Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in McCracken County, Kentucky

29 tornadoes have crossed McCracken County since 1950, 9th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 50. 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
29
Deaths
3
Injuries
50
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, November 17, 2013

The deadliest in McCracken County

  1. EF3, McCracken, Massac, Pope, Livingston and Lyon counties, Kentucky and IllinoisNovember 17, 20133 killed, 34 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, McCracken, Massac, Pope, Livingston and Lyon counties, Kentucky and IllinoisNovember 17, 2013EF3, 42.5 mi (68 km)
  2. EF2, Pulaski, Ballard and McCracken counties, Illinois and KentuckyFebruary 29, 2012EF2, 22.7 mi (37 km)
  3. F2, McCracken and Madison counties, KentuckyJune 6, 1966F2, 18.5 mi (30 km)
  4. EF2, Ballard and McCracken counties, KentuckyApril 2, 2025EF2, 18.2 mi (29 km)
  5. EF2, Carlisle, Ballard and McCracken counties, KentuckyMarch 14, 2019EF2, 16.7 mi (27 km)
  6. F2, McCracken and Marshall counties, KentuckyApril 19, 1973F2, 9.1 mi (15 km)
  7. F2, McCracken County, KentuckyDecember 15, 1971F2, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  8. EF2, McCracken County, KentuckyMarch 3, 2023EF2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in McCracken County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202514EF2
20242EF1
20232EF2
201921EF2
20181EF1
20161EF1
20141EF1
20135334EF3
201215EF2
20111EF0
20051F0
20041F0
20032F1
199912F1
199612F1
19731F2
19711F2
19671F1
196612F2
19631F1
19581F1

Every tornado that crossed McCracken County

29 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20258:18 PM CDTEF2Ballard18.21,0004$3.2 million
May 8, 20244:01 PM CDTUnratedMcCracken0.250
April 2, 20245:05 AM CDTEF1McCracken0.650$75,000
March 3, 202311:08 AM CSTEF2McCracken1.5175$1.3 million
January 12, 20232:03 AM CSTEF1Ballard to IL6.5200$65,000
June 23, 20194:33 PM CDTEF1McCracken17.3150$505,000
March 14, 20199:18 AM CDTEF2Carlisle16.73001$1.5 million
February 24, 20187:37 PM CSTEF1McCracken1.9100$85,000
July 6, 20161:26 PM CDTEF1Ballard4.4250$115,000
June 2, 20149:15 PM CDTEF1McCracken1.5150$40,000
November 17, 20132:05 PM CSTEF3McCracken to IL42.5500334$6.8 million
October 31, 20138:50 PM CDTEF1McCracken0.540$35,000
October 31, 20138:48 PM CDTEF0McCracken1.040$15,000
October 31, 20138:39 PM CDTEF1McCracken2.1225$100,000
October 31, 20138:25 PM CDTEF1Carlisle8.3200$203,000
February 29, 20125:00 AM CSTEF2Pulaski to KY22.71505$250,000
April 4, 201110:30 AM CDTEF0McCracken0.550$30,000
November 15, 20051:30 PM CSTF0McCracken0.250
May 30, 200412:15 PM CDTF0McCracken1.550$20,000
May 6, 200311:17 PM CDTF1McCracken3.580
May 6, 200311:12 PM CDTF0McCracken2.075
January 22, 19991:00 AM CSTF1McCracken1.31002$500,000
January 18, 199610:12 AM CSTF1McCracken1.0502$70,000
April 19, 19733:30 PM CSTF2McCracken9.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 15, 19713:40 AM CSTF2McCracken3.610$5,000 to $50,000
July 10, 19678:30 PM GMT-5F1McCracken0.110$500 to $5,000
June 6, 19661:00 PM GMT-5F2McCracken18.5672$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 196312:00 PM GMT-6F1McCracken0.1100$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 195812:15 AM GMT-5F1McCracken0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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