December 23rd Butler, KY Tornado

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
940 PM EST THU DEC 24 2015

...ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR TORNADO CONFIRMED SOUTH OF BUTLER IN
PENDLETON COUNTY KENTUCKY...

LOCATION...SOUTH OF BUTLER IN PENDLETON COUNTY KENTUCKY
DATE...DECEMBER 23 2015
ESTIMATED TIME... 811 TO 820 PM EST
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...87 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...1/4 MILE WIDE
PATH LENGTH...3.75 MILES
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...3

* 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 A
TORNADO SOUTH OF BUTLER IN PENDLETON COUNTY KENTUCKY ON DECEMBER 23
2015.

DAMAGE WAS FIRST OBSERVED FROM THIS TORNADO JUST NORTH OF THE
INTERSECTION OF U.S. ROUTE 27 AND BETHEL LANE. THIS LOCATION IS
SOUTH OF BUTLER AND NORTHWEST OF FALMOUTH IN PENDLETON COUNTY. A
MOBILE HOME ORIGINALLY ANCHORED INTO THE GROUND AT 8-10 POINTS WAS
TILTED AND BRIEFLY LIFTED BEFORE ROLLING ONTO ITS TOP ON THE EAST
SIDE OF BETHEL LANE. THE TWO RESIDENTS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES
REQUIRING OVERNIGHT HOSPITALIZATION. DEBRIS FROM THE MOBILE HOME WAS
CARRIED DOWNWIND FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE-TENTH OF A MILE. THE DEBRIS
FIELD REMAINED CONFINED TO A NARROW PATH AS IT TAPERED TO THE EAST-
NORTHEAST. THIS SEEMED INDICATIVE OF CONVERGENT MOTION ASSOCIATED
WITH THE CIRCULATION. THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL 6-8 INCH TREES SNAPPED
IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE MOBILE HOME. THIS IS LIKELY WHERE THE FIRST
TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED.

THE NEXT DAMAGE LOCATION WAS A METAL BARN ON ASHCRAFT ROAD. THE
ENTIRE ROOF WAS LIFTED AND REMOVED FROM THE BARN. THE ROOF MEASURED
APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET BY 30 FEET AND THE BARN WAS RELATIVELY NEW
CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS. THE ROOF WAS CARRIED INTO
ADJACENT TREES IMMEDIATELY NORTHEAST OF THE STRUCTURE. THERE WAS
MINOR DAMAGE TO A SMALLER BARN JUST NORTHWEST OF THE PATH CENTER
LINE. THE HOMEOWNER ALSO DESCRIBED A DOCK APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET
SQUARE IMMEDIATELY SOUTH THAT WAS PULLED FROM ITS ANCHOR AND MOVED
NORTH-NORTHEAST ACROSS A POND TOWARD THE PATH CENTER LINE. ALL OF
THIS DAMAGE INDICATED A CONVERGENT AND LIFTING MOTION ASSOCIATED
WITH THE TORNADO.

DAMAGE WAS NEXT OBSERVED ALONG ROUTE 609 JUST SOUTH OF THE
INTERSECTION WITH DAVIS ROAD. ONE BARN WEST OF ROUTE 609 WAS
DESTROYED AND A TREE APPROXIMATELY 20 INCHES IN DIAMETER IMMEDIATELY
EAST OF THE ROAD WAS SNAPPED AT THE TRUNK AND FELL AGAINST A
RESIDENCE. DEBRIS WAS CARRIED BETWEEN ONE AND TWO TENTHS OF A MILE
TO THE NORTHEAST. ANOTHER BARN JUST TO THE NORTH WAS PARTIALLY
DESTROYED. TORNADIC DAMAGE WAS NOT AS CONCLUSIVE AT THIS LOCATION...
BUT DEBRIS WAS CONFINED TO A NARROW PATH LIKELY DUE TO CONVERGENT
WIND MOTION.

A NUMBER OF TREES WERE SNAPPED TO THE NORTHEAST ALONG DAVIS ROAD.
TREES RANGED IN DIAMETER FROM 8-16 INCHES. THE CLEAREST EVIDENCE OF
CIRCULATION ON THE GROUND WAS LOCATED ALONG ROUTE 159 WHERE SEVERAL
TYPES OF DAMAGE OCCURRED AT A RESIDENCE SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION
WITH DAVIS ROAD. THE ROOF WAS PARTIALLY REMOVED FROM THE RESIDENCE
AND SOME OF THE INSULATION WAS DISPERSED TO THE WEST AND SPATTERED
AGAINST THE WEST SIDE OF THE HOUSE. INSULATION WAS ALSO SPATTERED ON
TREES IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTHWEST. HEAVY SECTIONS OF METAL FENCING
FROM A HORSE CORRAL WERE LIFTED AND CARRIED APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS
TO THE WEST. BOTH OF THESE DEBRIS FIELDS WERE CARRIED AND DEPOSITED
OPPOSITE THE STORM MOTION. A NUMBER OF TREES JUST NORTH AND SOUTH OF
THE RESIDENCE WERE ALSO SNAPPED.

THE FINAL DAMAGE WAS FOUND ALONG HICKORY GROVE ROAD SOUTH OF THE
INTERSECTION WITH ROUTE 10. THIS IS THE ESTIMATED END OF THE TORNADO
PATH. A CAMPER WAS LIFTED TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST APPROXIMATELY 10-15
FEET OVER TREES BEFORE BEING DROPPED AND DESTROYED. THERE WAS ALSO
MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AT TWO NEARBY MOBILE HOMES. THIS DAMAGE
CONSISTED OF GARAGE DOORS BLOWN INWARD AND SOME ROOF DAMAGE.

THANKS IS EXTENDED TO THE PENDLETON COUNTY EMA AND OTHER LOCAL
OFFICIALS WHO ASSISTED WITH THE SURVEY. EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM THE
AFFECTED HOMEOWNERS WERE ALSO GREATLY APPRECIATED.

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.

$$

SHOBE2