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F3 tornado in Hopkins County, Kentucky

Tornado April 28, 2002 · Hopkins County, Kentucky

Rating

22.0 mi

Whole path

880 yd

Path width

Injuries

$16.9M

Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Crittenden County → Webster County → Hopkins County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 880 yards (0.50 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F3 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F3 meant severe damage: whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned; the scale paired it with winds of 158–206 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The tornado crossed into Hopkins County just west-northwest of Nebo, and finally lifted after moving through Hanson. The tornado was rated at F-3 intensity in the Nebo area, where four chicken houses were blown off their foundations. About 45,000 chickens were left in the debris. Damage to one chicken facility was estimated between one and two million dollars. The tornado weakened as it progressed across the county. About 10 to 15 residences were significantly damaged.

Began near Nebo (37.4167, -87.7000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5292585. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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