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F1 tornado in Ballard County, Kentucky

Tornado January 22, 1999 · Ballard County, Kentucky

Rating

1.0 mi

Path length

100 yd

Path width

Injuries

$200K

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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

This tornado was rated on the high end of the F-1 category, with top winds near 105 MPH. A mobile home containing a family of six was demolished. All six occupants escaped with only minor to moderate injuries. One small child was not discovered in the debris for over 30 minutes. Rescue workers had difficulty reaching the home due to fallen trees and barns blown onto roadways.

Began near Wickliffe (37.0000, -89.0000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5680320. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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