EF2 tornado in Fulton County, Kentucky

A tornado quickly developed over the city of Hickman and moved southeast across Fulton County. This was the second of two tornadoes in Fulton County. In the center of Hickman, the tornado caused significant damage to the county's jail and 911 communications center, which lost parts of the roof and a section of a wall. About 100 inmates were moved to other facilities. Other damage in Hickman included a heavily damaged gas station, numerous downed signs and power poles, and considerable roof damage to a few homes. The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 45 homes and other buildings in the county, as well as several machine sheds, barns, grain bins, and irrigation systems. At least 20 power poles were broken, and numerous trees were uprooted and snapped. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Fulton County Highway Maintenance Facility was hit by the tornado. The salt dome, a tractor shed, and several tractors housed in the shed were damaged. The tornado reached its peak intensity just southeast of Hickman along Highway 125, where a frame house had its entire roof structure blown off. The tornado followed Highway 125 from the center of Hickman to the junction of Highway 166, about 4.5 miles southeast of Hickman. Most state highways were closed in and near Hickman, and the Red Cross opened a shelter. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. Straight-line winds up to 80 mph occurred mainly southwest of the tornado path. The tornado crossed into Tennessee along State Route 116.

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms occurred over the Tennessee border counties. Thunderstorms rapidly developed across western Kentucky ahead of a line of thunderstorms over the Missouri Bootheel region. These initial storms formed along a southwesterly low-level jet and its associated moisture plume. Large hail was the primary severe weather hazard in this leading activity, which was elevated above the surface. Later in the evening, a surface-based bowing line of thunderstorms exited southeast Missouri and then crossed southwest Kentucky. This bowing line was associated with an embedded supercell that spawned a few tornadoes. The storms developed along and just ahead of a cold front as it pressed southward into the Lower Ohio Valley and extreme southeast Missouri.