Event narrative (NOAA)
A storm survey was done by NWS personnel on Wednesday May 24. The survey found severe damage to residential and industrial structures. Three vortices combined into a single tornado north of Leitchfield, then moved east to southeast at 40 to 45 mph. The path moved through the northeast and east sections of Leitchfield and beyond. (Path length and width are estimated). The structural damaged evidenced the presence of an F3 tornado, with maximum winds around 175 mph. Houses that were virtually destroyed, but still had parts of their structure remaining above the main floor, were the basis of the F3 evaluation. Severe damage to nearby factories also supported the F3 evaluation.
Other notable tornado events in Kentucky
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.