Two tornadoes touched down Saturday morning between Hopkinsville and Pembroke, the National Weather Service at Paducah has confirmed.
Both tornadoes were rated EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which rates the intensity of tornadoes on a scale of 0 to 5 based on wind speed. An EF-1 has speeds of 86 to 110 mph.
The first tornado in Christian County touched down at 7:34 a.m. It was northwest of Pembroke, leaving a path 11 miles long from just south of Kentucky 117 near Fort Campbell Boulevard to Pembroke Road.
A survey team for the NWS said wind speeds peaked at 100 mph. The maximum width of the tornado’s path was 100 yards.
“Trees were uprooted and snapped along the path,” the NWS report states. “Several barns were damaged or destroyed including one that had its roof thrown several hundred yards into trees. Power lines were downed and 13 empty rail cars were tipped over along the path. A couple of homes received some minor damage.”
The second tornado touched down at 7:40 a.m. It was southeast of Hopkinsville, with a peak wind speed of 95 mph, and crossed Pembroke Road. The length of the path was 2.5 miles and the maximum width was 50 yards.
“Several trees were snapped along the path. One barn received some partial damage to its roof,” the report noted.
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.
