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 Hopkins County into Muhlenberg County at the Pond River, about 8 miles southwest of Bremen. The primary impact to Muhlenberg County was in and around the community of Bremen, where the tornado achieved a rating of EF-4. The Bremen area was the site of most of the 11 fatalities in Muhlenberg County. A total of 165 structures were damaged or destroyed, of which 84 were completely destroyed or uninhabitable. The remainder were damaged at least moderately. The majority of these structures were along and just south of Highway 175 from 5 miles southwest of Bremen to the community of Bremen. Several demolished houses in this area warranted a rating of EF-4. The destruction of one house warranted a wind speed estimate of 190 mph, the highest in the county and the entire track. One brick home on Highway 175 collapsed, and another was swept off the foundation (DI 2, DOD 9). A car in the garage was thrown across the road. A couple of poorly anchored houses were swept clean off the foundation within a few miles west of Bremen (DI 2, DOD 9-10). On the north side of Bremen, a two-story home was completely destroyed. The foundation was not swept clean, but all walls were gone. Much of the remainder of the path through Muhlenberg County was unpopulated woods and fields. There was a cluster of damaged or destroyed structures near the community of Moorman, near where the tornado crossed U.S. Highway 431. In this area, a couple houses were heavily damaged, but most walls remained standing (DI 2, DOD 6). A number of vehicles were thrown and destroyed countywide, including some farm equipment. Nearly total tree destruction was observed in the path. The average path width was a mile. The tornado exited Muhlenberg County into Ohio County on the Green River about 2.5 miles east of Moorman. See Storm Data, Kentucky, Central for information on the remainder of this tornado path.

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.