F3 Tornado — Marshall, Kentucky

2005-11-15 · near Brewers, Marshall, Kentucky

Event narrative

The long-track tornado entered Marshall County from extreme northwest Calloway County. As the tornado moved quickly northeast across Marshall County, it reached its peak intensity of 200 MPH as it approached the Kentucky Lake resort campgrounds and boatyards. Until the tornado reached U.S. Highway 641 south of Benton, mostly F-1 damage occurred. Garages and barns sustained varying degrees of damage, and numerous trees were down. The most serious damage, ranging up to F-3 intensity, occurred from Big Bear Highway to Moor's Resort on Kentucky Lake. The occupant of a destroyed mobile home was killed in this area. The mobile home was thrown 40 feet and overturned before catching fire. At Moor's Resort, a year-round camping area was struck directly. A total of 115 RV's were destroyed, and the campground was devastated. A dock was demolished, taking a number of boats with it. Although the harbor and campground were destroyed, cabins and other lodging facilities outside of the tornado path were untouched. The average path width of this tornado was 275 yards, but it grew to a maximum of 500 yards in Marshall County. In Marshall County, approximately 19 homes were destroyed, 36 suffered major damage, and 65 received minor damage. The tornado then moved over Kentucky Lake and crossed into Lyon County.

Wider weather episode

The total path length of the tornado across Graves, Calloway, Marshall, and Lyon Counties was 44 miles. Estimated time on the ground was 65 minutes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.7500, -88.4667)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5479519. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.