Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky
Tornadoes in Marshall County, Kentucky
28 tornadoes have crossed Marshall County since 1950, 11th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 64 people and injured 623. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 28
- Deaths
- 64
- Injuries
- 623
- F4 and above
- 3
- Worst on record
- EF4, December 10, 2021
The deadliest in Marshall County
The strongest
- EF4 Mayfield tornado, KentuckyDecember 10, 2021
- F4, Calloway, Marshall, Trigg and Caldwell counties, KentuckyApril 3, 1968
- F4, Calloway and Marshall counties, KentuckyMarch 4, 1964
- F3, Graves, Calloway, Marshall and Lyon counties, KentuckyNovember 15, 2005
- F3, Marshall, Livingston, Lyon and Caldwell counties, KentuckyApril 24, 1970
- EF3, Graves and Marshall counties, KentuckyMay 10, 2016
- F3, Marshall County, KentuckyNovember 13, 1951
- F2, Graves and Marshall counties, KentuckyDecember 15, 1971
- F2, McCracken and Marshall counties, KentuckyApril 19, 1973
Every year with a tornado
The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marshall County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.
Every tornado that crossed Marshall County
28 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Kentucky.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | 6:30 PM CDT | EF1 | Graves | 27.4 | 100 | $245,000 | ||
| April 13, 2022 | 4:53 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall | 0.7 | 25 | $8,000 | ||
| April 13, 2022 | 4:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall | 0.9 | 25 | $10,000 | ||
| December 10, 2021 | 8:54 PM CST | EF4 | Mayfield tornado | 168.5 | 2,600 | 57 | 515 | $25,000 |
| January 11, 2020 | 5:42 AM CST | EF1 | Marshall | 2.3 | 25 | $30,000 | ||
| June 23, 2019 | 5:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Marshall | 0.2 | 50 | $1.0 million | ||
| June 21, 2019 | 5:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Marshall | 0.8 | 50 | $500,000 | ||
| June 23, 2018 | 9:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall | 0.5 | 20 | $1,000 | ||
| December 26, 2016 | 3:08 PM CST | EF0 | Marshall | 1.4 | 40 | $4,000 | ||
| May 10, 2016 | 2:44 PM CDT | EF3 | Graves | 19.0 | 450 | 10 | $3.5 million | |
| October 2, 2014 | 12:10 AM CDT | EF1 | Marshall | 0.4 | 125 | $75,000 | ||
| October 31, 2013 | 9:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall | 0.5 | 50 | $35,000 | ||
| April 18, 2013 | 8:54 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall | 3.6 | 150 | $43,000 | ||
| November 15, 2005 | 1:45 PM CST | F3 | Graves | 44.0 | 500 | 1 | 20 | $8.6 million |
| June 11, 2003 | 7:20 PM CDT | F1 | Marshall | 0.2 | 80 | $40,000 | ||
| May 6, 2003 | 11:55 PM CDT | F1 | Marshall | 0.5 | 80 | |||
| May 6, 2003 | 11:50 PM CDT | F0 | Marshall | 0.5 | 80 | |||
| May 6, 2003 | 11:38 PM CDT | F1 | Marshall | 2.0 | 100 | |||
| April 25, 2003 | 4:09 PM CDT | F1 | Marshall | 1.5 | 100 | $30,000 | ||
| July 10, 2002 | 12:50 PM CDT | F0 | Marshall | 0.5 | 10 | $30,000 | ||
| June 4, 1993 | 10:35 AM CDT | F0 | Marshall | 1.0 | 20 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 19, 1973 | 4:00 PM CST | F1 | Marshall | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 19, 1973 | 3:30 PM CST | F2 | McCracken | 9.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| December 15, 1971 | 3:50 AM CST | F2 | Graves | 10.3 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 24, 1970 | 12:55 AM CST | F3 | Marshall | 25.4 | 10 | 13 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 3, 1968 | 11:50 PM GMT-6 | F4 | Calloway | 50.6 | 100 | 2 | 30 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| March 4, 1964 | 11:30 AM GMT-6 | F4 | Calloway | 18.5 | 250 | 3 | 24 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
| November 13, 1951 | 5:50 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Marshall | 2.0 | 10 | 1 | 11 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Marshall CountyThe forecast for Marshall CountyThe live radar over Marshall 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.