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EF2 tornado in Carroll County, Kentucky

Tornado March 14, 2024 · Carroll County, Kentucky

EF2
Rating
18.0 mi
Whole path
500 yd
Path width
2
Injuries
$320K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Jefferson County, Indiana → Trimble County → Carroll County → Jefferson County, Indiana → Switzerland County, Indiana → Carroll County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 500 yards (0.28 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado first developed in Jefferson County, Indiana, at 1258EST, on the north side of Hanover. The tornado moved east across the Ohio River into Trimble County, Kentucky, and then into Carroll County at 1308EST.

There was extensive tree damage just inside of western Carroll County where winds were estimated to be 115 mph, EF-2 strength, before weakening across the rugged Fairview ridge. There was one large barn along Hampton Road that had extensive roof paneling damage and a door blown out. Wind speeds here were estimated to be 90 mph, EF-1. There was a lot of topped tree damage along Locust Creek and Kentucky State Route 36, where wind speeds were estimated to be 85 mph, EF-0.

At 1315EST, the tornado moved across the Ohio River again and back into Jefferson County, Indiana. The tornado continued east across southwest Switzerland County, Indiana, before crossing the Ohio River one more time and moving back into Carroll County, Kentucky, and ending at 1324EST, 2 miles east of Carrollton.

The wider storm

Thunderstorms developed in an unseasonably warm and humid airmass ahead of an approaching cold front.

Began near Locust (38.7238, -85.3275).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1160988. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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