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Severe Thunderstorm Threat From the Central Plains to the Northeast; Extreme HeatRisk for the East Coast

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible from the central Plains to the Northeast through this evening. Widespread damaging winds are the primary threat but hail and a tornado or two is also possible. Extremely dangerous heat continues across the Eastern U.S. Warm overnight low temperatures will provide little to no relief. Read More >

June 25, 1902
Counties:  Garrard, Madison
F-scale:  F2
Deaths: 4
Injuries:  25
Path width: 
Path length:  9 miles
Time:  10:00pm
Narrative:  Moved northeast from near Cartersville to north of Berea.  An elderly man and a child were killed in a home two miles west of Berea.  Two other people died in Garrard County near Cartersville.  At least 15 homes were destroyed or torn apart.

April 3, 1974
Counties:  Garrard, Madison, Clark KY
F-scale:  F4
Deaths:  7
Injuries:
Path width:  300 yards
Path length:
Time:  6:20pm
Grazulis narrative:  Moved northeast from near Hackley and Cottonburg, passing just north of Richmond, and lifting east of Mount Sterling.  Thirty homes were destroyed, with F4 damage and deaths in southwest Madison County, mostly near Richmond.  About 100 people were left homeless in Clark County.
Noted discrepancies:  SPC, Storm Data, and NCDC give 28 injuries, Grazulis give 27.  SPC and NCDC give a path length of 32 miles, Grazulis give 35 miles, Storm Data 22 miles.  SPC gives a path width of 10 yards, NCDC 30 yards, Storm Data 133 yards, Grazulis 300 yards.  Grazulis takes this tornado into Montgomery County, ending it east of Mount Sterling.  SPC and NCDC end the tornado in Clark County east of Mount Zion.  Grazulis places this tornado at 7:20pm.
Notes:  Grazulis' path width is probably the most correct.  Storm Data begins this tornado at Cottonburg, moving it to two miles north of Whitehall and beyond.  According to the Garrard County weekly Central Herald, there were seven injuries in Garrard County, which are not accounted for at the NCDC webpage (it lists zero injuries for the Garrard County portion of this tornado).  Grazulis doesn't many any specific locations of the injuries he reported.

August 12, 1983
Counties:  Garrard
F-scale:  F0
Deaths:
Injuries:
Path width:
Path length:
Time:   8:00pm
Notes:  Storm Data says this tornado struck on Gaffney Road.  Plotted on Gaffney Road as close to the given lat/lon as possible.

July 8, 1991
Counties:  Garrard
F-scale:  F1
Deaths:
Injuries:
Path width:
Path length:
Time:  5:38pm
Noted discrepancies:  SPC gives a time of 5:38pm, NCDC gives 4:38pm, Storm Data says 6:38pm.
Notes:  Storm Data says this tornado touched down in Cartersville.

April 20, 1996
Counties:  Lincoln
F-scale:  F2
Deaths:
Injuries:  7
Path width:
Path length:
Time:  3:26am
Notes:  Storm Data says this tornado went from near McKinney to Preachersville to near the Garrard County line, damaging the county fairgrounds and Maywood.

April 20, 1996
Counties:  Garrard
F-scale:  F1
Deaths:  0
Injuries:  0
Path width:  200 yards
Path length:  6 miles
Time:  4:30am to 4:40am EST
Notes:  Trees were downed and a dozen barns were destroyed.  One farmer lost 6 cows when a barn collapsed on them.

May 11, 2003
Counties:  Garrard
F-scale:  F1
Deaths:
Injuries:
Path width:
Path length:
Time:  5:55am
Notes:  Storm Data says this tornado touched down about two miles northwest of Paint Lick near the Madison County line.

May 8, 2009
Counties: Garrard and Madison
EF-scale:  EF3
Deaths:  2
Injuries:  several, some serious
Path width:  150 yards
Path length:  22 miles
Time:  4:55pm EDT - 5:19pm EDT
Notes:  The tornado touched down in eastern Garrard County south of Nina on Bethel Road.  The first damage observed was of EF1 intensity, and the tornado grew to EF2 intensity before reaching the Madison County line.  The second home in the path of the tornado was badly damaged and a paper bill from the home was lifted into the tornado and carried 35 miles to the northeast into Powell County, landing in the yard of a National Weather Service employee.  The tornado peaked at EF3 intensity near the intersections of KY 52 and KY 1295 in Madison County.  A mobile home was picked up, thrown, and disintegrated by the tornado.  Two adults were killed and thrown into a nearby pond.  Five other occupants of the mobile home were injured.  One person became paralyzed from the neck down, and a 4 year old child suffered a fractured skull and broken leg.  The tornado then weakened and crossed the Blue Grass Army Depot, doing minor damage.  The twister finally lifted near the end of Drowning Creek Road northeast of Waco.

February 25, 2018
County:  Garrard
EF-Scale:  EF1
Deaths:   0
Injuries:  0
Path width:  100 yards
Path length:  0.1 mile
Time: 12:50am - 12:51am EST
Notes: The tornado touched down on a ridge along Gillespie Pike east of Lancaster. The tornado first uprooted a small tree and then shifted a small shed off of its foundation. The nearby home lost some roof covering and suffered debris impact. Another outbuilding was overturned and slid about 10 feet. The tornado then crossed the road where a brick facade home lost part of its outer wall, suffered roof damage, and was struck by debris. A couple of porch columns fell. The adjoining garage lost its roof and its doors were bent inward, falling onto the vehicles inside. A barn behind the house collapsed and another outbuilding lost its walls.