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Committee Confirms Kentucky Wind Gust Record Shattered

April 22, 2022
By WeatherBug Sr. Meteorologist, Chad Merrill
While many Tennessee and Ohio valley residents see strong gusts with late fall, winter and spring frontal systems, not many people associate anomalous gusts with wintertime thunderstorms. As a matter of fact, a recent assessment found an early winter thunderstorm outbreak in Kentucky shattered the record books.

A rare early winter severe weather outbreak on December 10, 2021, killed more than 80 people from Missouri to Ohio. A large EF-4 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds up to 190 mph caused damage along a 163-mile-long path in western Kentucky that day. 

The storm went directly over an official observation site that was 5.7 miles southwest of Mayfield at 9:24 p.m. CST. The anemometer or wind instrument measured a wind gust of 107.1 mph. Officials believe the wind gust was associated with a tornado circulation or violent thunderstorm downdraft. 

The tornado passed over another observational point located 1.5 miles southeast of Princeton in Kentucky. The top-end gust measured on this anemometer was 75 mph before the upper part of the tower failed and the instrument stopped recording data. The lower mounted anemometer recorded a wind gust of 120.1 mph. Meteorologists surveyed the anemometer and determined it was functioning properly at the time it measured the strong wind gust. 

A team of meteorologists met during a conference in early March and determined a wind speed measured in a tornado circulation should count as a record wind gust. By unanimous vote, the committee determined the 120.1 mph gust measured near Princeton was valid and should be counted in Kentucky’s wind gust database. Additionally, it bests the previous wind gust record of 100.8 mph in 2011, which occurred within a line of severe thunderstorms on April 25. 

Both record wind events serve as an important reminder of the dangers associated with thunderstorms. The severe weather season in Kentucky typically ramps up in late May and begins to fade after early July. Remember, a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather and a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Warning means the danger is imminent or already in progress. Have your WeatherBug application on hand during severe weather for the latest information. 
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Story Image: A view from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite on December 10, 2021 captures the tornado outbreak across the central and southern U.S. (Courtesy NOAA)