NOUS43 KJKL 211649 PNSJKL KYZ079-080-220500- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Jackson KY 1249 PM EDT Wed May 21 2025 ...NWS Damage Survey for May 16, 2025 Russell, Pulaski, and Laurel County Tornado Event... .Overview...A large tornado touched down near the Whittle community in Russell County. The tornado then continued eastward for just over 55 miles, tracking across all of Pulaski County and into Laurel County; where it lifted just east of the city of London. During it's time on the ground it caused considerable damage in the city of Somerset, as well as London, where most of the casualties occurred. The peak wind speed was 170 mph based on damage incurred in the Sunshine Hills subdivision. Satellite imagery also shows a track a mile wide as it plowed through parts of the Daniel Boone National Forest between Somerset and London. This is one of the strongest tornadoes and also the deadliest to ever impact the Jackson NWS coverage area. .Somerset-London... Rating: EF4 Estimated Peak Wind: 170 mph Path Length /statute/: 55.60 miles Path Width /maximum/: 1700 yards Fatalities: 19 Injuries: N/A Start Date: 05/16/2025 Start Time: 10:33 PM EDT Start Location: Whittle / Russell County / KY Start Lat/Lon: 37.0277 / -84.956 End Date: 05/16/2025 End Time: 11:56 PM EDT End Location: 2 W Lida / Laurel County / KY End Lat/Lon: 37.0842 / -83.9647 Survey Summary: NWS teams dispatched on Saturday morning to Russell and Pulaski Counties, where they were able to confirm a touchdown near the community of Whittle, east of Jamestown on Tucker Ridge, shortly after 10:30 PM EDT. The tornado then continued eastward across the Pulaski County line, where it caused considerable damage near the Faubush and Nancy communities, before making it's way to the south side of Somerset. Here it strengthened as it came down a steep hillside into the city. Some residences and numerous businesses were affected, with survey results showing up to EF3 damage along Parkers Mill Way and S Hwy 27. On the eastern edge of the city it affected the South Kentucky RECC, causing catastrophic damage to all buildings, as well as surrounding businesses. The damage path continued on eastward towards the Daniel Boone National Forest, where additional EF3 damage was incurred. This includes the lifting, crumpling, and throwing of a high tension power pole eastward several hundred yards downwind in a nearby field off of Rush Branch Road, and destroying multiple residences. High-resolution satellite imagery shows the tornado plowing through the Daniel Boone, with complete destruction of trees through the middle of the path. It also reveals a path width of nearly a mile wide during this time, including the strongest inflow into the storm. This was also confirmed by the survey crew on Monday. The tornado then exited the forest and moved towards the south side of London. It is at this point that it started impacting large residential areas as it set sites on the London-Corbin Airport. Two teams surveyed the damage in southern London for several days. The survey results showed that the tornado continued to strengthen just west of the I-75 corridor, as it started towards the Sunshine Hills subdivision. It was here that some of the heaviest damage occurred, with the tornado taking a direct path through the subdivision. Many homes were wiped clean from their foundations, with vehicles thrown and trees debarked with only stubs of the largest limbs left. It is in this subdivision where the majority of casualties occurred. Survey teams and subject- matter experts all looked at the damage that had occurred in this location and agreed that the tornado had increased again to around 170mph based on the damage, making it an EF-4 rated tornado. After the tornado passed over I-75, it headed for the airport, continuing to cause high end EF-3 damage to both the airport and residential communities adjacent to the west. After exiting the airport, it caused extensive damage at Levi Jackson Park, the Laurel County Fairgrounds, Crooked Creek Golf Course, and neighboring subdivisions. The tornado began to lose considerable strength after this point, with generally EF0 damage reported as it neared East Laurel Road (Hwy-80) and Mt. Salem Rd (KY-488). The tornado appears to have lifted just east of KY-488, based on NWS ground surveys, satellite, and aerial video. NWS survey teams followed the circulation path eastward through Clay and Leslie, but were unable to find any reports that the tornado touched back down in these counties. By the time it lifted, just a few minutes before midnight, the tornado had carved out a damage path of 55.6 miles over the course of 3 counties. One death was reported in Russell and another in Pulaski County. Sadly, 17 lives were lost in Laurel County. Our hearts go out to those affected in the line of this unprecedented tornado. The NWS Jackson, KY wants to give special thanks to NWS Nashville, NWS Louisville, and the NWS Quick Response Team for their damage survey assistance. Also, thank you to the Pulaski and Laurel County Emergency Management, as well as to local law enforcement for aiding the NWS staff during the survey process. && EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0.....65 to 85 mph EF1.....86 to 110 mph EF2.....111 to 135 mph EF3.....136 to 165 mph EF4.....166 to 200 mph EF5.....>200 mph NOTE: The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data. $$ JMW