March 2, 2012 -- Tornado near Locust

March 2, 2012
Tornado near Locust, KY

Back to the main event page for March 2, 2012

National Weather Service Product Timeline:
PDS Tornado Watch #58 issued at 105 PM EST.
Special Weather Statement issued at 304 PM EST.
Tornado Warning issued at 322 EST.
-- Follow Up issued at 334 EST. (Tornado Emergency)
-- Follow Up issued at 344 EST. (Tornado Emergency)
Tornado Warning issued at 350 EST. (Tornado Emergency)
-- Follow Up issued at 406 EST.
-- Follow Up issued at 420 EST.

This tornado began in Trimble County KY, and was also surveyed by the National Weather Service in Louisville, KY. For details of their survey, which included EF3 damage, please visit their website.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
330 PM EST TUE MAR 6 2012

...UPDATED TORNADO TRACK NEAR LOCUST IN CARROLL COUNTY 
KENTUCKY...

LOCATION...LOCUST IN CARROLL COUNTY KENTUCKY
DATE...MARCH 2 2012
ESTIMATED TIME...344 PM EST
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...95 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...150 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...2.5 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...38.6610N/85.2636W
ENDING LAT/LON...38.665N/85.219W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* 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 NEAR LOCUST IN CARROLL COUNTY KENTUCKY ON MARCH 2 2012.

A TORNADO TOUNCHED DOWN IN FAR WESTERN CARROLL COUNTY ABOUT 5 MILES 
WEST OF CARROLLTON. PER COORDINATION WITH DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS FROM 
THE NWS OFFICE IN LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY...THIS STORM IS A CONTINUATION 
OF ONE OF THE TORNADOES WHICH STRUCK TRIMBLE COUNTY KENTUCKY. 

THE EF1 DAMAGE BEGAN NEAR THE COUNTY LINE NEAR THE JUNCTION OF EAST 
PRONG LOCUST ROAD AND WRIGHTS RIDGE ROAD. THIS STORM HAD EARLIER 
CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE NEAR MILTON IN TRIMBLE COUNTY...BUT HAD 
WEAKENED TO EF1 STRENGTH BEFORE CROSSING INTO CARROLL COUNTY. THE 
STORM CONTINUED WITH AN EF1 STRENGTH INTO CARROLL COUNTY. 

THE DAMAGE BEGAN NEAR WRIGHTS RIDGE ROAD AND CONTINUED EAST 
NORTHEAST ALONG AND TO THE END OF WINDY RIDGE ROAD. THE PATH 
CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST ALONG KINGS RIDGE ROAD/ROUTE 1226. THE PATH 
THEN CONTINUED EAST NORTHEAST TO ROUTE 42 IN THE VICINITY OF KEMPER 
LANE NEAR THE HARBOR POINTE ESTATES COMMUNITY. THE PATH BRIEFLY 
CONTINUED BEFORE DIMINISHING.

DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH HIGH END EF0 TO LOW END EF1 DAMAGE.
SEVERAL STRUCTURES HAD MINOR TO MORE SIGNIFICANT ROOF
DAMAGE...WITH SOME STRUCTURES LOSING OVER 25 PERCENT OF THE ROOF
STRUCTURE. SEVERAL BARNS WERE DESTROYED...AS WELL AS WIDESPREAD 
HARDWOOD TREE DAMAGE...EITHER SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. THERE WERE AT 
LEAST 2 MOBILE HOMES WHICH WERE DESTROYED.

BASED ON THIS SURVEY...THE MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF THIS
TORNADO WAS 95 MPH.

ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF
CARROLLTON TO A LARGE STEEL WAREHOUSE BUILDING. A PORTION OF THE
ROOF WAS TORN OFF...LESS THAN 20 PERCENT...WITH SOME SIDING TORN
OFF THE STRUCTURE. LITTLE TO NO DAMAGE OF OTHER STRUCTURES OR
TREES WERE FOUND IN THIS AREA. THIS DAMAGE WAS MORE CONSISTENT
WITH STRAIGHT LINE WIND.

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.

$$

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