Dangerous Heat Expands; Heavy Rainfall Threats; Fire Weather Concerns for the West

The heat will increase and expand across the Central Plains, Mississippi Valley, Southeast and into the Eastern U.S. through the week as high pressure builds across the eastern two-thirds of the country. On the northern periphery of this heat, the threat for severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across the northern Plains and upper Midwest through Tuesday. Critical Fire Weather for the west. Read More >

Overview

A warm front lifted northward along the KY/TN border New Years Eve into the morning hours on New Years Day. South of the warm front an unstable environment was in place before a cold front swept through the region from the northwest. This caused thunderstorms to develop across our southern counties in west Kentucky overnight and into the morning hours. A couple of tornadoes occurred in our far southeast counties including an EF-2 that struck the downtown area of Hopkinsville, KY shortly after 9 AM.

Tornado
Photos
Radar

Tornadoes:

Tornado #1 - Hopkinsville, KY
Christian County

Date	1/1/2022
Time (CST)	9:21 - 9:22 AM CST
EF Rating	EF-2
Est. Peak Winds	115 mph
Path Length	1.1 miles
Max Width	125 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Major roof damage to a church (part of it removed). Many trees uprooted and several snapped. Numerous large branches down. Roof and small part of wall removed on a brick home. Several businesses with minor to moderate roof damage, a few major. A gas station canopy destroyed along with gas pumps and a few businesses with glass and entryway damage.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado #2 - Allensville, KY
Todd & Logan Counties

Date	1/1/2022
Time (Local)	11:16 - 11:21 AM CST
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	85 mph
Path Length	5.6 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Many large tree branches broken. A few trees snapped. Half of a roof removed of a large pole barn with two large garage doors blown in.

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


Tornado damage in Hopkinsville, KY via WHOP AM-FM	Tornado damage in Hopkinsville, KY via WHOP AM-FM	Tornado damage in Hopkinsville, KY via Paul Miles	Tornado damage in Hopkinsville, KY via Paul Miles

Radar

Click here for an interactive radar loop from this event

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Dangerous Heat Expands; Heavy Rainfall Threats; Fire Weather Concerns for the West

Summary of severe weather and tornadoes on New Year's Day 2022