EF-1 tornado damages homes, barns late Wednesday in northern Nelson County

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Saturday, April 11, 2020 — The National Weather Service confirmed yesterday that an EF-1 tornado touched down in northern Nelson County Wednesday night April 8, damaging several homes and barns.

Despite several homes being damaged, there were no injuries or deaths reported due to the tornado.

At about 11:20 p.m, a tornado touched down about a mile and a half west/southwest of Fairfield, just west of Fairfield Road, KY 509, removing the upper part of the roof of a two story home.

The home’s owner was asleep in an upstairs bedroom at the time of the storm and reported hearing his ears popping right before he heard a large roar of wind over the house and bricks fell on his bed as the room was damaged. He was not injured.

The twister traveled in an east/southeast fashion, damaging homes and structures along KY 509. The tornado hit other farms and trees in its path on Murray’s Run Road, Plum Run Road, Chester Hahn Road. The tornado lost intensity, dropping to an EF-0 category storm before it lifted near Wilkerson Road.

The tornado’s top winds were estimated at 95 mph. The storm’s path was 45 yards wide at its widest, and it was on the ground for approximately four miles.

As the tornado pass over the Murray’s Run Road area, it stripped the sides off a large barn and destroyed a 72 x 12 shed. The weather service report states that timber from the barn was found impaled in the ground 75 to 80 yards down wind.

The family home at this farm was approximately 60 years from the damage path but did not suffer any damage.

Across Murray’s Run, a roof’s home and barn were extensively damaged. Debris from the barn was found as far away as 300 yards.

The family said that they heard all the doors in the house shut tightly and heard a distinctive roar.

The tornado also destroyed a barn on Chester Hahn Road and damaged trees near Dugan Lane.

-30-