Tornadoes of November 20, 1950

November 20, 1950
Counties: Scott, KY
F-scale: F1
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Path width: 100 yards
Path length: 5 miles
Time: 4:00am
Notes: A strong thunderstorm passed through Georgetown in the pre-dawn hours. Wind damage was spread across about a six mile wide swath south through east of town, with a small tornado embedded within. The actual tornado probably touched down just west of Lexington Road about 3/4 of a mile northwest of the Fayette County line. It traveled to the northeast across Lemons Mill Road and then to the north-northeast along Crumbaugh Road, across Paris Pike, and up Old Oxford Road, dissipating before reaching Cynthiana Road. The first places hit were the Anderson Farm about three miles south of Georgetown, where a cabin lost its roof, the Showalters Farm just south of there, and Julia Marcum's place next door to the Showalters. Julia's barn's roof was blown into Georgetown Cemetery. Then the barn of T. P. Pickett was unroofed on Lemons Mill Road. On Lemons Mill Pike the John Drake Farm and the home of Dr. S. S. Amerson were hit. Turning more towards the north, the roof of a barn on Crumbaugh Road owned by C. A. Thornton was blown off. The Earl Watson farm was damaged as the tornado crossed Paris Pike. The worst damage of the event occurred just before the tornado dissipated, when it removed the roof and broke the windows of a home owned by Lewis Oliver on Old Oxford Road. The house was built in 1777 (this project wonders if it was the Charles Whitaker House). After then damaging the Hixson Farm, the twister dissipated. One resident on Oxford Pike said, "The noise of the twister was worse than the noise of a train passing near you." Trees were uprooted all along the tornado's path. Nearby straight-line wind damage in Georgetown was comparatively light. A barn was slightly damaged in the South Hudson neighborhood, a barn was damaged on Fountain Avenue, and the home of Sheriff Deputy Murphy on Clayton Avenue lost its two chimneys and suffered other roof damage as well.
Noted discrepancies: SPC and NCDC call this an F1, Grazulis calls it an F2. SPC gives a path length of 1/10 of a mile, NCDC provides no length, and Grazulis gives a length of 5 miles. SPC gives a width of 10 yards, NCDC provides no width, and Grazulis gives 100 yards. Grazulis' path length and width are probably more correct.