EF1 tornado in Todd County, Kentucky

This long-track EF-3 tornado began in western Tennessee near Dyersburg (see Storm Data, Tennessee, Western). It crossed into Todd County from Christian County near the city of Pembroke. The tornado was near the end of its life in Todd County, where it only received a rating of EF-1. In Todd County, dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. Roofs were blown off several barns. At least one house and several other farm outbuildings sustained minor to moderate roof damage. The windows were blown out of a few structures. The tornado lifted about four miles west of Elkton. This tornado was on the ground for approximately 125 miles across western Tennessee and western Kentucky. The tornado transitioned to a damaging straight-line wind event in the Elkton area.

On the evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, a potent storm system moving across the central United States resulted in significant long-track tornadoes. A violent EF-4 tornado began in far northwest Tennessee, and moved across western Kentucky, resulting in dozens of lost lives and a swath of destruction. The tornado was on the ground for 128 miles within the NWS Paducah forecast area, and the total path length was about 165 miles from Obion County, TN to Breckinridge County, KY. Another long-track EF-3 tornado started in Dyer County, TN, and traveled about 125 miles through northwest Tennessee and into Christian and Todd Counties in western Kentucky. A strong upper-level trough over the western Plains induced a deepening surface low that tracked northeast across the Iowa/Illinois border. A very strong and deep southwest wind flow brought moist and unstable air into the Tennessee and lower Ohio Valleys. Record high temperatures were recorded, including a high of 73 at Paducah. The combination of very strong winds aloft, unseasonably warm conditions, and a strong low pressure system were ideal for this tornado outbreak.