Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky · 2006

F1 tornado, Sheridan, Kentucky, September 22, 2006

Name: F1 tornado, Sheridan, Kentucky, September 22, 2006
Start: 2006-09-22T21:27:00.000Z
Location: Sheridan, Kentucky

This F1 tornado ran 5.0 miles across Crittenden County on September 22, 2006, touching down at 4:27 PM CDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 of property damage.

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.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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: September 22, 2006
Touchdown: 4:27 PM CDT (21:27 UTC)
Path length: 5.0 miles (8.0 km)
Path width: 150 yards (137 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
County: Crittenden County
Touchdown point: 37.320, -88.280
Lift-off point: 37.350, -88.200
Record number: 908

What the Weather Service recorded

Numerous trees were topped or uprooted. One mobile home that was not tied down was destroyed. Several outbuildings were destroyed. Trees fell on the roofs of several homes. Many homes received minor roof damage. Peak winds were estimated near 100 MPH. This tornado was spawned by the same supercell thunderstorm that earlier produced a tornado in Livingston County, and would later produce another tornado in Webster County.

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

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.15 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:56 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 the tornado touched down at Sep 22, 2:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 22, 2:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
245 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW THE WARM FRONT LIFTING OVER
THE PAH FA...WITH TDS IN THE L70S IN THE WARM SECTOR SUPPLANTING
L-M60S TDS HANGING ON IN THE NRN/ERN PTNS FA. FREE CONVECTION
INITIATED IN THE SCOURED OUT ZONE TO OUR WEST...WHICH IS THE FOCUS
OF THE TORNADO WATCH OVER OUR WRN 1/3 OF THE FA...WHERE MDT RISK OF
SVR EXISTS. GFS HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY PICKING UP ON THIS CONVECTION
AND RACING IT EWARD INTO SEMO BETWEEN 00-06Z...SPREADING OVER THE
REMAINDER OF THE FA OVERNIGHT. PWS NR 1.5-2 NEARBY/UPSTREAM HELPING
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND IN COMBO W/HPC QPF DAYS1-2 SUPPORT ONGOING FFA
THRU END OF EVENT.

AFTER TONIGHTS ROUND ALL EYES TURN TO COLD FRONTAL CONVECTIVE
CHANCES SAT PM/EVENING. BETTER DYNAMICS ENTER THE PICTURE BY THEN AS
THE UPPER LOW/JET DRIVES THE FRONT ON THRU...TEXT OF SWODY2
CONSISTENTLY HINTING AT UPGRADE TO MDT RISK. WL THEREFORE HIGHLIGHT
SVR THREAT BOTH TONIGHT AND TOMORROW IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN THREAT.

GFS HAVING REALLY BEEN MODEL OF CHOICE DUE TO ITS CONSISTENCY...IT
TAKES THE FRONT EAST OF THE FA (A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE NAM) BY 06Z
SUN. HOWEVER FOR COLLABORATIVE PURPOSES WE LINGERING A SMALL CHANCE
OF POST FRONTAL PCPN IN THE FAR SE EARLY SUN. AFTER THAT A DRIER AND
SEASONALLY COOLER AIR MASS WORKS AND HOLDS THRU THE MIDDLE OF NEXT
WEEK.

BY DAYS 6-7...NEXT SYSTEM YIELDS CHC PCPN FA-WIDE. FOR NOW HAVE
BOUGHT GFS SO STICKING W/IT AND THE COLLABORATIVE PICTURE IS OUR
APPROACH...BUT ACKNOWLEDGE SOME TIMING/INCONSISTENCY MAY EVENTUALLY
LEAD TO ADJUSTMENTS AND IS WHY WE KEEP CHC CAT PCPN DESPITE MOS
SUGGESTIONS FOR HIGHER.

MET AND MAV MOS IS CLOSE WHILE FWC MOS SEEMS OVERDONE ON BOTH THE
HIGH AND LOW ENDS AND UNDERDONE ON PCPN. OUR OVERALL GFS PREFERENCE
LEANS US TO ITS MAV/MEX BASED MOS WHEN LEANING.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALL COUNTIES.
MO...TOR WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALL COUNTIES.
IL...TOR WATCH ALONG/WEST OF I-24 AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALL COUNTIES.
IN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALL COUNTIES.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 22, 1:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
129 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

ILZ075-080-081-084-085-088-089-092-093-MOZ076-086-087-100-107>112-
114-231000-
JEFFERSON-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-UNION IL-JOHNSON-
ALEXANDER-PULASKI-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-
CARTER-RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
129 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM. THERE IS A MODERATE
RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS
THE AREA...AND INTERACT WITH A DISTURBANCE ALOFT. THE SHEAR ALONG
THE FRONT AND ALOFT WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS...ESPECIALLY IN AREAS OF HIGH INSTABILITY. THE
INSTABILITY WILL IN LARGE PART BE DETERMINED BY THE AMOUNT OF
AFTERNOON SUNSHINE THAT CAN BREAK THROUGH THE CLOUD COVER.
OTHERWISE STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP WITH DAMAGING WINDS
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ALSO THREATS. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS
ALSO IN EFFECT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY...
ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WHEN A COLD FRONT WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE QUAD STATE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL
BE DAMAGING WINDS...BUT ALSO LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY
BE POSSIBLE. THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL CONTINUE WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING AS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS SHOULD ACTIVATE NOW FOR THE TORNADO WATCH AND BE ALERT
FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE REQUESTS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

ILZ076>078-082-083-086-087-090-091-094-INZ081-082-085>088-
KYZ001>022-231000-
WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-HAMILTON-WHITE-SALINE-GALLATIN-POPE-
HARDIN-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-
129 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF THE
WABASH RIVER IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND WEST OF THE LAKES OVER THE
JACKSON PURCHASE OF WESTERN KENTUCKY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND THE REMAINDER OF
WESTERN KENTUCKY...EAST OF THE LAKES AND ACROSS THE PENNYRILE.THESE
RISKS ARE IN ASSOCIATION WITH A WARM FRONT THAT WILL CONTINUE
LIFTING ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH THE PRIMARY SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS. A MORE ISOLATED TORNADIC AND
LARGE HAIL THREAT CANNOT BE RULED OUT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE...AND AS A RESULT A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY...
ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WHEN A COLD FRONT WILL
MOVE ACROSS THE QUAD STATE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL
BE DAMAGING WINDS...BUT ALSO LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES MAY
BE POSSIBLE. THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL CONTINUE WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING AS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED ANYTIME DURING THE NEXT 24 TO
36 HOURS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 22, 3:57 PM CDT, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
357 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0352 PM     TORNADO          2 E METROPOLIS          37.15N 88.68W
09/22/2006                   MASSAC             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            THE TORNADO WAS SPOTTED NEAR VEECHES ILLINOIS CLOSE TO
            THE NEW SHAWNEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

&&

DLL

Local storm report, Sep 22, 4:00 PM CDT, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
400 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0356 PM     HAIL             2 S ROSEBUD             37.25N 88.58W
09/22/2006  E1.75 INCH       POPE               IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

DLL

Local storm report, Sep 22, 4:02 PM CDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
402 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0352 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 S GLENDALE            37.38N 88.64W
09/22/2006                   POPE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 145 MOVING TOWARD GLENDALE

&&

PATS

Local storm report, Sep 22, 4:05 PM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
405 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0357 PM     HAIL             BAY CITY                37.25N 88.50W
09/22/2006  E1.75 INCH       POPE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

0358 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     GLENDALE                37.41N 88.64W
09/22/2006                   POPE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SITED ON HWY 145 JUST NORTH OF
            GLENADALE.

&&

DLL

Local storm report, Sep 22, 4:14 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
414 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0412 PM     HAIL             PERRYVILLE              37.73N 89.87W
09/22/2006  E0.75 INCH       PERRY              MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DLL

Local storm report, Sep 22, 4:25 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
425 PM CDT FRI SEP 22 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0412 PM     HAIL             1 S CARBONDALE          37.71N 89.22W
09/22/2006  E1.00 INCH       JACKSON            IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL ALSO REPORTED.

&&

DLL

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.

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 12:00Z

9.5 hours before the tornado, 198 km from the path. September 22, 2006.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: -76335 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 974 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 415 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 476 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5
0-3 km lapse rate: 3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 00:00Z

2.5 hours after it, 198 km from the path. September 23, 2006.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1397 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -30 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 914 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 838 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 57 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 321 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 437 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 3.9
Supercell composite: 14.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Metropolis IL (M30), 48 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

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

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:27 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2006 tornado in Kentucky Every tornado in Kentucky since 1950 Warnings in force in Kentucky now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of September 22, 2006

32 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
September 22	2:40 PM CDT	F0	Crawford, MO	3.0	80
September 22	2:42 PM CDT	F2	Reynolds, MO	25.2	550
September 22	2:42 PM CDT	F1	Crawford, MO	10.4	80
September 22	3:11 PM CDT	F1	Washington, MO	3.1	150
September 22	3:18 PM CDT	F1	Jefferson, MO	1.5	100
September 22	3:20 PM CDT	F3	Massac, IL	3.5	125	2	$500,000
September 22	3:30 PM CDT	F2	Madison, MO	25.0	880	1	$150,000
September 22	4:02 PM CDT	F1	Livingston, IL to KY	9.3	500		$365,000
September 22	4:13 PM CDT	F4	Crosstown–Murphysboro tornado, Missouri and Illinois	27.5	225	6	$7.8 million
September 22	4:38 PM CDT	F0	Marshall, AL	0.1	10
September 22	4:55 PM CDT	F0	Washington, IL	0.1	20
September 22	5:02 PM CDT	F2	Iron, MO	4.8	100
September 22	5:05 PM CDT	F1	Jefferson, MO	0.7	100
September 22	5:12 PM CDT	F0	Marion, AR	0.3	25
September 22	5:15 PM CDT	F0	Colbert, AL	4.0	20
September 22	5:17 PM CDT	F1	Webster, KY	6.0	150		$150,000
September 22	5:20 PM CDT	F0	Pike, IL	0.1	20
September 22	5:35 PM CDT	F0	Stone, AR	5.2	25
September 22	6:02 PM CDT	F2	Blount, AL	1.3	100		$70,000
September 22	6:02 PM CDT	F0	Cook, IL	0.3	50
September 22	6:06 PM CDT	F1	Marshall, AL	3.2	500		$90,000
September 22	6:15 PM CDT	F1	Izard, AR	3.7	40
September 22	6:22 PM CDT	F2	Sharp, AR	14.0	100		$2,000
September 22	6:23 PM CDT	F1	Izard, AR	8.0	50
September 22	6:40 PM CDT	F2	Blount, AL	0.3	200		$50,000
September 22	6:52 PM CDT	F2	Blount, AL	4.4	200	3	$1.5 million
September 22	7:38 PM CDT	F1	Daviess, KY	4.0	75		$70,000
September 22	6:39 PM MDT	F0	Grand, UT	0.2	15
September 22	8:01 PM CDT	F1	Butler, MO	0.3	50		$4,000
September 22	8:05 PM CDT	F1	Madison, TN	3.0	25		$50,000
September 22	8:15 PM CDT	F1	Phelps, MO	8.0	350		$1.5 million
September 22	12:06 AM CDT	F0	Graves, KY	0.2	40

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.