Path of ‘potentially historic’ five-state US tornado may be longest
- Barrage of tornadoes tore through several US states on Friday night, killing dozens
- Path of main mega-twister extended for about 358km, according to some reports
December tornadoes are uncommon but not unheard of. The explosion of twisters across five Midwest and Southern states over the weekend? That might be unprecedented.
The tornadoes that spun off a fast-moving storm Friday night and into Saturday morning probably killed at least 74 people in Kentucky alone, according to officials on Monday, and at least 14 in the four other states.
A combination of the main tornado’s enormous path as it tore from Arkansas to Kentucky, its sheer power and the high number of smaller whirlwinds that accompanied it made for an overwhelming force that left devastated communities in its wake. The small city of Mayfield in the southwest corner of Kentucky suffered at least eight deaths at a candle factory.
“Tornadoes do happen at this time of year, but the number in which they happened and the intensity in which they happened Friday night is what is rare,” said Dan DePodwin, director of forecast operations for AccuWeather. “On average, in December, there are roughly two dozen tornadoes (nationwide). We’re going to surpass that just on the one night Friday.”
The exact number - believed to be at least 30 - and the scope of their damage won’t be known for several days as surveyors conduct assessments. “This is the deadliest tornado event we have ever had,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported the main tornado’s path extended for about 358km (223 miles), six more than the record of 352km set by the so-called tri-state tornado on March 18, 1925, which ripped through parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
DePodwin said only one December tornado with a path length of at least 160km has been measured since record-keeping began in 1950, and just 17 of 80km or longer. Peak severe weather season usually runs from late February to early June.
Preliminary reports indicate the weekend’s mega-twister rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which measures wind speeds and related damage and goes up to 5. The EF3 rating equates to winds of 254-332km/h (158-206mph), and the assessment could rise, depending on what surveyors find.