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Last Friday’s tornado in western Kentucky lasted for more than 2 hours, leaving a 165-mile trail of destruction and killing at least 76 people. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the preliminary rating is now an EF4, which means it caused “devastating damage” and had wind speeds from 207 to 260 mph. (EF5 tornadoes, with wind speeds reaching 260 to 318 mph, are the most destructive kind.)
The National Centers for Environmental Information’s Storm Events Database provides data on over 70,000 tornadoes dating all the way back to 1950. An analysis of this historical database shows that the circumstances of the Kentucky twister make it incredibly rare. Only 1.7% of tornadoes have happened in Kentucky; only 1.8% have had a rating of EF4 or higher, or F4 or higher before the scale was updated in 2007; and only 2.5% of tornadoes have ever occurred in December. In fact, there has never been a tornado like this one with all three of these conditions combined.
Kentucky isn’t generally as afflicted by tornadoes as other states, though. It ranks 25th for number of tornadoes in the available data for 2021, and 23rd historically. Data for 2021 is still making its way into the Storm Events Database – at the time of writing this article, its records go out to the end of September. The states with the highest totals historically are Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, members of the infamous Tornado Alley.
Last Friday’s tornado is now tied for the deadliest on record in Kentucky, the other being a twister that struck in 1890.
Gov. Andy Beshear requested an emergency declaration the day after Friday’s disaster to accelerate federal emergency assistance. It was approved by President Joe Biden that same day, followed by a major disaster declaration on Sunday. The president visited Kentucky on Wednesday to survey the damage and meet with local leaders and victims.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working alongside several voluntary organizations to aid in recovery efforts. The agency notes that financial contributions are the “fastest, most flexible and most effective method of donating,” and provides details on how to contribute supplies and volunteer time as well.