Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky
2012 tornadoes in Kentucky
42 tornadoes touched down in Kentucky in 2012, 158 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 25 people and injured 226. 1 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.
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 mph
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.
Every tornado in Kentucky in 2012
January 17 5 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 17 | 11:12 AM EST | EF1 | Jefferson | 7.9 | 250 | 1 | $300,000 | |
| January 17 | 11:20 AM EST | EF1 | Jefferson | 0.5 | 90 | $50,000 | ||
| January 17 | 12:12 PM EST | EF1 | Scott | 0.5 | 75 | $30,000 | ||
| January 17 | 12:20 PM CST | EF0 | Simpson | 3.0 | 150 | $75,000 | ||
| January 17 | 12:20 PM CST | EF2 | Allen | 5.3 | 150 | $10,000 |
January 22 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 22 | 11:03 PM CST | EF1 | Calloway | 5.6 | 100 | $50,000 |
January 23 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 23 | 12:15 AM CST | EF0 | Todd | 2.2 | 200 | $125,000 |
February 29 12 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 29 | 5:57 AM CST | EF1 | Henderson | 1.3 | 150 | 2 | $80,000 | |
| February 29 | 6:40 AM CST | EF0 | Hopkins | 0.5 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| February 29 | 8:45 AM CST | EF1 | Muhlenberg | 0.1 | 30 | $30,000 | ||
| February 29 | 8:45 AM CST | EF2 | Muhlenberg | 5.5 | 200 | 1 | $100,000 | |
| February 29 | 9:55 AM EST | EF2 | Hardin | 5.0 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| February 29 | 9:42 AM CST | EF2 | Grayson | 2.0 | 200 | 1 | $50,000 | |
| February 29 | 11:05 AM EST | EF2 | Larue | 2.5 | 200 | $200,000 | ||
| February 29 | 11:12 AM EST | EF2 | Larue | 0.9 | 100 | $20,000 | ||
| February 29 | 1:42 PM EST | EF2 | Morgan | 6.3 | 400 | $100,000 | ||
| February 29 | 12:47 PM CST | EF1 | Metcalfe | 1.0 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| February 29 | 1:22 PM CST | EF2 | Russell | 7.2 | 150 | $210,000 | ||
| February 29 | 2:53 PM EST | EF1 | Pulaski | 1.5 | 60 | $50,000 |
March 2 19 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | 1:38 PM CST | EF2 | Union | 6.6 | 200 | 1 | ||
| March 2 | 1:55 PM CST | EF0 | Henderson | 3.8 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| March 2 | 2:06 PM CST | EF0 | Webster | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| March 2 | 2:22 PM CST | EF0 | Daviess | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| March 2 | 2:38 PM CST | EF2 | Hancock | 16.5 | 200 | $190,000 | ||
| March 2 | 3:41 PM EST | EF3 | Trimble | 3.3 | 75 | $500,000 | ||
| March 2 | 3:44 PM EST | EF1 | Carroll | 2.4 | 150 | $1.3 million | ||
| March 2 | 4:01 PM EST | EF0 | Trimble | 2.7 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| March 2 | 4:02 PM EST | EF0 | Meade | 0.7 | 30 | $2,000 | ||
| March 2 | 4:12 PM EST | EF1 | Henry | 0.3 | 40 | |||
| March 2 | 4:23 PM EST | EF4 | Grant | 9.8 | 880 | 4 | 8 | $21 million |
| March 2 | 4:24 PM EST | EF2 | Owen | 5.4 | 150 | 3 | $320,000 | |
| March 2 | 4:39 PM EST | EF3 | Campbell to OH | 20.4 | 440 | 3 | 13 | $9.2 million |
| March 2 | 5:02 PM EST | EF0 | Bracken | 0.1 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| March 2 | 4:05 PM CST | EF1 | Warren | 0.5 | 60 | $50,000 | ||
| March 2 | 5:39 PM EST | EF3 | Menifee to WV | 85.0 | 1,580 | 10 | 118 | $81 million |
| March 2 | 6:08 PM EST | EF1 | Bath | 7.4 | 250 | $775,000 | ||
| March 2 | 6:50 PM EST | EF3 | Magoffin to WV | 49.0 | 1,320 | 2 | 37 | $37 million |
| March 2 | 7:04 PM EST | EF2 | Laurel | 7.2 | 310 | 6 | 40 | $5.0 million |
March 23 2 tornadoes
May 1 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 4:45 PM EDT | EF0 | Trimble | 1.9 | 15 | $25,000 |
October 14 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 14 | 6:42 AM CDT | EF1 | Graves | 2.3 | 150 | 1 | $350,000 |
Crossed into Kentucky
Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Kentucky. They are counted under the state they began in.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 29 | 5:00 AM CST | EF2 | Pulaski, IL to KY | 22.7 | 150 | 5 | $250,000 | |
| March 2 | 2:50 PM EST | EF4 | Washington, IN to KY | 46.6 | 800 | 11 | $58 million | |
| March 2 | 3:39 PM CST | EF1 | Limestone, AL to KY, OH | 2.6 | 150 |
Nearby
Every tornado in Kentucky since 1950Warnings in force in KentuckyThe live radar over Kentucky
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.