A 40 year old man was killed as an F3 tornado with winds estimated at 175 mph touched down near Bonnieville in Hart county and moved northeast 9 miles to the town of Magnolia in Larue county before lifting. The deceased man was killed in his house in Hammonville as the house was blown 50 yards away from its foundation.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LMK wrote it up.
A 40 year old man was killed as an F3 tornado with winds estimated at 175 mph touched down near Bonnieville in Hart county and moved northeast 9 miles to the town of Magnolia in Larue county before lifting. The deceased man was killed in his house in Hammonville as the house was blown 50 yards away from its foundation. A few other poorly secured homes were lifted clean off their foundations as well. Most of the injured were hurt when the tornado crossed I-65 at exit 71 causing several accidents. In Hart county, 14 people were injured in addition to the 1 death. 32 houses and 8 mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed most in Bonnieville. DES officials estimate total damage at 1.4 million dollars. In Larue county, 22 houses and 20 barns were heavily damaged or destroyed with most of the damage in Magnolia. DES officials estimated total damage around 3 million dollars half of which was damage to a dairy farm. The farmer lost 80 cattle as as the barn collapsed on them. One man lost a restored model-T that he was used in car shows and exhibits. The only injury was to a Deputy Sheriff who rode out the storm in his cruiser. He badly bruised his hand and said he witnessed a near-by uninhabited car thrown more than 20 feet overtop of his cruiser.
The Louisville radar (KLVX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:03 UTC.
2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Hart | 1997-03-28 | 40 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kentucky, 1997Warnings in Kentucky, March 1997
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: 5597223, 5597224.