July 21, 2026 -- Tornado NE of Owenton, KY

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
507 PM EDT Tue Jul 28 2026

...NWS Damage Survey for July 21 2026 Tornado Event...

EF1 Tornado confirmed in Carroll, Gallatin, Owen, and Grant
counties in Kentucky.

July 28 update: this statement has been updated to change the end
location of the tornado.

Rating:                 EF1
Estimated Peak Wind:    110 mph
Path Length /statute/:  27.0 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   500 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               1

Start Date:             07/21/2026
Start Time:             03:12 PM EDT
Start Location:         3 NW Sanders / Carroll County / KY
Start Lat/Lon:          38.6908 / -84.9862

End Date:               07/21/2026
End Time:               04:03 PM EDT
End Location:           3 NNE Corinth / Grant County / KY
End Lat/Lon:            38.5349 / -84.5402

Survey Summary:
The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF1 tornado in
Carroll, Gallatin, Owen, and Grant counties in Kentucky. This
tornado occurred during the afternoon of July 21, 2026.

The first evidence of the tornado was along Kentucky State Route 
47 near and northwest of Interstate 71 in Carroll County, where 
some large branches and a couple trees were downed. Much more 
significant damage occurred between the Gallatin County Airport 
and Eagle Creek, including State Route 467. Significant tree 
damage was noted here, including a majority of the trees along the
Eagle Creek bottomland with their trunks snapped. This is 
believed to be one of the locations where the tornado was near 
peak intensity, with maximum winds of around 110 MPH. Drone 
footage provided by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office confirmed
the scope of the tree damage at this location. Additional stands 
of snapped trees were observed near New Liberty Sparta Road.

As the tornado moved into Owen County, a property on State Route 
35 near US Route 127 sustained significant damage to numerous 
outbuildings. On Stewart Ridge Road, one residence was destroyed, 
with wood posts on a concrete slab snapped off. An injury occurred
at this location when a large RV was rolled by the tornado. An 
old tobacco barn near this location was destroyed, and several 
snapped trees were also observed in the vicinity.

On Golden Circle Road and Jonesville Road, numerous trees were 
downed, and roof damage was observed on several outbuildings. One 
home on Jonesville Road had its roof lifted. Another outbuilding 
was destroyed at a property on Agee Road, with significant damage 
to trees along the hillside near this location. Drone footage 
provided by Owen County Search and Rescue provided significant 
help for determining the location of damage in this area.

The tornado weakened somewhat as it approached State Route 22, 
with just a few trees damaged. However, a more concentrated area 
of downed trees was noted near the bridge on Cross Roads Drive and
Lusby Mill Road, as the tornado crossed from Owen County into 
Grant County. One house near this bridge had significant roof 
damage. The last observed damage was at a property north of Keefer
Road. At this property, three outbuildings were mostly or 
completely destroyed, and the house lost a significant portion of 
its roof. The brick garage of the house was shifted very slightly 
on its slab foundation, with cracks in some of the bricks noted. 
Debris from this location was carried into the tree line to the 
east. This location is also a place where the tornado was near 
peak intensity, with maximum winds of around 110 MPH. The tornado 
weakened as it moved east, with occasional additional damage noted
north of Keefer Road, on US Route 25, and on Fork Lick Road.

The National Weather Service would like to thank the emergency 
management agencies in Carroll, Gallatin, Owen, and Grant 
counties, along with Kentucky Emergency Management Area 6, for 
their assistance in this damage survey.

&&

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

EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>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.

$$

HATZOS/04