Tornadoes · United States · Kentucky

Tornadoes in Webster County, Kentucky

23 tornadoes have crossed Webster County since 1950, 16th of the 120 counties in Kentucky with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 52. 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
23
Deaths
1
Injuries
52
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Webster County

  1. F3, Webster and Henderson counties, KentuckyApril 3, 19561 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Crittenden and Webster counties, KentuckyJanuary 3, 2000F3, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  2. F3, Webster and Henderson counties, KentuckyApril 3, 1956F3, 22.9 mi (37 km)
  3. F3, Crittenden, Webster and Hopkins counties, KentuckyApril 28, 2002F3, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  4. F3, Crittenden and Webster counties, KentuckyNovember 6, 2005F3, 11.2 mi (18 km)
  5. F2, Crittenden, Webster and Henderson counties, KentuckyApril 11, 1979F2, 36.0 mi (58 km)
  6. EF2, Union, Webster and Henderson counties, KentuckyApril 22, 2011EF2, 15.5 mi (25 km)
  7. F2, Crittenden and Webster counties, KentuckyDecember 11, 1967F2, 12.1 mi (19 km)
  8. EF2, Webster County, KentuckyOctober 18, 2007EF2, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Webster and Hopkins counties, KentuckyApril 3, 1989F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  10. F2, Webster County, KentuckyMay 6, 1967F2, 8.2 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 18 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Webster County. Each year links to every tornado in Kentucky that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20192EF0
20161EF0
20151EF0
20142EF1
20121EF0
201112EF2
20091EF1
200715EF2
20061F1
200515F3
20041F1
200331F2
2002126F3
200013F3
198911F2
197915F2
196722F2
1956112F3

Every tornado that crossed Webster County

23 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 14, 20191:15 PM CDTEF0Webster2.350$1,000
March 14, 201912:42 PM CDTEF0Henderson1.2100$8,000
April 27, 20165:15 PM CDTEF0Webster1.230
July 5, 20153:26 PM CDTEF0Webster1.030
June 4, 20146:30 PM CDTEF1Union1.175$14,000
February 20, 20146:42 PM CSTEF0Webster6.2125$30,000
March 2, 20122:06 PM CSTEF0Webster0.850
April 22, 201110:50 PM CDTEF2Union15.53002$880,000
March 8, 20092:45 PM CDTEF1Webster0.275$40,000
October 18, 20077:09 PM CDTEF2Webster10.23005$2.5 million
September 22, 20065:17 PM CDTF1Webster6.0150$150,000
November 6, 20051:46 AM CSTF3Crittenden11.21505$380,000
May 30, 20048:30 PM CDTF1Webster2.0300$150,000
May 4, 200310:58 PM CDTF2Webster1.5751$1.0 million
May 4, 200310:56 PM CDTF1Webster0.225$350,000
May 4, 200310:53 PM CDTF1Webster0.220
April 28, 20022:49 AM CDTF3Crittenden22.088026$17 million
January 3, 20003:08 PM CSTF3Crittenden24.04403$7.4 million
April 3, 19899:00 PM CDTF2Webster10.01001$500,000 to $5 million
April 11, 19797:50 PM CSTF2Crittenden36.02005
December 11, 19671:45 PM GMT-6F2Crittenden12.110
May 6, 196710:15 PM GMT-5F2Webster8.2502$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19564:00 PM GMT-6F3Webster22.922312$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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