Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in Trigg County, Kentucky

28 tornadoes have crossed Trigg County since 1950, 10th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 47. 1 was 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.

  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
28
Deaths
2
Injuries
47
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1968

The deadliest in Trigg County

  1. F4, Calloway, Marshall, Trigg and Caldwell counties, KentuckyApril 3, 19682 killed, 30 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Calloway, Marshall, Trigg and Caldwell counties, KentuckyApril 3, 1968F4, 50.6 mi (81 km)
  2. F3, Trigg and Christian counties, KentuckyMay 12, 1978F3, 9.5 mi (15 km)
  3. EF2, Trigg and Christian counties, KentuckyMay 26, 2024EF2, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  4. F2, Trigg County, KentuckyMay 12, 1978F2, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  5. F2, Trigg and Christian counties, KentuckyMay 18, 1995F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  6. EF2, Trigg County, KentuckyOctober 18, 2007EF2, 9.3 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Trigg County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF2
20221EF1
20202EF1
20192EF1
20181EF1
20173EF1
20161EF0
20131EF0
20112EF1
20091EF0
20082EF1
20073EF2
19952F2
19941F0
1978217F3
19711F0
19681230F4

Every tornado that crossed Trigg County

28 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 26, 20248:59 AM CDTEF2Trigg19.0250$205,000
May 26, 20248:50 AM CDTEF1Trigg5.870$5,000
April 13, 20224:51 PM CDTEF1Lyon4.8150$12,000
January 11, 20207:00 AM CSTEF0Trigg4.250$50,000
January 11, 20206:50 AM CSTEF1Trigg4.575$80,000
June 21, 20196:22 PM CDTEF1Trigg4.3200$150,000
June 21, 20196:00 PM CDTEF1Lyon2.1150$75,000
December 31, 201812:35 PM CSTEF1Trigg0.8125$55,000
March 27, 20172:27 PM CDTEF0Trigg4.4125$75,000
February 28, 201711:28 PM CSTEF1Trigg8.6400$300,000
February 7, 20177:40 PM CSTEF0Trigg1.850$25,000
May 10, 20167:17 PM CDTEF0Trigg1.6100$20,000
July 6, 20137:50 PM CDTEF0Trigg0.950$5,000
April 15, 20118:14 PM CDTEF1Trigg2.5125$30,000
April 15, 20118:12 PM CDTEF0Trigg0.350$8,000
July 4, 20096:39 PM CDTEF0Trigg0.550$3,000
February 5, 20086:50 PM CSTEF1Trigg5.6150$60,000
February 5, 20086:45 PM CSTEF1Trigg0.140$8,000
October 18, 20078:32 PM CDTEF2Trigg9.3200$120,000
October 18, 20078:23 PM CDTEF0Trigg1.050
October 18, 20077:56 PM CDTEF1Trigg3.075$150,000
May 18, 19954:15 PM CDTF2Trigg10.073$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19954:12 PM CDTF1Trigg0.550$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19946:00 PM CDTF0Trigg1.050$500 to $5,000
May 12, 19788:25 PM CDTF3Trigg9.580017$500,000 to $5 million
May 12, 19788:00 PM CDTF2Trigg15.8800$500,000 to $5 million
February 19, 19711:00 PM CSTF0Calloway15.450$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 196811:50 PM GMT-6F4Calloway50.6100230$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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