Officials at the National Weather Service in Paducah have confirmed three more tornadoes that touched down during severe weather Saturday, Jan. 11, in Christian County. Those are in addition to two tornadoes in the county that officials previously confirmed. No serious injuries have been reported from the storms.
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All five tornadoes were rated EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which means a tornado has wind speeds ranging from 86 to 110 mph.
The NWS provided the following details for the three recently confirmed tornadoes:
- A tornado touched down between 7:05 and 7:19 a.m. in southern Caldwell County and continued into northwestern Christian County. Winds peaked at 100 mph. The length of the tornado’s path was 10 miles long, and it had a maximum width of 250 wards. “At least a half dozen barns or outbuildings damaged or destroyed. Four wooden high tension power poles taken down and at least dozens of trees uprooted or snapped,” the report states.
- Another tornado occurred between 7:12 and 7:20 a.m., touching down in Southern Caldwell County and continuing into northwestern Christian County and the Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park. Peak winds were 95 mph. The length of the path was approximately 7.5 miles, and the maximum width was 175 yards. “The tornado left hundreds of trees uprooted or snapped,” the report states.
- Between 7:19 and 7:23 a.m., a tornado touched down in the Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park in Christian County. The peak wind speed was an estimated 90 mph. The length of the path was approximately 3.27 miles, and the maximum width was 200 yards. “A few barns were damaged or blown down. A couple houses sustained loss of shingles and facia. At least dozens of trees were uprooted or snapped,” the report states.
The NWS also confirmed two tornadoes the same day in Trigg County.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
