 events in 28 counties and zones

25 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 4 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 10
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 36

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

25 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Christian

When: March 12, 12:15 AM CST
Where: Christian County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.850, -87.480

Hail, Calloway

When: March 12, 12:32 AM CST
Where: Calloway County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.620, -88.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Crittenden

When: March 12, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Crittenden County
Coordinates: 37.330, -88.080

Hail, Todd

When: March 12, 3:10 AM CST
Where: Todd County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 36.820, -87.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Todd

When: March 12, 3:10 AM CST
Where: Todd County
Coordinates: 36.650, -87.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Christian

When: March 12, 3:14 AM CST
Where: Christian County
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 37.080, -87.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Christian

When: March 12, 3:14 AM CST
Where: Christian County
Coordinates: 36.880, -87.500

Hail, Muhlenberg

When: March 12, 3:18 AM CST
Where: Muhlenberg County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.320, -87.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Ohio

When: March 12, 3:20 AM CST
Where: Ohio County
Coordinates: 37.450, -86.920

Tornado, Hardin

When: March 12, 4:40 AM EST
Where: Hardin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.580, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Grayson

When: March 12, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Grayson County
Coordinates: 37.480, -86.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Edmonson

When: March 12, 4:05 AM CST
Where: Edmonson County
Coordinates: 37.220, -86.270

Tornado, Nelson

When: March 12, 5:10 AM EST
Where: Nelson County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 1,500 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.870, -85.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Hart

When: March 12, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Hart County
Coordinates: 37.300, -86.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Grayson

When: March 12, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Grayson County
Coordinates: 37.480, -86.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: March 12, 4:28 AM CST
Where: Warren County
Coordinates: 37.120, -86.430

Hail, Bullitt

When: March 12, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Bullitt County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.920, -85.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Larue

When: March 12, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Larue County
Coordinates: 37.570, -85.750

Tornado, Nicholas

When: March 12, 6:15 AM EST
Where: Nicholas County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.450, -84.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When: March 12, 5:20 AM CST
Where: Franklin County
Coordinates: 38.200, -84.850

Hail, Shelby

When: March 12, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Shelby County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.200, -85.180

Tornado, Fleming

When: March 12, 6:35 AM EST
Where: Fleming County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 38.430, -83.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson

When: March 12, 5:50 AM CST
Where: Anderson County
Coordinates: 38.120, -85.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: March 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Harrison County
Coordinates: 38.380, -84.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: March 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Fayette County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 38.050, -84.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Bourbon

When: March 12, 6:05 AM CST
Where: Bourbon County
Coordinates: 38.220, -84.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When: March 12, 6:10 AM CST
Where: Woodford County
Coordinates: 38.020, -84.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson

When: March 12, 6:10 AM CST
Where: Anderson County
Coordinates: 38.080, -84.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Spencer

When: March 12, 6:25 AM CST
Where: Spencer County
Coordinates: 38.050, -85.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Nicholas

When: March 12, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Nicholas County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 38.330, -84.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Mason

When: March 12, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Mason County
Coordinates: 38.520, -83.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Fleming

When: March 12, 6:52 AM CST
Where: Fleming County
Coordinates: 38.400, -83.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Bracken

When: March 12, 6:55 AM CST
Where: Bracken County
Coordinates: 38.680, -84.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Lewis

When: March 12, 7:01 AM CST
Where: Lewis County
Coordinates: 38.550, -83.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Scott

When: March 12, 7:10 AM CST
Where: Scott County
Coordinates: 38.200, -84.550

Hail, Larue

When: March 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Larue County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.570, -85.750

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kentucky, 1986 Warnings in Kentucky, March 1986

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10032352, 10032353, 10032354, 10032355, 10032356, 10032357, 10032358, 10032359, 10032360, 10032366, 10032361, 10032362, 10032369, 10032363, 10032364, 10032365, 10032367, 10032368, 10032378, 10032370, 10032371, 10032382, 10032372, 10032373, 10032374, 10032375, 10032376, 10032377, 10032379, 10032380, 10032381, 10032383, 10032384, 10032385, 10032386, 10032387.