Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky · 2008
EF1 tornado, Sirocco to Brandenburg, Kentucky, February 5, 2008
From Sirocco to Brandenburg, this EF1 tornado ran 6.5 miles across Meade County on February 5, 2008, touching down at 11:54 PM EST and reaching 350 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $2.0 million of property damage.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 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.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 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
- EF1
- Date
- February 5, 2008
- Touchdown
- 11:54 PM EST (04:54 UTC)
- Lifted
- 12:05 AM EST (05:05 UTC)
- On the ground
- 11 minutes
- Path length
- 6.5 miles (10.4 km)
- Path width
- 350 yards (320 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- County
- Meade County
- Touchdown point
- 37.962, -86.271
- Lift-off point
- 38.004, -86.166
- Record number
- 0802052254-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A cold front along with a strong upper level low produced a squall line that crossed central Kentucky. This set off widespread severe weather, and spawned several tornadoes.
The tornado caused extensive tree and power line damage near Happy Ridge Road, Wood Dale Road, and Maple Grove Drive. Several businesses were damaged in the Broadway and Lakeview Drive area. A cinder block storage building was toppled. The tornado knocked down the exterior wall of another building. A storage building was lifted up and thrown across Broadway. The Old Brandenburg Telephone Company Office had roof damage. A church was damaged near the intersection of Broadway and Highway 933.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
0 minutes of warning. NWS LMK issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:54 UTC, 0 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:15 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 01:10 UTC and running to 07:00 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:10 UTC | 07:00 UTC | Tornado Watch | LMK |
| 02:50 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK |
| 04:13 UTC | 04:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | LMK |
| 04:29 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK |
| 04:54 UTC | 05:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | LMK |
| 05:01 UTC | 05:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK |
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 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 00:48 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.
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 00:00Z
4.9 hours before the tornado, 209 km from the path. February 6, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 706 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -45 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 750 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 812 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 300 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 362 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.3 K/km
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), 12:00Z
7.1 hours after it, 209 km from the path. February 6, 2008.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -75186 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 675 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 75 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -77 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 221 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 5.0 K/km
The surface observations
Fort Knox/Godman (FTK), 23 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:55 UTC | 65.84 | 61.7 | 170° 13 kt | 20 | 1002.7 | -TSRA |
| 03:50 UTC | 68 | 62.6 | 200° 18 kt | 29 | 1001.7 | -SHRA |
| 03:55 UTC | 67.82 | 62.24 | 200° 17 kt | 26 | 1001.7 | -SHRA |
| 04:55 UTC | 67 | 63.86 | 190° 24 kt | 37 | 999 | -RA BR |
| 05:12 UTC | 66.2 | 64.4 | 280° 27 kt | 37 | 1000.7 | TSRA BR |
| 05:55 UTC | 57.2 | 55.76 | 270° 16 kt | 22 | 1004.7 | -TSRA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Louisville radar (KLVX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:52 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04:54 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 3 Wsw Brandenburg | Meade, KY | NWS SURVEY TEAM THAT AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF RICHARDSON ROAD AND ESTES DRIVE AROUND 1154 PM EST. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST INTO THE CITY OF BRANDENBURG CAUSING SIGNIFICANT TREE AND POWER L |
| 04:54 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Wsw Brandenburg | Meade, KY | NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM FOUND EF-1 DAMAGE IN THE CITY OF BRANDENBURG. TORNADO TOUCHED NEAR RICHARDSON ROAD AND ESTES DRIVE. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED NORTHEAST INTO DOWNTOWN BRANDENBURG CAUSING SIGNIFICANT TREE AND POWERLINE |
| 05:13 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | Pleasure Ridge Park | Jefferson, KY | AT TERRY AND GREENWOOD ROAD. SPOTTER REPORTED DEBRIS HITTING THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. |
| 05:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Clarkson | Grayson, KY | TREE LIMBS WERE DOWNED. THE SPOTTER ESTIMATED THE WIND GUST AT 60 MPH. |
| 05:19 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Louisville | Jefferson, KY | POWER LINES WERE DOWNED AT THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS. |
| 05:21 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 2 Sw Cecilia | Hardin, KY | NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FOUND AN EF-2 TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR CEILIA IN CENTRAL HARDIN COUNTY. TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR HANSBOROUGH ROAD AND MOVED NORTHEAST TOWARD CECILIA. EF-2 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED NEAR BETHLEHEM ACADEMY |
| 05:21 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Sw Cecilia | Hardin, KY | NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FOUND AN EF-2 TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR CEILIA IN CENTRAL HARDIN COUNTY. TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR HANSBOROUGH ROAD AND MOVED NORTHEAST TOWARD CECILIA. EF-2 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED NEAR BETHLEHEM ACADEMY |
| 05:23 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Louisville | Jefferson, KY | LINDSEY AVENUE WAS FLOODED NEAR THE VA HOSPITAL. SPOTTER ESTIMATED 70 MPH WINDS. |
| 05:27 UTC | TORNADO 2 | 2 Ese Elizabethtown | Hardin, KY | NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FOUND A SECOND EF-2 TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF PORTER LANE AND MILLER ROAD. A TRAILER WAS KNOCKED OFF ITS FOUNDATION WHILE ANOTHER TRAILER WAS COMPLETELY DESTORYED. THE TORNADO MOVE |
| 05:27 UTC | TORNADO | 2 Ese Elizabethtown | Hardin, KY | NWS DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM FOUND A SECOND EF-2 TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF PORTER LANE AND MILLER ROAD. A TRAILER WAS KNOCKED OFF ITS FOUNDATION WHILE ANOTHER TRAILER WAS COMPLETELY DESTORYED. THE TORNADO MOVE |
| 05:29 UTC | TSTM WND GST 69 | St. Matthews | Jefferson, KY | TREE LIMBS WERE BLOWN DOWN. |
| 05:30 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Clermont | Bullitt, KY | TWENTY TREES WERE DOWNED. |
| 05:34 UTC | TSTM WND GST 68 | Mount Washington | Bullitt, KY | LIMBS WERE DOWNED. PEA SIZE HAIL ALSO REPORTED. |
| 05:34 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | 5 E Shepherdsville | Bullitt, KY | NICKEL SIZE HAIL FELL FOR THREE MINUTES. |
| 05:37 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Elizabethtown | Hardin, KY | POSSIBLE TORNADO. THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF CENTRAL HARDIN HIGH SCHOOL AT HIGHWAY 62 AND RING ROAD. |
| 05:38 UTC | TORNADO 1 | 4 S Boston | Nelson, KY | *** 2 INJ *** NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND EF-1 TORNADO DAMAGE NEAR NELSONVILLE ROAD IN WESTERN NELSON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN A SWATH OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ON NELSONVILLE LOOP...A LARGE GRAIN SILO WAS DESTORY |
| 05:38 UTC | TORNADO | 4 S Boston | Nelson, KY | *** 2 INJ *** NWS SURVEY TEAM FOUND EF-1 TORNADO DAMAGE NEAR NELSONVILLE ROAD IN WESTERN NELSON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN A SWATH OF STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ON NELSONVILLE LOOP...A LARGE GRAIN SILO WAS DESTORY |
| 05:41 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Louisville | Jefferson, KY | BEARGRASS CREEK NEAR CANNONS LANE WAS OUT OF BANKS. |
| 05:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cecilia | Hardin, KY | THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A SCHOOL. ELSEWHERE IN HARDIN COUNTY...TRAILERS WERE DESTROYED...MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE WAS REPORTED...SOME REPORTS OF INJURIES. |
| 05:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Cecilia | Hardin, KY | UPDATED REPORT...THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A SCHOOL. MULTIPLE HOMES WERE DAMAGED ELSEWHERE IN CECILIA. |
| 05:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Elizabethtown | Hardin, KY | TWO MOBILE HOME TRAILERS WERE DESTROYED OR ROLLED OVER JUST OUTSIDE THE ELIZABETHTOWN CITY LIMITS. ONE WAS ON VALLEY CREEK ROAD...AND THE OTHER WAS ON PORTER ROAD. |
| 05:45 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Elizabethtown | Hardin, KY | UPDATED REPORT...TWO MOBILE HOME TRAILERS WERE DESTROYED OR ROLLED OVER JUST OUTSIDE THE ELIZABETHTOWN CITY LIMITS. ONE WAS ON VALLEY CREEK ROAD...AND THE OTHER WAS ON PORTER ROAD. THERE WAS MASSIVE DAMAGE TO HOMES IN TH |
| 06:04 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Louisville | Jefferson, KY | TREES WERE DOWNED AT FLOYD AND JACOB STREETS. |
| 06:04 UTC | HAIL 1 | Mount Washington | Bullitt, KY | CARS WERE DAMAGED BY HAIL. HAIL SIZE ESTIMATED. |
| 06:05 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Shively | Jefferson, KY | POWER LINES WERE DOWNED ALONG CANE RUN ROAD AT NEW LYNVIEW. |
| 06:06 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Jeffersontown | Jefferson, KY | SPARKING POWER POLE DOWN IN STANDING WATER. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in KentuckyEvery tornado in Kentucky since 1950Warnings in force in Kentucky nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of February 5, 2008
61 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | 3:26 PM CST | EF1 | Ashley, AR | 0.6 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| February 5 | 4:04 PM CST | EF0 | Chicot, AR | 1.1 | 50 | |||
| February 5 | 4:27 PM CST | EF0 | Phillips, AR | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| February 5 | 4:45 PM CST | EF0 | Bolivar, MS | 3.4 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| February 5 | 4:49 PM CST | EF4 | Atkins–Clinton tornado, AR | 121.8 | 1,320 | 13 | 139 | $119 million |
| February 5 | 4:50 PM CST | EF1 | Smith, TX | 1.0 | 300 | $30,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:00 PM CST | EF2 | Shelby, TN | 8.1 | 150 | 1 | $1.0 million | |
| February 5 | 5:02 PM CST | EF2 | Marion, AR | 12.5 | 880 | 1 | 36 | $18 million |
| February 5 | 5:18 PM CST | EF0 | Tipton, TN | 0.2 | 50 | $7,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:18 PM CST | EF0 | DeSoto, MS | 2.6 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:23 PM CST | EF1 | Tipton, TN | 0.7 | 50 | $75,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:31 PM CST | EF0 | Yell, AR | 0.6 | 30 | |||
| February 5 | 5:32 PM CST | EF1 | Tipton, TN to MS | 0.3 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:32 PM CST | EF2 | DeSoto, MS to TN | 10.2 | 440 | 3 | 13 | $128 million |
| February 5 | 5:53 PM CST | EF0 | Panola, MS | 0.2 | 25 | $12,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:55 PM CST | EF1 | Weakley, TN | 5.1 | 150 | $160,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:57 PM CST | EF1 | Lafayette, MS | 6.9 | 25 | $25,000 | ||
| February 5 | 5:57 PM CST | EF3 | Lafayette, MS | 7.2 | 1,000 | 14 | $35 million | |
| February 5 | 6:02 PM CST | EF0 | Shelby, TN | 4.9 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:12 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, IL | 0.1 | 40 | |||
| February 5 | 6:12 PM CST | EF0 | Marion, IL | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| February 5 | 6:21 PM CST | EF3 | Fayette, TN | 31.1 | 600 | 3 | 14 | $10 million |
| February 5 | 6:25 PM CST | EF1 | Calloway, KY | 1.4 | 150 | $35,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:36 PM CST | EF0 | Tippah, MS | 1.4 | 50 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:45 PM CST | EF1 | Trigg, KY | 0.1 | 40 | $8,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:50 PM CST | EF0 | Tippah, MS | 2.5 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:50 PM CST | EF1 | Trigg, KY | 5.6 | 150 | $60,000 | ||
| February 5 | 6:56 PM CST | EF1 | Alcorn, MS | 2.6 | 100 | 4 | $250,000 | |
| February 5 | 6:59 PM CST | EF4 | Jackson tornado, TN | 7.6 | 125 | 51 | $100 million | |
| February 5 | 7:05 PM CST | EF1 | Faulkner, AR | 5.5 | 100 | $140,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:09 PM CST | EF2 | Christian, KY | 14.1 | 275 | 2 | $4.4 million | |
| February 5 | 7:13 PM CST | EF2 | Madison, TN | 0.4 | 150 | $200,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:13 PM CST | EF1 | McNairy, TN | 8.9 | 150 | $250,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:19 PM CST | EF0 | St. Francis, AR | 0.1 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:20 PM CST | EF1 | Randolph, AR to MO | 31.9 | 200 | 4 | $280,000 | |
| February 5 | 7:30 PM CST | EF0 | Union, AR | 7.0 | 100 | $200,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:40 PM CST | EF4 | Hardin County tornado, TN | 16.2 | 880 | 3 | 5 | $18 million |
| February 5 | 7:44 PM CST | EF3 | Muhlenberg, KY | 18.1 | 375 | 3 | 24 | $21 million |
| February 5 | 7:48 PM CST | EF0 | Monroe, AR | 8.0 | 75 | $15,000 | ||
| February 5 | 7:59 PM CST | EF0 | Lee, AR | 0.1 | 25 | $1,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:03 PM CST | EF1 | Butler, MO | 3.4 | 300 | $100,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:05 PM CST | EF1 | Benton, TN | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| February 5 | 8:07 PM CST | EF2 | Benton, TN | 6.6 | 440 | $10 million | ||
| February 5 | 8:10 PM CST | EF1 | Lewis, TN | 22.9 | 200 | $900,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:10 PM CST | EF1 | Wayne, TN | 10.1 | 50 | |||
| February 5 | 9:15 PM EST | EF1 | Greene, IN | 2.0 | 50 | $1.3 million | ||
| February 5 | 8:18 PM CST | EF2 | Butler, MO | 13.9 | 200 | $300,000 | ||
| February 5 | 8:40 PM CST | EF2 | Hickman, TN | 25.3 | 300 | 1 | $750,000 | |
| February 5 | 10:02 PM CST | EF3 | Sumner, TN to KY | 50.3 | 880 | 22 | 63 | $28 million |
| February 5 | 11:17 PM CST | EF0 | Catahoula Parish, LA | 1.5 | 50 | $2,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:21 AM EST | EF2 | Hardin, KY | 7.1 | 400 | $3.0 million | ||
| February 5 | 12:27 AM EST | EF2 | Hardin, KY | 1.0 | 300 | $150,000 | ||
| February 5 | 11:32 PM CST | EF1 | Hart, KY | 10.5 | 150 | $500,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:38 AM EST | EF0 | Spencer, KY | 0.7 | 220 | $150,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:38 AM EST | EF2 | Nelson, KY | 1.3 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| February 5 | 11:41 PM CST | EF0 | Perry, TN | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| February 5 | 12:43 AM EST | EF0 | Spencer, KY | 0.6 | 220 | 1 | $200,000 | |
| February 5 | 12:46 AM EST | EF2 | Shelby, KY | 7.0 | 250 | $175,000 | ||
| February 5 | 12:50 AM EST | EF2 | Nelson, KY | 0.8 | 300 | 2 | $250,000 | |
| February 5 | 11:51 PM CST | EF0 | Hickman, TN | 0.1 | 20 |
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.