Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in Warren County, Kentucky

33 tornadoes have crossed Warren County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 21 people and injured 139. 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
33
Deaths
21
Injuries
139
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, December 11, 2021

The deadliest in Warren County

  1. EF3 Bowling Green tornado, KentuckyDecember 11, 202116 killed, 63 injured
  2. F3, Simpson, Warren and Barren counties, KentuckyApril 3, 19743 killed, 57 injured
  3. F2, Todd, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyMarch 22, 19911 killed, 12 injured
  4. F3, Muhlenberg, Butler and Warren counties, KentuckyApril 27, 19711 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Simpson, Warren and Barren counties, KentuckyApril 3, 1974F3, 31.1 mi (50 km)
  2. EF3 Bowling Green tornado, KentuckyDecember 11, 2021EF3, 29.3 mi (47 km)
  3. EF3, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyDecember 11, 2021EF3, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  4. F3, Muhlenberg, Butler and Warren counties, KentuckyApril 27, 1971F3, 27.4 mi (44 km)
  5. F2, Todd, Logan and Warren counties, KentuckyMarch 22, 1991F2, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  6. EF2, Warren County, KentuckyDecember 11, 2021EF2, 6.1 mi (10 km)
  7. F2, Warren County, KentuckyMay 18, 1995F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  8. EF2, Warren County, KentuckyJanuary 30, 2013EF2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  9. EF2, Allen and Warren counties, KentuckyMarch 3, 2020EF2, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  10. F2, Warren County, KentuckyMay 18, 1995F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Warren County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20241EF1
20231EF1
20221EF0
202131664EF3
20201EF2
20181EF1
20171EF1
20131EF2
20121EF1
20101EF1
20091EF1
20051F1
20001F0
19972F0
19953F2
19941F1
19911112F2
19841F1
198316F1
19741357F3
19732F1
197121F3
19681F2
19581F1
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Warren County

33 tornadoes, newest first. 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, 202610:06 PM CDTEF1Warren2.240
May 26, 20249:46 PM CDTEF1Muhlenberg40.0800$750,000
December 9, 20233:07 PM CSTEF1Warren2.2125
January 1, 202211:52 AM CSTEF0Warren0.475
December 11, 20211:19 AM CSTEF2Warren6.1300
December 11, 20211:09 AM CSTEF3Bowling Green tornado29.34401663
December 11, 202112:47 AM CSTEF3Logan28.01,4001
March 3, 202012:15 AM CSTEF2Allen2.7250$200,000
February 24, 20185:19 PM CSTEF1Barren1.950$280,000
March 1, 20177:24 AM CSTEF1Warren2.6125$250,000
January 30, 20133:38 AM CSTEF2Warren3.0250$400,000
March 2, 20124:05 PM CSTEF1Warren0.560$50,000
October 26, 201011:08 AM CDTEF1Warren1.560$40,000
June 11, 20097:00 PM CDTEF1Warren17.2150
November 15, 20056:07 PM CSTF1Warren1.0150$500,000
May 24, 20007:45 PM CDTF0Warren0.120
June 16, 19977:21 PM CDTF0Warren0.550$10,000
March 1, 19974:26 AM CSTF0Warren0.550
May 18, 19955:47 PM CDTF2Warren5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19955:30 PM CDTF2Warren1.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19955:25 PM CDTF2Warren2.5100$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 199410:15 AM CDTF1Warren0.130$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 19915:50 PM CSTF2Todd39.0400112$500,000 to $5 million
July 26, 19845:00 PM CDTF1Warren2.027$50,000 to $500,000
August 11, 19833:00 PM CDTF1Warren0.2106$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19744:45 PM CDTF3Simpson31.110357$500,000 to $5 million
June 20, 19739:00 PM CDTF1Warren0.610$500 to $5,000
May 10, 197311:45 AM CDTF1Warren0.110$500 to $5,000
December 15, 19718:30 AM CSTF0Warren0.127$500 to $5,000
April 27, 19718:20 PM CDTF3Muhlenberg27.41501$500,000 to $5 million
May 26, 19684:30 PM GMT-5F2Warren0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19589:00 AM GMT-6F1Warren0.110$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19575:30 PM GMT-6F1Warren0.110

Nearby

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