EF1 tornado in Christian County, Kentucky

The tornado touched down on the northern perimeter of the Fort Campbell military base and proceeded northeast across U.S. Highway 41. Trees were uprooted and snapped along the path. Several barns were damaged or destroyed, including one that had its roof thrown several hundred yards into trees. Power lines were downed, and 13 empty rail cars were tipped over along the path. A couple of homes received some minor damage. The tornado lifted just northwest of Pembroke. Peak winds were estimated near 100 mph.

An unseasonably strong storm system impacted the region January 10-11. Heavy rainfall, flooding, scattered damaging winds, tornadoes, and gusty non-thunderstorm winds impacted western Kentucky during this time. The bulk of the event occurred overnight and into the morning hours on the 11th. Rainfall totals ranged from 2 to 5 inches, which resulted in pockets of flash flooding across the region, as well as minor flooding of the Green River. Strong to severe convection over the Ozark Mountains moved east into an environment of very strong wind shear over southeast Missouri, with 850 mb winds near 60 knots. The convection maintained intensity after it crossed the Mississippi River during the early morning hours. Tremendous wind shear (winds of 50 knots down to 1500 feet above ground) and strong forcing associated with a potent 500 mb shortwave compensated for weak instability. Some of the strong winds aloft reached the surface in the form of gradient wind gusts from 40 to around 50 mph. A weak surface low formed along a cold front over southwest Arkansas, then deepened as it tracked northeast across the Missouri Bootheel and into the lower Ohio Valley on the morning of the 11th.