Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky · 2026

EF0 tornado, Bourbon County, Kentucky, July 21, 2026

This EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Bourbon County on July 21, 2026, touching down at 5:25 PM EDT and reaching 25 yards wide. It killed nobody.

Preliminary. This is NWS LMK's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Bourbon County Tornado. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.

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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

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

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

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

  6. 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.

  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 survey

Rating, as surveyed
EF0, preliminary
Date
July 21, 2026
Touchdown
5:25 PM EDT (21:25 UTC)
Lifted
5:26 PM EDT (21:26 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Bourbon County
Touchdown point
38.117, -84.093
Lift-off point
38.117, -84.091
Highest wind the damage implies
75 mph
Surveyed by
NWS LMK
The office's name for it
Bourbon County Tornado
Survey last edited
July 23, 2026
Record number
None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.

What the survey found

A personal video was received that showed damage just to the west/southwest of property along Oldson Road in far southeast Bourbon County. The video clearly depicts lofted debris, with a small circulation moving across the field. A field survey was unable to reach the suspected minor tree damage.

A big thanks to NWS Jackson, KYEM, and Bourbon County Emergency Management who helped up with this survey and tracking this video down.

Written by NWS LMK in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.

The damage survey

6 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LMK, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0. The highest wind the damage implies is 85 mph.

  • Tree snapped midway up the trunk. About 1 foot in diameter.
  • Tree limbs 6-8 inches on diameter snapped off tree.
  • Hardwood tree 12-18 inch diameter tree snapped towards the bottom of trunk.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

The warnings

13 minutes of warning. NWS LMK issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:12 UTC, 13 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:30 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 18:22 UTC and running to 22:25 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
17:00 UTC00:23 UTCFlood WatchLMK
18:22 UTC22:25 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchLMK
20:31 UTC23:30 UTCFlood AdvisoryLMK
21:07 UTC21:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMK
21:12 UTC21:30 UTCTornado WarningLMK
21:21 UTC00:15 UTCFlood AdvisoryLMK

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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:01 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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jul 21, 3:41 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • * Severe thunderstorms are likely from midday through this evening, with all severe hazards possible. Damaging straight-line winds are the main hazard, but a few tornadoes and large hail will be possible. Localized heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding, especially east of I-65. * Calm weather moves in with cooler than average highs for Wednesday through Friday this week. * Rain chances return late week into the weekend with maximum temperatures returning to the 90s.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 3:41 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Louisville KY
341 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Severe thunderstorms are likely from midday through this evening,
  with all severe hazards possible. Damaging straight-line winds are
  the main hazard, but a few tornadoes and large hail will be
  possible. Localized heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding,
  especially east of I-65.

* Calm weather moves in with cooler than average highs for Wednesday
  through Friday this week.

* Rain chances return late week into the weekend with maximum
  temperatures returning to the 90s.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued at 341 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

Semi-discrete supercells have now congealed into a squall line
moving through south-central Indiana and into central Kentucky.
Forecast updates reflect the timing of the system, which is
closely mimicking the HRRR forecast. SPC mesoanalysis ahead of
the squall line has very high CAPE (instability) amounts (SBCAPE
upwards of 4000 J/KG, MLCAPE around 3000 J/KG), effective bulk
shear between 40-50 KTS, PWs of greater than 2 (approaching
climatological maximum for July), DCAPEs greater than 600 J/KG, and
registering elevated numbers on several supercell/tornado
parameters (supercell composite, effective layer STP, effective
layer SRHs). Storms will continue to race toward the
south/southeast direction into a ripe environment for storms to
continue and/or strengthen for the next 4-6 hours.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Issued at 145 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

*** Today and Tonight ***

An upper level trough is beginning to drop south into the northern
part of the Ohio Valley. An associated low pressure system over
Ontario is draping a cold front SW through northern IL into the
Central Plains. This front is expected to push through the forecast
area today and tonight. Ahead of the line, PWATS are between 1.5" to
2" across the region (on the order of 75th to 99th percentile for
late July). As storms start to move in this afternoon, PWATS could
reach 2.5" (approaching climatological maximum for late July).
Southern IN counties can expected for storms to start moving in
early afternoon, with a some more discrete storms initially. As the
afternoon progresses, a broken line of storms will beginning to
develop over southern IN and move SW through KY.

All severe threats remain possible for this afternoon and evening.
Gusty winds up to 70 MPH are expected with storms, along with a 1"-
2" hail threat. Isolated large hail is not out of the question, but
has the greatest chance with discrete cellular storms rather than
with the linear convection. A few isolated tornadoes are possible
mainly east of I-65, but not off the table for the remaining of the
forecast area. SBCAPE values are ranging from 2,000 - 4,000 J/kg
across the area providing ample instability for the environment.
Deep layer shear values of 30 - 40 kts are also expected to move in
ahead of this line, adding to the threat of tornadoes. However, LCL
heights are expected to remain marginal which would decrease that
threat slightly. There is also a concern for flash flooding with the
favorable PWAT environment. Storms will produce heavy rainfall
leading to isolated flash flooding, along with any training storms
through the evening hours. A flood watch has been issued for KY
counties mainly east of I-65 that will run through late tonight.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Issued at 145 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

*** Tomorrow - Monday Night ***

Behind the cold front, a surface high pressure will build into the
Ohio Valley starting tomorrow. The upper level ridge that is
currently in place over the southern Plains will continue to
persist, leaving the Ohio Valley region in a northwesterly flow
aloft. Tomorrow some gusty winds are possible through the day as a
mid-level jet moves through. Maximum temperatures tomorrow are
expected to be in the mid to low 80s tomorrow with the CAA behind
the front. Temperatures will bounce back to the mid to upper 80s by
Saturday.

The next chance for precip will be Friday as a shortwave
trough moves east from the Central Plains. As we move into the late
weekend early week, a couple frontal boundaries will move through
the region. This will likely bring another round of rain showers for
Sunday into Monday. Temperatures to start the week will be in the
upper 80s and low 90s.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 145 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

Convective activity over south central Indiana has initiated and
is starting to move southeastward into the region. General
arrival times are between 18Z and 19Z for south central Indiana
terminals, 19Z and 20Z for Louisville area terminals, and
pushing into central Kentucky (including Lexington, Bardstown,
Elizabethtown areas) for 20Z to 21Z. Sites should expect a few
hours (at least) of strong gusty winds and reduced visibilities
from heavy downpours this evening. Hail is also a concern in
these storms. Once storms pass, general wind direction will be
out of the NW with some chances for patchy MVFR fog later
tonight into tomorrow morning.

&&

.LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...Heat Advisory until 7 PM CDT this evening for KYZ023-024-026-
     027-061>063-070>076-081.
     Flood Watch until midnight EDT tonight for KYZ033.
     Flood Watch until 2 AM EDT /1 AM CDT/ Wednesday for KYZ034>043-
     045>049-053>057-063>067-073>078-081-082.
IN...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT /7 PM CDT/ this evening for
     INZ083-089.

&&

UPDATE...MK
SHORT TERM...CAL
LONG TERM...CAL
AVIATION...CAL

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 21, 4:51 PM EDT, 34 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Louisville KY
451 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

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

0358 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 S Doe Valley          37.96N 86.10W
07/21/2026                   Meade              KY   911 Call Center

            Tree down across the roadway completely
            blocked on Fairway Dr at Doe Valley Parkway.

&&

CAL
Local storm report, Jul 21, 4:57 PM EDT, 28 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Louisville KY
457 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

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

0410 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 W Muldraugh           37.94N 86.06W
07/21/2026                   Meade              KY   Emergency Mngr

            Large tree down on a house on Lamkin Ln.

&&

AMS
Special weather statement, Jul 21, 5:01 PM EDT, 24 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Louisville KY
501 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

KYZ042-043-049-212115-
Bourbon KY-Nicholas KY-Clark KY-
501 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN CLARK...BOURBON AND
CENTRAL NICHOLAS COUNTIES THROUGH 515 PM EDT...

At 501 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Pecks Ridge to near Paris. Movement was
southeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Winchester, Paris, Carlisle, North Middletown, Blacks Crossroads,
Hutchison, Renick, Stony Point, Moorefield, and Clintonville.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for
central Kentucky.

&&

LAT...LON 3830 8385 3818 8399 3812 8408 3793 8397
      3813 8437 3816 8437 3841 8394 3836 8392
      3836 8389 3835 8390 3836 8387 3835 8386
      3833 8386 3834 8384 3832 8385 3831 8384
TIME...MOT...LOC 2101Z 294DEG 28KT 3833 8388 3815 8421

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

Webb
Local storm report, Jul 21, 5:08 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Louisville KY
508 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

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

0308 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 W Goshen              38.41N 85.61W
07/21/2026                   Oldham             KY   Emergency Mngr

            Multiple large trees down on Harmony Landing
            Road near Rose Island Road.

&&

CAL
Local storm report, Jul 21, 5:09 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Louisville KY
509 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

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

0317 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 SSW Bedford           38.56N 85.34W
07/21/2026                   Trimble            KY   Public

            Time Estimated by Radar: Structural damage
            to a barn with siding and roof torn off.
            Power poles leaning down close to the ground
            along with reports of several trees down.

&&

BKF
Local storm report, Jul 21, 5:18 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Louisville KY
518 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

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

0418 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 NE Stamping Ground    38.33N 84.63W
07/21/2026                   Scott              KY   911 Call Center

            Time Estimated by Radar: Reports of trees
            down, one blocking roadway at the
            intersection of Skinnersburg Road and Glass
            Pike.

&&

BKF

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), 12:00Z

9.4 hours before the tornado, 148 km from the path. July 21, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2026-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 956 joules per kilogram, CIN -55, lifted condensation level 883 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 2026-07-21The 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 172 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 47 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
956 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1081 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
883 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.9
0-3 km lapse rate
5.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

2.6 hours after it, 148 km from the path. July 22, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2026-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1866 joules per kilogram, CIN -3, lifted condensation level 1052 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2026-07-22The 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 81 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 40 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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
1866 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3843 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1052 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
6.8
0-3 km lapse rate
7.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Mount Sterling (IOB), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
19:35 UTC8675.2230° 13 kt171008.1
19:55 UTC82.473.4250° 7 kt191008.1
20:15 UTC82.475.2240° 6 kt1008.5
20:35 UTC82.473.4270° 5 kt1009.1
20:55 UTC80.675.2240° 7 kt1008.5
21:35 UTC80.677170° 4 kt1008.5
21:55 UTC78.873.4300° 4 kt1009.5
22:15 UTC78.873.4270° 10 kt151010.2
22:35 UTC7771.6260° 9 kt151010.2
22:55 UTC7769.8250° 10 kt171010.5
23:15 UTC75.269.8240° 11 kt161010.2

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

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:25 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 trackEvery 2026 tornado in KentuckyEvery tornado in Kentucky since 1950Warnings in force in Kentucky nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of July 21, 2026

35 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 211:36 PM EDTEF2Ritchie, WV2.7800
July 211:40 PM EDTEF1Broome, NY6.6200
July 211:41 PM EDTEF0Wayne, PA2.3100
July 211:45 PM EDTEF1Chenango, NY4.6100
July 212:00 PM EDTEF1Morris, NJ1.4250
July 212:15 PM EDTEF1Morris, NJ0.6250
July 212:27 PM EDTEF0Muskingum, OH15.875
July 212:50 PM EDTEF1Morris, NJ0.270
July 212:50 PM EDTEF1Clermont, OH4.9250
July 213:09 PM EDTEF0Clinton, OH3.475
July 213:10 PM EDTEF1Muskingum, OH8.7450
July 213:12 PM EDTEF1Carroll, KY27.05001
July 213:21 PM EDTEF0Brown, OH1.790
July 214:03 PM EDTEF1Hardin, KY0.225
July 214:10 PM EDTEF0Westchester, NY1.840
July 214:14 PM EDTEF2Washington, OH to WV13.3600
July 214:25 PM EDTEF2Washington, OH to WV12.91,000
July 214:28 PM EDTEF1Washington, OH to WV27.61,320
July 214:27 PM CDTEF2Grayson, KY21.25001
July 215:37 PM EDTEF1Casey, KY1.2220
July 215:38 PM EDTEF0Barbour, WV0.3110
July 216:15 PM EDTEF0Cape May, NJ0.330
July 215:19 PM CDTEF1Metcalfe, KY2.8150
July 216:20 PM EDTEF1Hampshire, WV to VA3.3225
July 216:37 PM EDTEF0Venango, PA1.150
July 215:43 PM CDTEF0Metcalfe, KY4.075
July 216:44 PM EDTEF0Trumbull, OH6.2100
July 216:55 PM EDTEF1Randolph, WV0.9250
July 217:04 PM EDTEF0Pendleton, WV0.275
July 217:05 PM EDTEF0Lawrence, PA0.5200
July 217:20 PM EDTEF1Pendleton, WV to VA12.9150
July 217:55 PM EDTEF0Butler, PA0.250
July 218:01 PM EDTEF0Butler, PA0.230
July 218:05 PM EDTEF0Rockingham, VA7.7100
July 218:45 PM EDTEF0Page, VA2.375

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.

Sources

NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.