EF1 tornado in Madison County, Kentucky

NWS Storm Survey Teams found EF-1 tornado damage in Madison County. This tornado damage path was embedded within a broader swath of straight line wind damage. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped, and multiple outbuildings were destroyed, but damage to homes in the area was mainly limited to roof, siding, and window damage.

The tornado touched down a half mile west of Union City, initially snapping off multiple cedar trees. Homes along Noland Road sustained roof, siding, and window damage, some of which occurred as a result of flying debris from damaged outbuildings. Nearby, along Union City Road, straight line winds estimated at 80 mph shifted mobile homes off foundations and overturned a small shed.

More extensive damage was observed as the tornado approached Walker Parke Road, where multiple hardwood trees were uprooted or snapped. One home had its chimney collapse, and a brick from the chimney was thrown through the window of a van parked on the south side of the home. A neighboring home lost its entire metal roof.

The most extensive damage occurred east-northeast of Union City along Doylesville Road. Many cedar trees were snapped and the roof of a home was damaged at a farm in a valley area, but the winds strengthened as the tornado reached another farm near the next ridge top. Here, three substantial outbuildings were completely destroyed, and one was shifted far enough off its foundation to be a total loss. Many trees were uprooted or snapped on this property, and the home sustained damage to its roof and gutters. Additional straight line wind damage was found to hardwood and softwood trees on this property. The tornado then lifted approximately 1.3 miles east-northeast of Union City.

During New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, active weather was observed across Kentucky as several waves of low pressure moved along a frontal boundary that was stalled across the region. This resulted in multiple rounds of widespread precipitation, and rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts observed across the area. As the boundary lifted north as a warm front New Year's Day, strong to severe storms were able to develop within the warm sector ahead of an approaching cold front, with multiple tornadoes and scattered straight-line wind damage being observed.