EF-1 Tornado Confirmed in Monroe County May 3, 2021

Tornadoes:

Tornado - TOMPKINSVILLE MONROE COUNTY Date May 3, 2021 Time (Local) 8:08am CDT EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 95mph Path Length 0.5 mile Max Width 60 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: The National Weather Service in Louisville, KY conducted a storm damage survey in Monroe County for storms that occurred after 8 AM CDT on May 3, 2021 in Tompkinsville, KY. The Survey team determined the damage to be from an EF-1 tornado with maximum sustained winds of 95mph and a path width of 60 yards. Track Map Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos & Video

Monroe County, KY EF-1 Tornado Damage

Drone photo of property damage left by an EF-1 tornado in Tompkinsville, KY (NWS Louisville)	Drone photo of property damage left by an EF-1 tornado in Tompkinsville, KY (NWS Louisville)	Drone photo of property damage left by an EF-1 tornado in Tompkinsville, KY (NWS Louisville)

Storm Reports

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
732 PM EDT MON MAY 3 2021 /632 PM CDT MON MAY 3 2021/

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 05/03/2021 TORNADO EVENT…    

.MONROE COUNTY TORNADO…        

EF SCALE RATING:           EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:       95
PATH LENGTH/STATUE/:       0.5 MILE 
PATH WIDTH/MAXIMUM/:       60 YARDS 
FATALITIES:                0
INJURIES:                  0

START DATE:                05/03/2021
START TIME:                8:08 AM CDT
START LOCATION:            TOMPKINSVILLE, KY
START LAT/LON:             36.70N 85.69W

END DATE:                  05/03/2021
END TIME:                  8:11 AM CDT
END LOCATION:              TOMPKINSVILLE, KY 
END LAT/LON:               36.70N 85.69W

SURVEY SUMMARY:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE, KY CONDUCTED A STORM DAMAGE 
ASSESSMENT SURVEY IN MONROE COUNTY FOR STORMS THAT OCCURRED AFTER 
8 AM CDT THIS MORNING IN TOMPKINSVILLE. THE SURVEY TEAM DETERMINED THE 
DAMAGE TO BE AN EF1 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 95 MPH AND 
A PATH WIDTH OF 60 YARDS. 

A THUNDERSTORM QUICKLY BECAME SEVERE IN SOUTHWEST MONROE COUNTY, AND 
IT QUICKLY BECAME TORNADIC ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF TOMPKINSVILLE. THE 
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SECOND AND JACKSON STREETS. 
TREES WERE LAYING IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS AND MOST OF THE TREES WERE 
TWISTED, SNAPPED, OR UPROOTED. POWER LINES WERE DOWN AND SEVERAL POWER 
POLES WERE SNAPPED. WINDS AT THIS LOCATION WERE BETWEEN 85 AND 90 MPH 
WITH A WIDTH OF 50 YARDS.

FARTHER TO THE NORTHEAST BETWEEN 5TH STREET AND CARTER ST, THE TORNADO 
INCREASED TO 95 MPH AND THE WIDTH EXPANDED OUT TO 60 YARDS. SEVERAL 
HOMES EXPERIENCED ROOF DAMAGE WITH SOME WINDOWS BLOWN OUT. ONE HOME 
HAD MULTIPLE LARGE TREES UPROOTED WITH A RV TRAILER AND PONTOON BOAT 
FLIPPED OVER. THERE WERE SEVERAL PIECES OF LUMBER THAT WERE IMPALED 
IN THE GROUND AND PIECES OF METAL SHEETING WERE THROWN UP INTO THE TREES, 
WRAPPING AROUND THE TREE AND VERY TWISTED. 

THE US BANK BUILDING HAD SOME ROOF DAMAGE, AND THEN THE TORNADO LIFTED 
BRIEFLY BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF PEDIGO AND 
WHITE STREETS. 

THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE ON THE EAST OF MAIN STREET BY 
PEDIGO ST. TREES WERE FACING MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS AS WELL AS MUD SPATTER 
ON THE BACKSIDE OF HOMES AND VEHICLES ALONG SHORT STREET TO MONROE ST. 
MULTIPLE POWER LINES WERE DOWN IN THIS AREA AS WELL.  WINDS DECREASED TO 
90 MPH ALONG MONROE STREET. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DRONE FOUND SOME TWISTED TOPS OF TREES NEAR 
SPRING VALLEY ROAD AND WOODHAVEN WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 85 MPH. THE TORNADO 
LIFTED AT JACKIE CROW SALVAGE YARD WITH DEBRIS THROWN ON THE TOP OF THE 
HILL ABOUT 250 YARDS FROM THE SALVAGE YARD. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AT 8 AM 
CENTRAL TIME WITH ISOLATED TORNADO TAG IN THE WARNING. LOOKING AT SEVERAL 
VIDEOS, YOU CAN SEE SOME BRIEF FUNNELS COMING DOWN FROM THE MAIN STORM, 
ALMOST LIKE A SKIPPING SMALL TORNADO. SEVERAL WITNESSES TOLD US OF EARS 
POPPING AND A MAJOR PRESSURE CHANGE.  

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK MONROE COUNTY EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT AND SEVERAL OTHER KYEM COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS WITH THEIR 
ASSISTANCE ON THE SURVEY.

EF SCALE:  THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE 
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WEAK.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG...111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG...136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT..166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT..>200 MPH

NOTE:  THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT 
TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN NWS 
STORM DATA.

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Environment

Synoptic Overview

Figure 1: Surface analysis 12Z     May 3, 2021	Figure 2: 12Z 850mb analysis      May 3, 2021	Figure 3: 12Z 500mb analysis       May 3, 2021	Figure 4: 12Z 300mb analysis      May 3, 2021

Near-storm environment 

Figure 5: Surface Based Convective Available Potential Energy (SBCAPE)	Figure 6: 0-6km Bulk Shear	Figure 7: 0-3km Storm Relative Helicity (SRH)	Figure 8: Supercell Composite Parameter (SCP)