EF1 tornado in Marshall County, Kentucky

The tornado entered Marshall County from Graves County less than a mile south of where the Purchase Parkway crosses the county line. The tornado remained along the south side of the Purchase Parkway (future Interstate 69) until it lifted about four miles west-southwest of downtown Benton. The tornado was considerably weaker in the Marshall County portion of its track than in Graves County, where the tornado produced EF-3 damage. In Marshall County, a wooden barn was destroyed, and a single-wide mobile home was rolled over. However, most of the damage consisted of trees uprooted and snapped by winds between 90 and 100 mph.

An outbreak of supercells with large hail and isolated tornadoes affected western Kentucky during the afternoon and early evening. The initial round of thunderstorms occurred early in the afternoon over northwest Kentucky. These storms, which produced a major hailstorm and flash flood in the Owensboro area, were triggered by a weak upper-level low over northern Illinois. This initial round of thunderstorms produced an outflow of cooler air that settled south into southwest Kentucky. By mid-afternoon, isolated supercells with tornadoes fired up along the leading edge of cooler air. Strong westerly upper-level winds associated with the upper-level low over Illinois provided ample wind shear for supercells. A southwest wind flow of moist and unstable air in the lower levels of the atmosphere provided fuel for the storms. Low-level winds up to around 40 knots enhanced low-level wind shear, providing a favorable environment for tornadoes. The supercells lingered well into the evening.