Tornado in Mason & Lewis Counties, KY

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
445 PM EDT TUE MAY 13 2003

A TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN WILMINGTON HAS
COMPLETED A GROUND AND AERIAL SURVEY OF THE TORNADO DAMAGE IN MASON
AND LEWIS COUNTIES IN KENTUCKY. A TORNADO OCCURRED ON SATURDAY...MAY
10TH. THE TORNADO THAT MOVED FROM MASON INTO LEWIS COUNTY HAS BEEN
RATED AN F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. THE WORST DAMAGE APPEARED TO BE THE
RESULT OF WINDS IN THE LOWER END THE THE F3 SCALE. F3 WINDS RANGE
FROM 158 MPH TO 206 MPH.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN MASON COUNTY KENTUCKY ABOUT 2 TO 3
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MAYSVILLE AND MOVED EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS MASON
COUNTY AND INTO LEWIS COUNTY. TORNADO DAMAGE ENDED APPROXIMATELY 3
TO 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VANCEBURG. BASED ON THE DAMAGE OBSERVED...THE
TORNADO PATH APPEARED TO SKIP ACROSS PARTS OF MASON AND LEWIS
COUNTIES.

SEVERAL AREAS IN MASON COUNTY RECEIVED DAMAGE...HOWEVER MOST OF
THE TORNADO DAMAGE OCCURRED IN LEWIS COUNTY. THE HERON HILL AREA
IN LEWIS COUNTY WAS PARTICULARLY HARD HIT. THIS IS WHERE THE F3
DAMAGE OCCURRED. MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS APPROXIMATELY
200 YARDS AND OCCURRED IN THE HERON HILL AREA.

NO INJURIES OCCURRED IN MASON COUNTY. SEVENTEEN INJURIES OCCURRED IN
LEWIS COUNTY. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 21 HOMES DESTROYED...10
HOMES WITH MAJOR DAMAGE AND 17 HOMES WITH MINOR DAMAGE. ALSO...
NUMEROUS BARNS...BUILDINGS AND GARAGES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

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