Overview
Several clusters and lines of severe thunderstorms in addition to two EF-1 tornadoes swept through the region on the evening of Thursday, March 14, 2024. The thunderstorms developed in an unseasonably warm and humid environment. High temperatures soared into the middle and upper 70s with dew point temperatures climbing into the lower to middle 60s. The thunderstorms developed as a cold front approached the region from the west.
Widespread storm damage occurred along the Interstate 64 corridor across southern Illinois into southwest Indiana. The Southern Illinois communities of Mount Vernon and West Salem were particularly hard hit. On the northside of Mount Vernon, an EF-1 tornado inflicted significant roof and exterior wall damage to a bus depot and office A brick building on the downtown square in West Salem collapsed as it was buffeted by severe winds. Another EF-1 tornado struck a few miles northeast of Fairfield in rural Wayne County, severely damaging a mobile home and causing significant tree damage. Severe thunderstorm winds also caused tree, powerline, and barn damage in Ballard and McCracken Counties in western Kentucky.
As the storm moved through southeast Missouri, the Cape Girardeau Airport measured a 66 mph wind gust. A trained spotter also measured wind gusts of 60-75 mph near Hopkinsville, KY, as the severe storms moved eastward through the Kentucky Pennyrile.
Tornadoes:
Tornado - 4 Miles NE of Fairfield, IL
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Tornado - 2 Miles N of Mount Vernon, IL
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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 |
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Photos & Video
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Damage to South Central Transit in Mount Vernon, IL. (Keith Hertenstein/Jefferson County EMA) |
Damage to South Central Transit in Mount Vernon, IL. (Keith Hertenstein/Jefferson County EMA) |
Building damage in West Salem, IL. (Jessica Gwaltney) |
Barn and tree damage along Phelps Road in Ballard County, KY. (Dustin Bell) |
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Storm damage in Bluford, IL. (Beau Dodson) |
Storm damage in Bluford, IL. (Beau Dodson) |
Tree damage in Mount Vernon, IL. (Allan Ninnes/Saline County EMA) |
Damage in Mount Vernon, IL. (Allan Ninnes/Saline County EMA) |
Storm Reports
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary National Weather Service Paducah KY 424 AM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0652 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 5 NNW Oxly 36.67N 90.71W 03/14/2024 M44 MPH Ripley MO Public 0724 PM Hail Harviell 36.66N 90.47W 03/14/2024 M0.70 inch Butler MO Broadcast Media 0730 PM Hail 3 NW Woodlawn 38.36N 89.07W 03/14/2024 E1.00 inch Jefferson IL Public Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). 0735 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 N Mount Vernon 38.35N 88.92W 03/14/2024 Jefferson IL Amateur Radio Roof and structure damage to the South Central Transit bus building and office on Highway 37 just north of Mount Vernon. Time estimated from radar. 0735 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Puxico 36.95N 90.16W 03/14/2024 Stoddard MO Emergency Mngr trees down reports of power outages. 0737 PM Hail 1 SW Mount Vernon 38.30N 88.93W 03/14/2024 M1.00 inch Jefferson IL Public 0739 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 SW Mount Vernon 38.30N 88.93W 03/14/2024 M60 MPH Jefferson IL Public 0743 PM Hail 1 WSW Mount Vernon 38.31N 88.93W 03/14/2024 E0.50 inch Jefferson IL Public Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). 0746 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 SSE Dix 38.40N 88.92W 03/14/2024 Jefferson IL Emergency Mngr power outages reported. 0750 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 NW Mount Vernon 38.34N 88.96W 03/14/2024 Jefferson IL Emergency Mngr Trees down. 0751 PM Hail 3 N Belle Rive 38.27N 88.74W 03/14/2024 E1.00 inch Jefferson IL Public Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). 0754 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 SE Cape Girardeau 37.30N 89.54W 03/14/2024 M66 MPH Cape Girardeau MO ASOS Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 1 SE Cape Girardeau. 0755 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Vanduser 36.99N 89.69W 03/14/2024 Scott MO Emergency Mngr Roof blown off house. 0758 PM Hail 3 WNW Johnsonville 38.54N 88.59W 03/14/2024 E0.50 inch Wayne IL Public Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). 0800 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 N Belle Prairie City 38.26N 88.56W 03/14/2024 Hamilton IL Emergency Mngr Multiple trees down on County Road 2400 N just west of County Road 800 E. Top of grain bin blown off into roadway. 0800 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NNE Belle Prairie Cit 38.25N 88.54W 03/14/2024 Hamilton IL Emergency Mngr Part of a roof blown off a machine shed in northern Hamilton County along State Highway 242. 0800 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 S Blodgett 36.96N 89.53W 03/14/2024 Scott MO Trained Spotter Large tree limbs down near Interstate 55 north of Sikeston. Winds were estimated to be around 70 mph. 0807 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NE Fairfield 38.40N 88.34W 03/14/2024 Wayne IL Emergency Mngr Fairly widespread tree and powerline damage. Investigating one building with the roof removed in Wayne Co. 0807 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Mount Vernon 38.32N 88.91W 03/14/2024 Jefferson IL Emergency Mngr reports of thousands of power outages. 0829 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg West Salem 38.52N 88.01W 03/14/2024 Edwards IL Trained Spotter Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from West Salem. Trained spotter shared a picture on Twitter of a brick building with a part of an exterior wall collapsed on the town square in West Salem. Time estimated by radar. 0834 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 W Paducah 37.08N 88.69W 03/14/2024 McCracken KY NWS Storm Survey Corrects previous tstm wnd dmg report from 3 W Paducah start time. Sporadic damage consistent with 70-75 mph wind gusts were found from near Cunningham, KY to the north side of Paducah near 8th Street. The damage was not oriented consistently with a convergent path and is likely a result of intense straight-line winds/downbursts along the squall line that was moving through. 0835 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 E Cunningham 36.91N 88.87W 03/14/2024 Carlisle KY Emergency Mngr Power outages in the Cunningham area and northwest of Bardwell. Reports of trees down in both areas. 0835 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 5 ENE Bone Gap 38.47N 87.91W 03/14/2024 Wabash IL Emergency Mngr Roof off the south side of a church at 400 East and Wabash 17. 0836 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 6 NW Mount Carmel 38.47N 87.85W 03/14/2024 Wabash IL Emergency Mngr Tops removed off of cedar trees near E 700 Road and Wabash 17. 0838 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 NE Gage 37.02N 88.85W 03/14/2024 Ballard KY Emergency Mngr Roof blown off a barn on Phelps Road in southeast Ballard County. Time estimated from radar. 0846 PM Hail Maunie 38.04N 88.05W 03/14/2024 E0.75 inch White IL Public Report from mPING: Dime size hail. 0846 PM Hail Carrier Mills 37.68N 88.63W 03/14/2024 E0.88 inch Saline IL Law Enforcement 0853 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NNE Paducah 37.10N 88.63W 03/14/2024 McCracken KY Utility Company Metal roof removed from a building on North 8th street in Paducah. Numerous powerlines downed in the area as well. Radar and damage consistent with a small area of enhanced straight line winds. 0855 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NNW Hickory 36.84N 88.66W 03/14/2024 Graves KY Law Enforcement Trees and power lines down across the county, including in the Folsomdale, Hickory, and Viola areas. Time estimated by radar. 0900 PM Hail Murray 36.61N 88.32W 03/14/2024 M0.70 inch Calloway KY Trained Spotter 0902 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 NNW Francisco 38.39N 87.46W 03/14/2024 Gibson IN Public Report from mPING: 3-inch tree limbs broken; Power poles broken. 0904 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NNW Paducah 37.10N 88.66W 03/14/2024 McCracken KY Emergency Mngr Power lines down on home and trees down on Strathmoor Drive in Paducah. Also power outages reported on N 8th Street in Paducah and in the St. Johns area of McCracken County. 0914 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Petersburg 38.49N 87.28W 03/14/2024 Pike IN Trained Spotter Large tree limbs down with power outages. 0920 PM Hail Petersburg 38.49N 87.28W 03/14/2024 M1.00 inch Pike IN Trained Spotter Pea to Quarter sized hail. 0925 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SE Evansville 37.96N 87.51W 03/14/2024 Vanderburgh IN Trained Spotter Trees down with estimated 60 to 65 mph wind gusts at storm onset. Time estimated from radar. 0933 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 6 NW Sturgis 37.62N 88.06W 03/14/2024 M50 MPH Union KY Emergency Mngr 0945 PM Hail 1 NE Henderson 37.86N 87.57W 03/14/2024 E0.75 inch Henderson KY Public Report from mPING: Dime size hail. 1028 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 5 NE Herndon 36.76N 87.53W 03/14/2024 M75 MPH Christian KY Trained Spotter Spotter measured 75 mph gust on I-24 at KY Hwy 107. 1030 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Whitesville 37.68N 86.91W 03/14/2024 Daviess KY Emergency Mngr Tin roof removed off of a building in Whitesville. Only visible wind damage in the area. Some minor hail damage also reported in the area. && $$
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