F2 tornado in Hopkins County, Kentucky
Tornado May 30, 2004 · Hopkins County, Kentucky
NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Hopkins County → Muhlenberg County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.
The path drawn at its surveyed width of 175 yards (0.10 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.
What the National Weather Service wrote
This tornado touched down about 5 miles south of Madisonville and moved almost due east, crossing the Pennyrile Parkway at exit 37. The tornado ended just after crossing into Muhlenberg County in a forested area. Several homes were damaged, including one that was severely damaged. Several barns and outbuildings were destroyed. Several roofs were blown off businesses. A truck stop near the Pennyrile Parkway received minor damage. The tornado moved across the sports complex at Hopkins County Central High School, causing heavy damage to the baseball area. Some trees landed on roads and cars. Peak winds were estimated near 140 MPH by the damage survey team. The tornado was videotaped at fairly close range as it passed near Hopkins Central High School.
The wider storm
A few supercell thunderstorms tracked across western Kentucky during the early afternoon. Each thunderstorm showed distinct rotation and produced at least one tornado. The first tornadic storm developed just west of Paducah, and continued northeast across Livingston and Crittenden Counties before weakening. This storm produced only one confirmed tornado, which was at West Paducah. A second thunderstorm developed strong rotation between Princeton and Madisonville, then moved east, parallel to and a few miles north of the Western Kentucky Parkway. This storm produced the strongest tornado of the day, from Hopkins County into extreme western Muhlenberg County. A funnel cloud accompanied the storm across the rest of Muhlenberg County. A third strongly rotating storm moved across Christian and Todd Counties, and another moved south and east of Owensboro.
Began near Barnsley (37.2500, -87.5167).
Other tornadoes from the same storm system
3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5398120. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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