Louisville, KY

Weather Forecast Office

March 30-31, 2025 Severe Event

Overview

On the night of March 30th, 2025 and the early morning of March 31st, 2025, a strong QLCS moved through the Ohio Valley bringing widespread wind damage, hail, and multiple tornadoes.

Map of all tornado paths from the March 30, 2025 event.

Tornado
Photos & Video
Storm Reports
Environment

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Harned, Kentucky
Breckinridge County

Date	March 30, 2025
Time (Local)	9:20 - 9:23 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	2.55 miles
Max Width	30 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in Breckinridge County, near the communities of Hardinsburg and Harned, and determined an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph occurred the evening of March 30th, 2025. The tornado had a path length of 2.55 miles and a width of 30 yards. More...

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Midway/Doe Valley, Kentucky
Meade, Hardin, and Bullitt Counties

Date	March 30, 2025
Time (Local)	9:23 - 9:55 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	105 mph
Path Length	31.10 miles
Max Width	500 yards
Injuries/Deaths	1/0
Summary: The National Weather Service surveyed a long-track EF-1 tornado that moved from Midway through the north side of Fort Knox and then ended just west of the Clermont exit on I-65. Numerous trees were downed or snapped along the damage path, which ran a little over 30 miles and was on the ground a little over 30 minutes. More...

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Radcliff, Kentucky
Meade and Hardin Counties

Date	March 30, 2025
Time (Local)	9:35 - 9:44 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	7.21 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in Meade and Hardin County, near the communities of Flaherty and Radcliff, and determined an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph occurred the evening of March 30th, 2025. The tornado had a path length of 7.21 miles and a width of 50 yards. More...

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Fairdale, Kentucky
Jefferson County

Date	March 30, 2025
Time (Local)	9:48 - 9:54 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	5.43 miles
Max Width	30 yards
Injuries/Deaths	1/0
Summary: The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey for south Louisville near the Fairdale community and determined an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph occurred the evening of March 30th, 2025. The tornado had a path length of 5.43 miles and a width of 30 yards. More...

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Mt. Eden, Kentucky
Spencer County

Date	March 30, 2025
Time (Local)	10:23 - 10:27 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	2.5 miles
Max Width	80 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The National Weather Service damage survey team confirmed an EF1 tornado in Eastern Spencer County, in between Little Mount and Mount Eden. The tornado touched down on the south side of Hickory Ridge Rd, just east of Ten Mile Lane. There was sporadic topped and twisted trees, visible from drone photography. Tornado tornado wind speeds were estimated to be 80 mph, EF0, and 50 yards wide. More...

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

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

Photos & Video


Tornado damage in Harned, KY (Breckinridge County)	Damage to a barn in Mt Eden, KY (Spencer County)	Tornado damage to trees in Doe Valley, KY (Meade County)	Damage to a building in Radcliff, KY (Hardin County)

Storm Reports

Storm Report Map

LSR Summary

Environment

An upper-level shortwave trough moved across the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valley during the evening hours on March 30th. A 35-40 kt southwesterly low-level jet provided sufficient shear for severe storms, while a warm and humid environment ahead of a cold front provided the necessary fuel.


Figure 1: 500 mb Heights and Winds at 8 PM EDT 03/30	Figure 2: 850 mb Heights and Winds at 8 PM EDT 03/30	Figure 3: Surface Temperatures, Dewpoints, and Mean Sea Level Pressure at 8 PM EDT 03/30

Surface-based instability between 1000-2000 J/kg ahead of the cold front provided ample fuel for thunderstorms. Moderate to strong low-to-mid level flow resulted in enough vertical wind shear for storms to become strong and severe. One key parameter was the 0-3 km bulk shear vector, which was oriented from west-southwest to east-northwest around 35 kt in the vicinity of the tornadic portion of the line. Where the line was oriented more north-south, this shear vector was more favorable for mesovortex genesis, which was between downtown Louisville and the Western Kentucky Parkway.


Figure 4: Surface-based CAPE at 9 PM EDT 03/30	Figure 5: 0-3 km Bulk Shear at 9 PM EDT 03/30	Figure 6: 0-1 km Storm-Relative Helicity at 9 PM EDT 03/30

Note the corridor of significant tornado parameter values greater than 1 just ahead of the tornadic portion of the QLCS. LCL heights were not particularly low (between 750-1000 m), but were sufficient to sustain tornadic potential for a few hours on the evening of March 30th.


Figure 7: Lifting Condensation Level Heights at 9 PM EDT 03/30	Figure 8: Significant Tornado Parameter at 9 PM EDT 03/30

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