2012 Crittenden tornado
2012 EF4 tornado in Northern Kentucky, US
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In the afternoon hours of March 2, 2012, a short-lived yet deadly tornado stuck the communities of Crittenden,[2] Piner,[3] Fiskburg,[4] and Morning View[5] in the U.S. state of Kentucky.[3] The tornado was spawned from the same supercell that previously produced a deadly tornado that struck the community of Henryville, Indiana.[2] The tornado was rated an EF4 with a maximum wind speed of 175 miles per hour[6][5][4] on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Velocity signature of the tornado as it was near Piner, Kentucky | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 2, 2012, 4:23 p.m. EST (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | March 2, 2012, 4:32 p.m. EST (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 9 minutes[1] |
| EF4 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 175 mph (282 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Injuries | 8 |
| Damage | $20.5 million (2012 USD) |
Areas affected | Grant Coutny, Kenton County including Crittenden, Piner, and Morning View |
Part of the Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012 and Tornadoes of 2012 | |
Just twenty minutes after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the region, the tornado first touched down in Crittenden, crossing northeast through the town's northwest before reaching Interstate 75, where its strength intensified.
The tornado tracked 9.85 miles through Grant County, and Kenton County,[7] destroying houses mainly in Crittenden at EF4 intensity; it claimed the lives of 4, and injured 8 more.[4][3] The tornado dissipated just nine minutes after forming and was the last tornado in Kentucky to be rated an EF4 until the 2021 Western Kentucky tornado, which will kill 57 people on December 10.[8]
Meteorological synopsis
On March 1, 2012, a moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the Storm Prediction Center for March 2 a day in advance for a large area from near Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Dayton, Ohio as an intense low-pressure area tracked across the region in a very high shear and convective instability environment.[9] The severe weather agency noted that the environment, consisting of high convective available potential energy (CAPE), favorable thermodynamics, and a warm front that was expected to destabilize the atmosphere across portions of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys, would support an environment for intense tornadoes across the moderate risk area.[9] Parts of the risk area were upgraded to a high risk of severe weather, primarily for Middle Tennessee and central Kentucky, which was later extended into central and southern Indiana, as well as southern Ohio.[10][11] The Storm Prediction Center noted the combination of a destabilizing warm sector, favorable dewpoints, a forcing mechanism, and strong lower-level shear; this would lead to the potential for significant, long-tracked tornadoes.[11]
Tornado summary
Following the Henryville tornado, the same supercell moved east and rapidly started spinning again before entering the town limits of Crittenden. At 4:03 PM, a tornado warning was issued for several towns including Crittenden:[citation needed]
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
- TORNADO WARNING FOR...
EXTREME SOUTHERN BOONE COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... NORTHWESTERN BRACKEN COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... CAMPBELL COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... NORTHERN GRANT COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... KENTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... NORTHERN PENDLETON COUNTY IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY... SOUTHERN CLERMONT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OHIO...
- UNTIL 445 PM EST.
- AT 414 PM EST...RADAR WAS TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ELLISTON...MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL. DEBRIS HAS BEEN REPORTED FALLING FROM THE SKY IN THIS AREA...INDICATING A TORNADO IS STILL ON THE GROUND!
- LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... CRITTENDEN...
BUTLER...
IN ADDITION...VERONA...SHERMAN...BRACHT...PINER...ATWOOD... GARDNERSVILLE...FISKBURG AND MORNING VIEW ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION!
THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING INTERSTATES... I-71 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 66 AND 75 IN KENTUCKY...
I-75 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 163 AND 172 IN KENTUCKY...
the tornado touched down near the northwest of Crittenden, Kentucky at 4:23 PM EST, doing minor damage before moving northeast and entering the northwestern part of the town. The tornado then crossed over Interstate 75, hurling vehicles and killing 1 woman. then rapidly intensified and inflicted EF4 damage on the northside of town. All 4 fatalities occurred in northern Crittenden.[5][a] The tornado then continued east, continuing to inflict EF4 damage before leaving Crittenden's northern section located in southern Kenton County.[citation needed]
The tornado continued northeast after crossing the Grant County—Kenton County border towards Piner, where the storm would produce EF1 to high-end EF3 damage, ripping a roof off of a brick house, with sections ripped off of the foundation of the home.[citation needed] Two other homes were ripped off of their foundations, with vehicles being thrown up to a quarter of a mile away from their spots,[4][5] giving a high-end EF3 rating in this area.
The tornado moved out of Piner, taking a more eastern direction towards Morning View, Kentucky, which then involved a rear flank downdraft (RFD) of around 100 MPH, which destroyed barns and outbuildings. The tornado soon then entered Mountain View doing EF1-EF2 damage in the area before dissipating at 4:32 pm EST.[12]
Aftermath
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After the tornado dissipated, it had killed four people and injured eight others.[13] It caused over $20.5 million (2012 USD) in damage, most of which happened in Crittenden. Traveling 9.85 miles (15.85 km), it lasted about 9 minutes, and had a peak width of 1.5 miles.[13]
See also
- 2012 Henryville tornado – Another violent tornado from the same outbreak.
- 2021 Western Kentucky tornado – The next violent tornado to happen in Kentucky.
- List of F4, EF4, and IF4 tornadoes
- Tornadoes of 2012
Notes
- Located in Kenton County