EF3 Tornado — Henderson, Kentucky

2009-03-28 · near Kings Mills, Henderson, Kentucky

Event narrative

This tornado crossed into Henderson County from Union County. The tornado was near its maximum intensity of 140 mph near the county line. A Ford Ranger pickup truck was hurled about one quarter mile. Several other vehicles were overturned. Six homes were destroyed, ten received major damage, and sixty homes and buildings received minor damage. Much of the damage occurred in and near Corydon, especially along U.S. Highway 60. The hardest-hit buildings lost most walls and the roof. At least one grain bin was flattened. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. The average path width was about 300 yards. The tornado was photographed by an emergency management official. Due to the rain-wrapped nature of the tornado and the distance the photo was taken from, the tornado was not easily identifiable in the photo. The photographer was near where the tornado lifted or dissipated, less than a mile from the Henderson County airport. However, the tornado was still some distance away at the time of the photo.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure center moved northeast from Oklahoma into south central Missouri by late afternoon, with a warm front extending east from the low across western Kentucky. The warm front served as a focusing mechanism for some of the ingredients needed for tornadogenesis.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.6791, -87.7683)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 158364. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.