The Immeasurable Cost of the December 10-11, 2021 Tornado Outbreak

Last year, many of us watched as storms tore apart lives and communities across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, and Kentucky. After events of this magnitude, images depicting seas of wreckage where homes and businesses once stood can blind us to the true nature of the loss at hand. Ranging from six days to 98 years of age, a total of 92 people lost their lives during the tornado event. They were cherished as friends or family by thousands. This article details the stories of every one of those people, as well as all of the 23 significant tornadoes that formed during this event.

Evansville Area F3 Tornado – November 6, 2005

During the early morning of November 6, 2005, a devastating tornado traveled just over 41 miles from near Smith Mills, KY through southern Evansville, IN northeast to near Gentryville, IN. The tornado crossed the Ohio River three times. A summary via NWS Paducah states that 25 were killed. It was the deadliest tornado to hit Indiana since 1974.

North Central KY F4 Tornado – May 28, 1996

The supercell that produced this tornado had already spawned an F2 in Harrison County, IN. The storm progressed across the Ohio River and another tornado formed, quickly strengthening. Most of the damage was F3 in Bullitt and Spencer Counties. There was at least one home surveyed by the NWS in Hillview that had F4 damage.

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