Twister of Terror: Remembering the Most Powerful Tornado in Kentucky History

Over the weekend, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post from Reed Timmer. Reed is an 'extreme meteorologist' and is one of my favorites to follow on social media. I have been obsessed with tornadoes since I was a kid and I live vicariously through Reed's expertise and abandon.

THE STRONGEST TORNADO IN U.S. HISTORY

In the post I saw, Reed shared raw footage from the May 3rd, 1999 tornado that barreled through Bridge Creek, Oklahoma through Moore and Oklahoma City. That tornado is THE strongest tornado ever recorded.  That tornado churned out a peak wind speed of 321 miles per hour. It was a monster.

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Reed's post made me immediately wonder about my home state of Kentucky. What's the strongest tornado ever recorded here in the Bluegrass State?

Naturally, I recalled the December 10th, 2021 EF-4 tornado that ripped through parts of western Kentucky- Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Bremen, Princeton, and more.

That storm, which claimed 57 lives, is the deadliest December tornado on record here in the United States. But, as strong as it was, it's not the strongest tornado to have ever hit the state.

WHAT'S THE STRONGEST TORNADO TO EVER HIT KENTUCKY?

That distinction belongs to the legendary and destructive twister that hit Brandenburg, Kentucky on April 3rd, 1974.

That storm initially hit Hardinsburg in Breckinridge County. According to National Weather Service statistics, when the tornado touched down there it measured an EF3. However, as the storm made its way across Breckinridge County into Meade County, it continued to gain strength, quickly.

It violently ravaged Brandenburg that afternoon. It leveled 128 homes and destroyed 30 businesses. The storm claimed more than 31 lives in Meade County alone.

That storm was one of seven EF5 tornadoes recorded on that April 3rd, 1974. That outbreak remains one of the deadliest in the history of the United States.