Thunderstorm Wind, Harlan
- When
- February 21, 12:30 PM EST
- Where
- Harlan County, Ages
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 36.870, -83.270
Damaging Wind in Kentucky, February 21, 1997
After strong winds and heavy rain a single large tree fell onto and crushed a car, killing two adults in the front seat. An infant in a child safety seat in the back seat of the car was not injured.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
After strong winds and heavy rain a single large tree fell onto and crushed a car, killing two adults in the front seat. An infant in a child safety seat in the back seat of the car was not injured. The tree was on an embankment, and according to local residents had been leaning over the road for over 10 years. Witnesses reported half of the trees roots had been exposed for several years due to the eroding hillside.
The radar
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:27 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Harlan | 1997-02-21 | 24 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Thunderstorm Wind, Harlan | 1997-02-21 | 48 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes in Mississippi, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in South Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Rip Current in Florida, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in North Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, February 1997
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: 5590889.