Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in Lyon County, Kentucky

14 tornadoes have crossed Lyon County since 1950, 40th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 5.4 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 89. 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
14
Deaths
5
Injuries
89
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, November 17, 2013

The deadliest in Lyon County

  1. EF3, McCracken, Massac, Pope, Livingston and Lyon counties, Kentucky and IllinoisNovember 17, 20133 killed, 34 injured
  2. EF3 Eddyville tornado, KentuckyMay 26, 20241 killed, 21 injured
  3. F3, Graves, Calloway, Marshall and Lyon counties, KentuckyNovember 15, 20051 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Graves, Calloway, Marshall and Lyon counties, KentuckyNovember 15, 2005F3, 44.0 mi (71 km)
  2. EF3, McCracken, Massac, Pope, Livingston and Lyon counties, Kentucky and IllinoisNovember 17, 2013EF3, 42.5 mi (68 km)
  3. EF3 Eddyville tornado, KentuckyMay 26, 2024EF3, 34.1 mi (55 km)
  4. F3, Marshall, Livingston, Lyon and Caldwell counties, KentuckyApril 24, 1970F3, 25.4 mi (41 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 12 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lyon County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20241121EF3
20231EF1
20221EF1
20191EF1
20181EF0
20161EF0
20131334EF3
20112EF1
200921EF1
20051120F3
1970113F3

Every tornado that crossed Lyon County

14 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20255:54 PM CDTEF1Lyon0.8210$100,000
May 26, 20248:01 PM CDTEF3Eddyville tornado34.1700121$3.4 million
July 1, 20236:30 PM CDTEF1Graves27.4100$245,000
April 13, 20224:51 PM CDTEF1Lyon4.8150$12,000
June 21, 20196:00 PM CDTEF1Lyon2.1150$75,000
July 31, 20186:10 PM CDTEF0Lyon1.020
May 10, 20163:55 PM CDTEF0Lyon0.130
November 17, 20132:05 PM CSTEF3McCracken to IL42.5500334$6.8 million
April 25, 201112:40 AM CDTEF1Lyon15.4100$200,000
April 25, 201112:37 AM CDTEF1Lyon3.250$150,000
June 16, 200912:28 PM CDTEF1Lyon0.390$70,000
April 10, 200911:45 AM CDTEF1Lyon0.3501$70,000
November 15, 20051:45 PM CSTF3Graves44.0500120$8.6 million
April 24, 197012:55 AM CSTF3Marshall25.41013$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Lyon CountyThe forecast for Lyon CountyThe live radar over Lyon 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.