Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in Logan County, Kentucky

25 tornadoes have crossed Logan County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 14th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 95. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
25
Deaths
8
Injuries
95
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, December 9, 2023

The deadliest in Logan County

  1. EF3 Clarksville tornado, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 9, 20234 killed, 62 injured
  2. F3, Logan, Allen, Barren and Lawrence counties, KentuckyApril 16, 19982 killed, 9 injured
  3. F2, Todd, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyMarch 22, 19911 killed, 12 injured
  4. EF2, Robertson and Logan counties, Tennessee and KentuckyFebruary 24, 20181 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Logan, Allen, Barren and Lawrence counties, KentuckyApril 16, 1998F3, 48.0 mi (77 km)
  2. EF3 Clarksville tornado, Tennessee and KentuckyDecember 9, 2023EF3, 47.2 mi (76 km)
  3. EF3, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyDecember 11, 2021EF3, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  4. F3, Logan County, KentuckyMarch 4, 1964F3, 7.2 mi (12 km)
  5. F2, Todd, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyMarch 22, 1991F2, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  6. F2, Todd and Logan counties, KentuckyApril 9, 1991F2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  7. EF2, Logan and Simpson counties, KentuckyJune 10, 2013EF2, 13.9 mi (22 km)
  8. EF2, Robertson and Logan counties, Tennessee and KentuckyFebruary 24, 2018EF2, 12.9 mi (21 km)
  9. F2, Logan County, KentuckyApril 29, 1963F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Logan County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20251EF1
20231462EF3
20221EF0
202111EF3
2018211EF2
20171EF1
201314EF2
20061F1
20051F1
20011F0
20001F0
19991F0
1998129F3
19961F0
19941F0
19912112F2
19901F1
19831F1
196415F3
19631F2
195811F1
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Logan County

25 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Kentucky. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 15, 20269:45 PM CDTEF0Logan0.840
May 16, 20259:55 PM CDTEF1Logan2.675
December 9, 20231:41 PM CSTEF3Clarksville tornado47.2600462$21 million
January 1, 202211:16 AM CSTEF0Todd5.9100$3,000
December 11, 202112:47 AM CSTEF3Logan28.01,4001
February 24, 20189:15 PM CSTEF0Logan2.9300$30,000
February 24, 20183:53 PM CSTEF2Robertson to KY12.935011$850,000
March 1, 20176:57 AM CSTEF1Logan1.675$100,000
June 10, 20131:40 PM CDTEF2Logan13.93254$502,000
April 2, 200610:30 PM CDTF1Logan2.0100
November 15, 20055:15 PM CSTF1Logan8.4150$250,000
May 31, 20017:30 PM CDTF0Logan2.050$30,000
May 24, 20005:24 PM CDTF0Logan0.120
May 5, 199911:30 PM CDTF0Logan0.150
April 16, 19983:35 PM CDTF3Logan48.010029$10 million
November 7, 199612:35 PM CSTF0Logan10.030$500,000
April 30, 19948:17 PM CDTF0Logan0.110under $50
April 9, 199112:50 PM CDTF2Todd18.0300$500,000 to $5 million
March 22, 19915:50 PM CSTF2Todd39.0400112$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 199011:34 PM CDTF1Logan11.0100$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19839:47 PM CDTF1Logan0.217$500 to $5,000
March 4, 19642:25 PM GMT-6F3Logan7.28805$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19639:10 PM GMT-5F2Logan0.1300$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19582:20 PM GMT-6F1Logan0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
January 22, 19573:30 PM GMT-6F1Logan1.0880$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Logan CountyThe forecast for Logan CountyThe live radar over Logan CountyEvery county in 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.