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National Weather Service continues to assess the Mayfield Kentucky tornado

Tornado damage of the First Christian Church in Mayfield Kentucky from December 10, 2021.
Liam Niemeyer, WKMS Radio. Used with permission.
Tornado damage of the First Christian Church in Mayfield Kentucky from December 10, 2021.

It'll likely be several more days before the National Weather Service office in Paducah can determine the category of the tornado that hit Mayfield. But Meteorologist Michael York says they are learning some aspects of the tornado.

"It was a mile wide in some places. It was on the ground in the Western kentucky area for 128 miles. That does not include the part of the track that in Tennessee, Arkansas or central Kentucky."

York says they are gathering data from every damage point, and once that is done, the National Weather Service will be able to say what the highest wind speeds were and assign the tornado a rating on a scale of one to five.

Kevin Boucher is a retired broadcaster. Most recently he was a news reporter for WSIU radio. He grew up watching nature programs including Mutual of Omaha’s wild kingdom and the many Jacques Cousteau specials which sparked his passion with nature. Kevin also is an avid hiker and loves seeing and writing stories about the many fascinating plants and animals we share our planet with. Kevin is married and has lived in Murphysboro since 1976, after living in many places, including Japan, as the son of a Navy officer.


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