‘Quad-state’ supercell delivers December tornado disaster

A rare and intense December tornado outbreak focused its fury on parts of Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and particularly Kentucky on Dec. 10. One supercell delivered tornado damage from near Monette, Ark., through Mayfield, KY., and off to the northeast from there.

That storm has been confirmed to have produced two long-track EF4 tornadoes. One had a record-breaking 165.7 mile path across Kentucky.

“This will be one of the most significant, the most extensive disasters that Kentucky has faced,” said Michael Dossett, director of emergency management in the state, in the immediate aftermath.

See also: How Friday night’s rare and deadly December tornado outbreak unfolded

Storm rating specialists were called into the region to offer their expert opinions, as there was some likelihood of the damage being up to EF5 in intensity. Their investigation concluded that maximum winds of 190 mph fell just shy. There’s still some chance this will change in the future, but it’s an increasingly slim one.

It’s Kentucky’s first violent tornado in winter (Dec.-Feb.) and the first in the state since the 1974 Super Outbreak.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear initially expected the death toll in his state to be over 100, although deaths at the candle factory in town were considerably fewer than feared. With 90 confirmed deaths, the event goes down as December’s deadliest tornado volley. In fact, this month now ranks 10th deadliest for all months since 1950.

Gov. Beshear called it “the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event in Kentucky’s history.”

Given the storm’s unusual longevity, it was able to produce two violent EF4s with just a 15-mile break between them. In addition to entering the top-10 all time for path length, the 165.7 miles is the longest track in the Doppler radar era.

See also: The record-breaking tornadoes that swept the United States, by the numbers

Another supercell to the south of the quad-state storm also dropped a tornado that tracked 122.7 miles, reaching EF3 strength at peak. This plus the 166-mile track to the north made Dec. 10 join April 27, 2011 as the only other date in modern history with two tornadoes traveling so far.

Images tell quite the tale…

Please also consider donating to the effort in the region.

We’ll update as more is learned. Last updated: Dec. 31, 1:00 p CST.