Mayfield Tornado (2021)

This historic EF-4 tornado was associated with a very long-track supercell that originally formed over eastern Arkansas. The supercell produced a nearly continuous tornado damage path from northeast Arkansas across western Tennessee and western Kentucky. The starting point of this particular tornado was in northwest Tennessee, northwest of Union City (see Storm Data, Tennessee, Western for information on this and other tornadoes associated with the supercell). This tornado crossed from Fulton County into Hickman County about 7 miles northwest of Fulton, close to the community of Croley. The tornado was exceptionally wide as it entered Hickman County, becoming about 1.5 miles wide. The tornado track in Hickman County was over rural farmland, bypassing small communities. The tornado achieved a rating of EF-3 over far eastern Hickman County, along Highway 58 near the Graves County line. This is where numerous wooden towers carrying electrical transmission lines collapsed (DI 24, DOD 6). This damage site is where the tornado was assigned the highest estimated wind speed in the county, about 140 mph. On Highway 307, there were four collapsed metal truss towers for carrying electrical transmission lines (DI 24, DOD 6). There were several injuries but no fatalities in the county. About a dozen homes were destroyed countywide. A mobile home was destroyed (DI 3, DOD 9). Most walls of one destroyed house collapsed, except small interior rooms (DI 2, DOD 8). The damage rating of this house was lowered due to toe nail construction. A total of 41 homes were damaged in Hickman County, and 12 were destroyed or uninhabitable. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. The average path width was about 1.25 miles (2250 yards). The tornado exited Hickman County into Graves County in a rural area about one-half mile north of where Highway 58 crosses the county line.

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.