Throwback 2012 #4 Early March Tornadoes

Today's throwback is remembering the March 2nd-3rd, 2012 Tornado Outbreak. Much of the Ohio River Valley was affected by these storms. This outbreak caused 40 fatalities, 20 of which were in Kentucky. A deep low pressure over the Great Lakes allowed for the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico to come up to create prime atmospheric conditions for tornadoes. Below is a map of storm reports put together by the Storm Prediction Center. Keep in mind that several tornado reports can be for the same tornado.


After the National Weather Service went to look at the storm damage they confirmed that there were 70 tornadoes during this outbreak. The maximum rated tornado was an EF 4. There were two that occurred during this outbreak. The first of the two occurred in Southern Indiana near New Pekin, Indiana. This EF 4 traveled almost 50 miles from New Pekin through Bradford, Kentucky, which in the very northern part of Kentucky. This tornado alone claimed 11 lives. This tornado is referred to locals as the Henryville tornado. I actually have a couple of friends that live down in that area and they said the devastation was terrible.

The second of the EF 4 tornadoes occurred in Crittenden, Kentucky. This tornado claimed 4 lives and destroyed 5 homes.

There was also several tornadoes that occurred in Alabama during this outbreak.

Photos/ Info From:
noaa.gov
spc.noaa.gov
wn.com