501
NOUS43 KLMK 031940
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INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-
070>078-081-082-040745-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
340 PM EDT FRI APR 3 2026 /240 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026/
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 03/15/26 TORNADO EVENT UPDATE 1
UPDATE
AFTER EXTENSIVE AERIAL DATA SETS WERE CAPTURED AS WELL
AS ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF DAMAGE GIVEN BY HARDIN, MEADE,
BRECKINRIDGE, AND GRAYSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AN UPDATE
IS BEING MADE TO THE PREVIOUS 43.75 MILE LONG TRACK TORNADO. THIS
UPDATE WILL BREAK THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED TRACK UP INTO 3 SEPARATE
TORNADOES AS WELL AS 2 SEPARATE AREAS OF STRAIGHT- LINED WIND
DAMAGE. NWS GIS MUTUAL AID, USING HIGH-RESOLUTION SATELLITE
IMAGERY, WAS PROVIDED BY TYLER STANFIELD OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE SLIDELL, LA, FORECAST OFFICE. THE U.S. COAST GUARD EAGERLY
PROVIDED DRONE IMAGERY OVER PORTIONS OF THE TRACKS IN HARDIN
COUNTY. MUCH THANKS GOES TO BOTH TYLER AND THE USCG FOR THEIR HELP
FINDING BREAKS IN THE TRACK OVER SOME AREAS THAT WERE VERY HARD
TO GET TO!
GRAYSON BRECKINRIDGE HARDIN TORNADO
RATING: EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 17.75 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 300 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 03/15/2026
START TIME: 11:04 PM EDT / 10:04 PM CDT
START LOCATION: 1 SSE POST / GRAYSON COUNTY / KY
START LAT/LON: 37.4608 / -86.4704
END DATE: 03/15/2026
END TIME: 11:22 PM EDT / 10:22 PM CDT
END LOCATION: 1 NE HARDIN SPRINGS / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
END LAT/LON: 37.6238 / -86.2353
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE FIRST REPORT OF THE TORNADO CAME FROM CANEYVILLE FIRE
DEPARTMENT OF A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN OBSERVED NORTH OF CANEYVILLE.
DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED FROM HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE DATA NORTH OF
CANEYVILLE WITH TREE DAMAGE NEAR HIGHWAY 79 TO NEAR CHONCIE LEE
ROAD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ALONG HOPEWELL ROAD IN GRAYSON COUNTY
NEAR THE CANEYVILLE AND MILLWOOD AREAS. SEVERAL FARM OUTBUILDINGS
HAD THE ROOF PEELED OFF, WITH ONE FARM HAVING WOOD PLANKS FROM THE
BARN DAMAGE THRUSTED INTO THE NEARBY RESIDENCE. THE RESIDENCE
ALSO HAD SHINGLE DAMAGE. MAX WINDS OF 100 MPH WERE ESTIMATED IN
THIS LOCATION.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS JONES HILL AND
HIGHWAY 54 TO STONES CHAPEL ROAD. SEVERAL FARM OUTBUILDINGS AND
TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED, INCLUDING ROOF MATERIAL LOFTED INTO
NEARBY TREES. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ACROSS CLIFTY CHURCH DRIVE
WHERE A FARM HAD DAMAGE TO SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS WHERE ROOFTOPS
WERE DESTROYED. AT THIS LOCATION, 3 HEAD OF CATTLE WERE FATALLY
INJURED RESULTING IN ROUGHLY $7K IN DAMAGES. DEBRIS FROM THE FARM
WAS LOFTED INTO THE TREELINE ABOUT A TENTH OF A MILE FROM THE
PROPERTY.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE NORTHEAST TOWARD LILAC WHERE SEVERAL
FARM OUTBUILDINGS ON A HILL TOP WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. WOOD
PLANKS WERE DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND IN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS AND
DEBRIS WAS LOFTED OVER THE NEARBY HILL. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE
WAS OBSERVED HERE AS WELL. MAX ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 110 MPH
WERE OBSERVED HERE.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO THE NORTHEAST TOWARD BRANDENBURG ROAD
WHERE TREES WERE UPROOTED. THE TORNADO CROSSED ROUGH RIVER LAKE
SEVERAL TIMES, CAUSING SOME STRUCTURAL AND TREE DAMAGE INTO
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY. IT CROSSED NEAR THE TRIPLE POINT OF GRAYSON,
BRECKINRIDGE, AND HARDIN COUNTIES AND INTO HARDIN NEAR HARDIN
SPRINGS WHERE SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SNAPPED. PER HIGH
RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY THE FIRST TORNADO ENDED JUST
NORTHEAST OF HARDIN SPRINGS AND JUST EAST OF MOUNT OLIVE RD.
HARDIN TORNADO
RATING: EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 100 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 3.96 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 100 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 03/15/2026
START TIME: 11:24 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 1 NW PIERCE MILL / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
START LAT/LON: 37.6528 / -86.2113
END DATE: 03/15/2026
END TIME: 11:28 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 W VERTREES / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
END LAT/LON: 37.6968 / -86.1681
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THERE WAS A LARGE FORESTED AREA THAT WAS NOT EASILY REACHABLE BY
THE GROUND SURVEY TEAM BETWEEN THE END POINT OF THE FIRST TORNADO
AND THE STARTING POINT OF THIS SECOND TORNADO. A GROUND DISTANCE
OF 2.4 MILES SEPARATED THESE TWO TRACKS. SATELLITE MUTUAL AID
HELPED CONFIRM A CLEAN BREAK IN THE DAMAGE PATH.
THE ESTIMATED STARTING POINT FOR THE SECOND TORNADO ALONG THIS
STORM'S TRACK, PER HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY, WAS IN A
WOODED AREA JUST WEST OF PIERCE MILL RD SOUTH OF GARFIELD.
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A HOME NEAR PIERCE MILL ROAD, WHERE
A PORTION OF THE ROOF WAS TAKEN FROM THE HOME ABOVE THE GARAGE
AND LIVING SPACE BELOW. MUD SPLATTER OCCURRED TO THE FRONT OF THE
HOME AT THIS LOCATION, AND A WOOD PLANK WAS THROWN BACKWARD INTO
THE ROOF ABOVE THE LIVING ROOM. SEVERAL WOOD PIECES WERE IMPALED
INTO THE GROUND AT THE PROPERTY.
THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTH NORTHEAST, CAUSING DAMAGE IN A
FORESTED AREA THAT OPENED UP INTO HORN CEMETERY. IT THEN CAUSED
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ALONG CONSTANTINE RD. DOWNSTREAM WOODED AREAS
SHOWED EVIDENCE THAT THE OCCLUDING TORNADO STILL CAUSED DAMAGE
BEFORE LIFTING SOUTHWEST OF SLAUGHTER RD. AT THAT POINT THE REAR
FLANK DOWNDRAFT SURGED AHEAD AND CAUSED DAMAGE ALONG A SWATH JUST
EAST OF THIS TRACK.
HARDIN STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS
RATING: TSTM/WIND
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 3.18 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 1300 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 03/15/2026
START TIME: 11:28 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 2 WSW VERTREES / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
START LAT/LON: 37.6825 / -86.1789
END DATE: 03/15/2026
END TIME: 11:30 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 1 N VERTREES / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
END LAT/LON: 37.7094 / -86.1317
SURVEY SUMMARY:
A SWATH OF DAMAGE BEGAN JUST AS THE SECOND TORNADO ALONG THE LONG-
STORM TRACK WAS OCCLUDING. IT ENDED CLOSE TO AND EAST OF THE
AREA WHERE THE THIRD TORNADO SPUN UP, THUS INITIALLY APPEARING
FROM THE GROUND SURVEY TEAM TO BE A CONTINUOUS SWATH OF DAMAGE.
THE FIRST INDICATION OF DAMAGE WAS A TREE DOWN NEAR CONSTANTINE
RD EAST OF HORN CEMETERY RD. THE DAMAGE PATH WIDENED NEAR WHERE
CONSTANTINE ROAD INTERSECTS WITH SLAUGHTER RD, WHERE AN OPEN AIR
CANOPY WAS DAMAGED. SEVERAL BARNS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED JUST
SOUTHWEST OF HARDINSBURG RD. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE OCCURRED NORTHEAST
OF THAT ROAD, ALONG VERTREES CHURCH LN. NO OTHER DOWNSTREAM
DAMAGE WAS NOTED AS THE THIRD TORNADO PATH APPEARED TO DOMINATE
THE DAMAGE JUST NORTH AND WEST OF THIS AREA.
RADAR DATA FROM THE KLVX 88D AS WELL AS THE TSDF TDWR INDICATED
PEAK ESTIMATED VELOCITIES BETWEEN 80 AND 100 KTS AT AROUND 1000
FEET AGL IN THIS REGION CONFIRMING THE HIGHER WIND GUSTS THAT WERE
ABLE TO MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE HERE AND CAUSE THE OBSERVED
DAMAGE.
HARDIN MEADE TORNADO
RATING: EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 13.54 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 200 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 03/15/2026
START TIME: 11:29 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 1 WNW VERTREES / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
START LAT/LON: 37.7103 / -86.1569
END DATE: 03/15/2026
END TIME: 11:42 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 W RED HILL / MEADE COUNTY / KY
END LAT/LON: 37.8616 / -86.0146
SURVEY SUMMARY:
PER HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY OF DAMAGE IN A HEAVILY
FORESTED AREA, A NEW TORNADO TRACK BEGAN JUST NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF HARDINSBURG RD AND FIELDS RD. THIS TRACK BRIEFLY
CROSSED SAINT JOHN RD, BUT MISSED ANY STRUCTURES THERE BEFORE
ENTERING ANOTHER FORESTED AREA. THE FIRST STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ALONG
THIS PATH WAS ALONG TYSON LN NEAR BRIZENDINE LN WHERE A BARN HIT
THE THRESHOLD OF VISIBLE DAMAGE. ANOTHER OPEN AIR BARN ALONG
BRIZENDINE LN HAD ITS ROOF THROWN INTO A WOODED AREA WEST OF THE
BARN. A LITTLE FARTHER DOWNSTREAM TOWARDS NEW SALEM CHURCH RD
THERE WAS ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
THIS TORNADO CROSSED INTO MEADE COUNTY NEAR RINEYVILLE RD. A
BIGGER TREE FELL ONTO A HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY CT AREA. THE TORNADO
TOOK A LEFTWARD TURN, HEADING NORTH, MIMICKING A TURN IN THE
TIGHT MESOVORTEX SEEN ON RADAR IMAGERY. IT CAUSED DAMAGE AT THE
MEADE COUNTY BANK NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF FLAHERTY RD AND JOE
PRATHER HWY. DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO TREES AND SOME HOUSES ALONG
CAMELOT DRIVE AND RABBIT RUN ROAD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED ACROSS
FIELDS AND DID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO A FARM BESIDE FORT AVENUE.
MULTIPLE FARM BUILDINGS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED WITH ROOFS
LOFTED ACROSS RABBIT RUN RD EAST OF FORT AVENUE, WHERE THE DAMAGE
APPEARED TO END.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT AN ADVANCED SPOTTER ON BASE AT FORT KNOX
REPORTED SEEING BROAD ROTATION AS THE STORM PASSED HIS LOCATION,
BUT WITH NO CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. HE SHELTERED IN HIS BASEMENT
AS THE STORM PASSED AND HEARD DEBRIS HITTING HIS HOUSE. AFTER
HEADING OUT HE SAW LARGE LIMBS IN HIS YARD FROM A TREE ACROSS THE
STREET. THEN HE OBSERVED WITH A HANDHELD ANEMOMETER A 76 MPH WIND
GUST BEHIND THE FIRST WAVE, LIKELY WITH A REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT
SURGE. AS OF THIS WRITING, NO DAMAGE HAS BEEN NOTED CONNECTING
THIS THIRD TORNADO OR THE DOWNDRAFT SURGE IN THE NARRATIVE BELOW
WITH THIS DAMAGE AT FORT KNOX. WE MAY YET HAVE FURTHER UPDATES
HERE.
HARDIN MEADE STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS
RATING: TSTM/WIND
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 100 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 8.15 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 1500 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 03/15/2026
START TIME: 11:33 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 1 SSW FOUR CORNERS / HARDIN COUNTY / KY
START LAT/LON: 37.7397 / -86.0939
END DATE: 03/15/2026
END TIME: 11:41 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 ENE FLAHERTY / MEADE COUNTY / KY
END LAT/LON: 37.8404 / -86.0172
SURVEY SUMMARY:
RADAR DATA INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF STRONG INBOUND VELOCITY
ALONG A PATH EAST OF THE COUPLET THAT CAUSED THE THIRD TORNADO
ALONG THAT STORM'S PATH. DAMAGE FIRST WAS NOTED TO AN OPEN SMALL
BARN ALONG SALT RIVER RD. JUST SOUTH OF FOUR CORNERS. HIGH
RESOLUTION SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED A LARGE INCOHERENT PATCH
OF TREES DAMAGED JUST WEST OF SALT RIVER RD SOUTH OF BERRYTOWN
RD. ADDITIONAL TREES WERE NOTED ON GROUND SURVEY DAMAGE ALONG
SALT RIVER RD JUST SOUTH OF NEW SALEM CHURCH RD. ANOTHER BARN AND
SILO WERE DAMAGED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF BERRYTOWN RD AND
DEWITT LN.
DAMAGE CONTINUED UPSTREAM ALONG RINEYVILLE RD WHERE A LARGER
OUTDOOR GARAGE HAD ITS ROOF PEELED OFF. ENTERING INTO MEADE
COUNTY, EM NOTED A TREE CAME DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD, PULLING A POWER
LINE DOWN WITH IT, ALONG VOWELS PL. ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE WAS
NOTED ALONG ROLLING HILLS ROAD AND THEN FURTHER EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
TO A FARM ALONG FORT AVE. THIS IS THE APPROXIMATE END POINT OF
STRONGER WIND DAMAGE. KLVX VELOCITY DATA SHOWED A QUICK WEAKENING
TREND IN THOSE STRONGER VELOCITIES EVEN AT HIGHER TILTS. THE WINDS
LIKELY REMAINED STRONGER DOWNSTREAM OF THE DAMAGE BUT DID NOT
CAUSE AS WIDESPREAD OF DAMAGE.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AGAIN WOULD LIKE TO THANK GRAYSON
COUNTY, HARDIN, BRECKINRIDGE, AND MEADE COUNTY EMA FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE WITH THE SURVEY, ALONG WITH THE MANY HELPFUL HOMEOWNERS
WHO SHOWED PICTURES, VIDEO, TESTIMONY, AND ACCESS TO THEIR
PROPERTIES TO HELP WITH THE SURVEY. AGAIN, WITH THE UPDATE, WE
APPRECIATE THE ASSISTANCE FROM THE U.S. COAST GUARD AND NWS
SLIDELL!
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.....166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.....>200 MPH
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.
MCK/RTA/SG/AMS/EBW/RJS/KJD
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