EF1 Tornado — Mercer, Kentucky

2025-05-30 · near Burgin, Mercer, Kentucky

Event narrative

The National Weather Service completed a storm survey and

determined that an EF1, 100 mph tornado occurred just north of

Burgin in Mercer County Friday morning, May 30th, 2025. Damage was first

observed along Handy Lane where several trees had been topped. The damage continued along Handy Lane where a

house had some outbuilding damage and a garage door was blown in.

Some healthy trees also had extensive very large branches

snapped. Maximum wind speeds along Handy Lane were estimated to

be at 100 mph, EF1 strength.

The tornado continued across Shakertown Road and damage

was observed along Ison Lane where trees were uprooted and a barn

roof was blown off. The tornado continued across farmland before

additional damage was observed to trees with large branches

snapped along Hogue Lane. Estimated maximum wind speeds along

this portion was EF1, 95 mph strength. No additional damage was

observed beyond Hogue Lane.

Wider weather episode

During the morning hours on May 30th, an upper-level shortwave trough and an associated surface low pressure system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. The surface low center tracked across central Kentucky, roughly paralleling the Western Kentucky and Bluegrass Parkways. As the low moved across the area, showers and thunderstorms developed as moisture increased from the south ahead of the center of the low. Within the warm sector of the disturbance, around 500 J/kg of mixed-layer CAPE was present, which was sufficient for modest convective development. Wind shear and helicity values were quite strong, and were enhanced by a warm front which extended to the northeast of the center of the surface low.

While most convection with this system was sub-severe, one cell became attached to the warm front, using the enhanced wind shear and helicity in the front's vicinity to develop strong rotation aloft. While initially this cell produced non-tornadic wind damage, it ultimately produced an EF2 tornado which tracked across Washington and Boyle County before lifting. A separate EF1 tornado was produced by the same cell a few minutes later over Mercer County near Burgin. Convection would then weaken as it continued eastward, with the system exiting the area later in the morning on the 30th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.7744, -84.7657)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1267586. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.