March 2, 2012 -- Tornado near Peach Grove and Moscow

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
425 PM EST MON MAR 5 2012

...UPDATED INFORMATION ON CAMPBELL/PENDLETON COUNTY EF3 TORNADO IN 
KENTUCKY WHICH ALSO MOVED THROUGH CLERMONT/BROWN COUNTIES IN OHIO...

LOCATION...NEAR PEACH GROVE KENTUCKY TO NEAR HAMERSVILLE OHIO
DATE...MARCH 2 2012
ESTIMATED TIME...440 PM EST
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF3
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...160 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...1/4 MILE
PATH LENGTH...23 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...38.84N / -84.35 W 
ENDING LAT/LON...38.90N / -83.98 W
* FATALITIES...3
* INJURIES...UNKNOWN

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON OH HAS CONFIRMED AN EF3 
TORNADO FROM NEAR PEACH GROVE KENTUCKY TO NEAR HAMERSVILLE OHIO ON 
MARCH 2 2012.

** UPDATED INFORMATION BELOW **

AN ADDITIONAL STORM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ON MONDAY MARCH 5TH TO 
DETERMINE IF THE EF3 TORNADO THAT AFFECTED CRITTENDEN/PINER/MORNING 
VIEW KENTUCKY WAS THE SAME TORNADO THAT AFFECTED PEACH GROVE 
KENTUCKY AND ACROSS THE RIVER INTO MOSCOW AND HAMERSVILLE OHIO.

THE SURVEY FOUND THAT THERE IS A DEFINITE BREAK IN THE DAMAGE PATH 
ACROSS SOUTHWEST CAMPBELL COUNTY...WHICH IS CORROBORATED BY 
EYEWITNESS REPORTS SOUTH OF CLARYVILLE THAT THE FUNNEL WAS NOT IN 
CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AS IT CROSSED AREAS OF SOUTHWEST CAMPBELL 
COUNTY. THEREFORE...THE TWO EF3 TORNADOES ARE COUNTED AS SEPARATE 
TORNADOES...AND NOT ONE CONTINUOUS DAMAGE PATH.

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN INITIALLY IN SOUTHCENTRAL CAMPBELL COUNTY 
KENTUCKY NEAR PEACH GROVE ROAD /HIGHWAY 154/ AND CROSSED FISHER ROAD 
NORTHWEST OF PEACH GROVE...KENTUCKY. THE TORNADO CROSSED INTO 
PENDLETON COUNTY AFTER PRODUCING HIGH-END EF3 DAMAGE ON REIS RIDGE 
ROAD NEAR THE CAMPBELL AND PENDLETON COUNTY LINE. IN PENDLETON 
COUNTY...THE TORNADO MOVED ACROSS MAYS ROAD PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT 
AND WIDESPREAD EF2 TO LOW-END EF3 DAMAGE. THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED 
THE AA HIGHWAY IN PENDLETON COUNTY...AND EVENTUALLY THE OHIO RIVER 
AFTER CROSSING KENTUCKY HIGHWAY 8 IN PENDLETON COUNTY. THIS TORNADO 
HIT MOSCOW OHIO WHERE EF3 DAMAGE WAS NOTED...AND CONTINUED ON THE 
GROUND ACROSS CLERMONT COUNTY AND LIFTED SOUTH OF HAMERSVILLE IN 
WESTERN BROWN COUNTY.

THIS TORNADO CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES AND TREES ALONG
ITS ENTIRE PATH ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER. NUMEROUS HOMES WERE
VERY HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...WITH MANY LOSING
ROOFS...HAVING COMPLETE EXTERIOR WALL FAILURE...AND EVEN SOME 
MODULAR HOMES WERE COMPLETELY REMOVED FROM THEIR 
FOUNDATIONS...LIFTED...AND THROWN IN EXCESS OF 100 YARDS WHERE THEY 
WERE DESTROYED.

ALSO OF NOTE ON THE SURVEY...WAS THE PRESENCE OF A LARGE AREA OF 
/NON-TORNADIC/ STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS ESTIMATED IN EXCESS OF 100 MPH ON 
THE SOUTHERN FLANK OF THE TORNADIC DAMAGE. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY 
NOTICEABLE IN PENDLETON COUNTY NEAR PEACH GROVE. THIS WIND 
DAMAGE ALSO CONSISTED OF NUMEROUS BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS 
DESTROYED...AND CONSIDERABLE HOME AND TREE DAMAGE.

THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE WITHIN THE TORNADIC CIRCULATION SUPPORTS WIND
SPEED ESTIMATES UP TO 160 MPH...NEAR THE TOP OF THE EF3 CRITERIA.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

PARKER/BINAU/HICKMAN/SNYDER