EF2 tornado in Christian County, Kentucky

The tornado formed on the south side of downtown Hopkinsville and moved east, lifting on the northeast side of the interchange of U.S. 41 and U.S. 68. A number of structures were damaged in this highly populated urban area. Major roof damage occurred at a brick church, with part of the roof and decking removed. Many trees were uprooted and several were snapped. The roof and a small part of a wall were removed on a brick home. Several businesses sustained minor to moderate roof damage, and a few sustained major damage. A gas station canopy was destroyed, along with gas pumps. A few businesses sustained damage to doors and windows. Peak winds were estimated near 115 mph at the church (DI 17, DOD 5).

A well-defined upper level shortwave trough shifted northeast across Missouri into the Ohio Valley, where it flattened out within a broader, strong southwesterly flow regime. The resultant mid level forcing was not very strong across the warm sector of the surface low. The weak surface low tracked northeast from Arkansas to West Virginia. Thunderstorms formed along the trailing cold front, which crossed parts of western Kentucky during the mid and late morning hours. A couple of embedded supercells formed within a broken band of storms along the front, spawning a couple of brief tornadoes. A period of widespread rain during the late night and early morning hours generated heavy rainfall amounts from 2 to 4 inches.