Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky · 2006

F1 tornado, Shelbyville, Kentucky, April 2, 2006

This F1 tornado ran 2.0 miles across Shelby County on April 2, 2006, touching down at 10:15 PM EDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
April 2, 2006
Touchdown
10:15 PM EDT (02:15 UTC)
Path length
2.0 miles (3.2 km)
Path width
150 yards (137 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Shelby County
Touchdown point
38.250, -85.230
Lift-off point
38.250, -85.200
Record number
273

What the Weather Service recorded

Tree damage and other debris indicated an F1 tornado with winds up to 100 mph. National Weather Service radar indicated that the tornado may have rotated in a clockwise direction.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

5 minutes of warning. NWS LMK issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:10 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 01:40 UTC and running to 04:08 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
01:40 UTC04:08 UTCTornado WatchLMK
02:06 UTC02:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMK
02:10 UTC02:45 UTCTornado WarningLMK

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:19 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 00:00Z

2.3 hours before the tornado, 180 km from the path. April 3, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2006-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -97170, lifted condensation level 1550 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2006-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 253 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 47 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-97170 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1550 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
315 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 12:00Z

9.7 hours after it, 180 km from the path. April 3, 2006.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2006-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 79 joules per kilogram, CIN -97, lifted condensation level 1247 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2006-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 76 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
79 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-97 J/kg
Surface CAPE
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1247 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
239 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4
0-3 km lapse rate
5.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Capital City Airport/Frankfort (FFT), 28 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:53 UTC635990° 3 kt1008.5
01:53 UTC6661200° 10 kt1009.1
02:06 UTC66.260.8220° 11 kt1009.8
02:12 UTC66.260.8220° 11 kt1009.5VCTS
02:50 UTC55.451.8290° 24 kt431011.5+TSRA
02:53 UTC5551300° 23 kt431011.2+TSRA BR
02:59 UTC55.451.8310° 19 kt361010.8+TSRA BR
03:09 UTC57.251.8300° 14 kt281011.2+TSRA
03:23 UTC55.451.8310° 7 kt1008.8VCTS -RA
03:36 UTC55.451.8320° 6 kt1008.1-RA
03:53 UTC5651310° 4 kt1008.5

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
01:53 UTCHAIL 1LouisvilleJefferson, KYHAIL BROKE WINDOWS ALONG BARDSTOWN ROAD IN BUECHEL AREA.
01:57 UTCTSTM WND GST 64FairdaleJefferson, KYNICKEL SIZED HAIL. POWER LINES SPARKING...TRANSFORMER BLEW. POWER OUT IN THE OUTER LOOP / GRADE LANE AREA.
01:58 UTCTSTM WND GST 562 S LouisvilleJefferson, KYAT LOUISVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ASOS
02:03 UTCTSTM WND GST 603 Se LouisvilleJefferson, KYAT LOUISVILLE BOWMAN FIELD ASOS
02:03 UTCHAIL 0.882 S LouisvilleJefferson, KYNICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AT I-65 AND OUTER LOOP.
02:06 UTCTSTM WND DMGAnchorageJefferson, KYTREES AND LIMBS DOWN.
02:07 UTCTSTM WND DMGBedfordTrimble, KYSECOND HAND REPORT OF POWER OUT ACROSS MUCH OF TRIMBLE COUNTY.
02:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 60LouisvilleJefferson, KYTREES AND POWERS LINES DOWN.
02:14 UTCHAIL 1JeffersontownJefferson, KY
02:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGBedfordTrimble, KYTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN COUNTYWIDE. RELAYED BY KENTUCKY STATE POLICE.
02:15 UTCTSTM WND DMGLa GrangeOldham, KYSIX TELEPHONE POLES SNAPPED IN HALF IN WEST OLDHAM COUNTY. NUMEROUS TREES DOWN. POWER STILL OUT IN MANY LOCATIONS.
02:15 UTCTORNADO2 N ShelbyvilleShelby, KYA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SURVEY FOUND F1 TORNADO DAMAGE JUST NORTH OF SHELBYVILLE, KY. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 100 MPH BASED ON NUMEROUS TREES DOWNED. THE PATH LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE TORNADO W
02:16 UTCTSTM WND GST 60SligoHenry, KY
02:17 UTCTSTM WND GST 62Mount WashingtonBullitt, KYTREE LIMBS DOWN. DEBRIS IN STREET.
02:20 UTCTSTM WND DMGCampbellsburgHenry, KYTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN COUNTY WIDE. KENTUCKY STATE POLICE REPORTS A LUMBER COMPANY BUILDING DESTROYED IN CAMPBELLSBURG. ROOFS OFF A COUPLE HOMES IN THE AREA.
02:24 UTCTSTM WND DMGShelbyvilleShelby, KYTREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
02:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGCarrolltonCarroll, KYMEASURED 60 MPH GUST. LARGE LIMBS DOWN.
02:40 UTCTSTM WND DMGOwentonOwen, KYTREES DOWN COUNTYWIDE
02:44 UTCTSTM WND GST 50FrankfortFranklin, KY
02:45 UTCTSTM WND DMGFrankfortFranklin, KYTREES AND POWERLINES DOWN COUNTYWIDE
02:46 UTCTSTM WND DMGOxfordScott, KYWIDESPREAD REPORTS OF TREES DOWN...WINDOWS BLOWN OUT...AND POWER OUTAGES AROUND THE TOWN OF GEORGETOWN.
02:50 UTCTSTM WND GST 53OxfordScott, KY53 MPH WIND GUST MEASURED AT EXIT 53 OFF INTERSTATE 75
02:50 UTCTSTM WND GST 62Stamping GroundScott, KY62 MPH GUST MEASURED BY SPOTTERS EQUIPMENT. ALSO...LARGE 80 FOOT KFC RESTAURANT SIGN BLOWN DOWN OFF INTERSTATE 75 AT MILE MARKER 126.
02:54 UTCTSTM WND GST 70GeorgetownScott, KY
03:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGVersaillesWoodford, KYMANY TREES DOWN ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY...MAINLY ALONG MIDWAY ROAD.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2006 tornado in KentuckyEvery tornado in Kentucky since 1950Warnings in force in Kentucky nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 2, 2006

66 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 23:47 PM CDTF0Davis, IA0.230
April 23:57 PM CDTF0Davis, IA0.125
April 24:03 PM CDTF2Van Buren, IA3.0100$30,000
April 24:15 PM CDTF1Van Buren, IA2.050$10,000
April 24:18 PM CDTF1Jefferson, IA0.350$10,000
April 24:19 PM CDTF1Van Buren, IA3.050$10,000
April 24:25 PM CDTF2Ralls, MO3.5350
April 24:46 PM CDTF2Washington, IA1.075$30,000
April 24:59 PM CDTF1Sharp, AR9.5100$100,000
April 25:00 PM CDTF0Saint Francois, MO0.150
April 25:00 PM CDTF1Washington, IA0.150$10,000
April 25:05 PM CDTF0Sainte Genevieve, MO2.040
April 25:06 PM CDTF0Warren, IA0.230
April 25:15 PM CDTF2Saint Clair, IL7.0100111
April 25:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL2.030
April 25:15 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL0.530
April 25:16 PM CDTF0Henderson, IL0.025
April 25:20 PM CDTF1McDonough, IL12.0233$150,000
April 25:21 PM CDTF0Madison, IL16.050
April 25:30 PM CDTF1Madison, IL2.0100
April 25:31 PM CDTF0Polk, IA0.230
April 25:35 PM CDTF0Macoupin, IL0.120
April 25:37 PM CDTF3Randolph, AR to MO77.08802177$86 million
April 25:41 PM CDTF0Montgomery, IL1.050
April 25:46 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL0.5200
April 25:49 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL2.0100
April 25:50 PM CDTF2Montgomery, IL20.0200
April 25:56 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.0100
April 25:56 PM CDTF1Montgomery, IL2.2100
April 25:58 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.0100
April 25:59 PM CDTF0Sangamon, IL1.350
April 26:00 PM CDTF2White, AR6.3100
April 26:06 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL0.850
April 26:08 PM CDTF1Christian, IL6.33001
April 26:13 PM CDTF1Sangamon, IL1.51001
April 26:14 PM CDTF1Christian, IL6.0150
April 26:17 PM CDTF0Christian, IL0.150
April 26:20 PM CDTF1Christian, IL1.0100
April 26:22 PM CDTF0Menard, IL0.340
April 26:29 PM CDTF3Woodruff, AR38.05005$5.0 million
April 26:30 PM CDTF0Macon, IL0.130
April 26:30 PM CDTF2Macon, IL4.5300
April 26:32 PM CDTF0Logan, IL1.080
April 26:36 PM CDTF0Logan, IL2.550
April 26:36 PM CDTF1Macon, IL7.51503
April 26:42 PM CDTF0Cumberland, IL0.8100
April 26:43 PM CDTF0Scott, MO1.550$20,000
April 27:01 PM CDTF0DeWitt, IL0.130
April 27:08 PM CDTF0McLean, IL0.130
April 27:12 PM CDTF0McLean, IL0.550
April 27:13 PM CDTF1McLean, IL1.050
April 27:15 PM CDTF0Champaign, IL0.130
April 27:22 PM CDTF0McLean, IL2.650
April 27:25 PM CDTF0Champaign, IL0.350
April 27:31 PM CDTF0Ballard, KY0.130
April 27:32 PM CDTF3Dyer, TN18.08801670$20 million
April 29:07 PM EDTF1Lawrence, IN0.5100$100,000
April 28:09 PM CDTF3Gibson, TN31.0880644$27 million
April 29:25 PM EDTF1Tippecanoe, IN0.5100$50,000
April 29:37 PM EDTF1Jackson, IN0.5100$200,000

All 67 of them

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.