It feels more like fall now that a cold front has passed across the region, but that doesn’t mean severe weather is out of the picture. That’s why the National Weather Service in Paducah has designated this week as Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week in our region to remind us that tornadoes have caused loss of life and much destruction in our region during the fall season.
The National Weather Service indicates late September through October and much of November typically bring more favorable conditions for tornadoes and other severe thunderstorm events such as large hail and damaging winds. They say this increase is driven by a more dynamic atmosphere that occurs during the fall transition to cooler temperatures.
Some stark reminders of our fall tornado threat include:
*September 22-23, 2006: 10 tornadoes struck our region, including a violent EF4 over Perry County, Missouri and Jackson County, Illinois.
*October 18, 2007: 16 tornadoes pummeled our region, including an EF3 tornado in Owensboro that injured twenty-two people.
*October 31, 2013: A record October outbreak occurred with 19 tornadoes and two (2) microbursts.
*November 6, 2005: An EF3 tornado developed near Smith Grove, Kentucky before killing 25 people in the Evansville area.
*November 15, 2005: An EF4 tornado struck the Madisonville area, injuring 27 people, with the longest track Kentucky tornado (EF3) in decades striking Marshall and adjacent counties.
*November 27, 2013: A dozen tornadoes, including eight (8) in the strong catergory, tore across our region, injuring dozens and killing three (3) in or near Brookport, Illinois.
*December 23, 2015: Nine (9) tornadoes struck our region.
As a result, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Paducah say it is vital that you be prepared as we progress through the fall tornado season and beyond.