The National Weather Service (NWS) has preliminarily determined that one of the tornadoes that struck western Kentucky was on the ground continuously for nearly 170 miles.
NWS investigators said the tornado was on the ground for 165.7 miles, making it the ninth longest long-track tornado in U.S. history and the longest in the history of Kentucky.
The tornado initially touched down in Woodland Mills, Tennessee at 8:49 p.m. last Friday night. Woodland Mills is less than a mile from the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The tornado remained on the ground for just under three hours before lifting two-and-a-half miles northeast of Falls of Rough, according to the NWS.
The twister’s peak wind speed was 190 miles per hour, making the tornado an EF4.
The death toll from the series of storms now stands at 77 after a fatality was identified in Lyon County, that county’s only fatality.
Only one person, in Hopkins County, is still listed as missing, down from 122 on Wednesday.
The longest tracked tornado in U.S. history, known as the 1925 Tri-State Tornado, impacted three states and killed 695 people.
(Photo: Tornado damage in Marshall County)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
