LOUISVILLE (03/17/26) — The National Weather Service in Louisville released additional information on Sunday’s night tornado that caused damage in Grayson, Hardin and Meade Counties. The Weather Service said that the twister travelled over 40 miles from Caneyville across Grayson County into Hardin County with peak winds of over 100 miles an hour, then into southern Meade County before going back into Hardin before lifting on Fort Knox. Tornado damage was reported in all three counties, with straight line wind damage reported in Leitchfield. Tornadoes were also confirmed in Butler and Logan Counties, with damage in Nelson and Warren Counties still under review.
Weather Service Summary…
The first report of the tornado came from Caneyville Fire Department of a tornado touchdown observed north of Caneyville. Damage was observed
north of Caneyville with tree damage near Highway 79 to near Chronicle Lee Road. The tornado continued along Hopewell Road in Grayson County
near the Caneyville and Millwood areas. Several farm outbuildings had the roof peeled off, with one farm having wood planks from the barn
damage thrusted into the nearby residence. The residence also had shingle damage. Max winds of 100 mph were estimated in this location.The tornado continued to the northeast across Jones Hill and highway 54 to Stones Chapel Road. Several farm outbuildings and tree damage
was observed, including roof material lofted into nearby trees. The tornado continued across Clifty Church Drive where a farm had damage to
several outbuildings where rooftops were destroyed. At this location, 3 head of cattle were fatally injured resulting in roughly $7K in
damages. Debris from the farm was lofted into the treeline about a tenth of a mile from the property.The tornado continued to the northeast toward Lilac where several farm outbuildings on a hill top were completely destroyed. Wood planks
were driven into the ground in several directions and debris was lofted over the nearby hill. Significant tree damage was observed here as
well. Max estimated wind speeds of 110 mph were observed here.The tornado continued to the northeast toward Brandenburg road where trees were uprooted. The tornado continued across Rough River Lake and
into Hardin county near Hardin Springs where several trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado continued to the northeast near Pierce Mill
and Garfield. Significant damage occurred to a home near Pierce Mill Road, where a portion of the roof was taken from the home above the
garage and living space below. Mud splatter occurred to the front of the home at this location, and a wood plank was thrown backward into the
roof above the living room. Several wood pieces were impaled into the ground at the property.The tornado continued near Vertrees and toward Four Corners in Hardin County, where outbuilding damage was observed and several trees in a
tree line were snapped. Max winds were estimated to be near 100 mph at this location. The tornado continued towards Berrytown Road where
several locations had significant tree and farm outbuilding damage. Several barns lost their roofs with wood plank impalements nearby. Winds
were estimated to be around 110 mph at this location.The tornado continued across Rineyville road and Joe Prather Highway near Flaherty. The Meade County Bank had sign damage and some minor roof
damage. Damage was observed to trees and some houses along Camelot Drive and Rolling Hills Road. The tornado continued across fields and did
extensive damage to a farm beside Fort Avenue. Multiple farm buildings were significantly damaged with roofs lofted across Fort Avenue into a
field.The tornado continued across Highway 31 onto Fort Knox where an advanced spotter reported damage to trees on base. Up to that point, the storm
had been taking a hard left to the rest of the storm motion, and this last damage point was more in line with storm motion.Beyond this point, there was no observable or reported damage.
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Previous Story…
(UPDATE-11:40am, 03/17) — The National Weather Service in Louisville announced Tuesday morning that an EF-1 tornado with winds of 100 miles an hour caused damage across parts of Grayson, Hardin and Meade Counties Sunday night. There was also damage from straight line winds that survey teams are still reviewing.
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Original Story…
LOUISVILLE (03/16/26) — National Weather Service damage survey teams were scheduled to be in Grayson, Hardin and Meade Counties on Monday to review damage caused by the Sunday night storms. Warnings were issued Sunday night as a line of storms with high winds and possible tornadoes swept through the area. The Kentucky Mesonet station near Leitchfield measured a peak wind gust of 62 miles an hour Sunday night, while the Hardin County station reported a 57 mph gust. No injuries were reported.
