Kentucky Tornado Upgraded to EF-4; Only Second Equivalent March Storm in State

The National Weather Service late this afternoon upgraded the status of the March 2 tornado near Crittenden and Piner, Kentucky to EF-4. According to National Climatic Data Center records, this is only the second tornado of EF-4/F-4 intensity to occur during March in the state of Kentucky. The previous one, on March 4, 1964 caused 3 deaths and 24 injuries in Calloway and Marshall counties. From the NWS summary:

LOCATION...CRITTENDEN AND PINER IN GRANT AND KENTON COUNTY KENTUCKY
DATE...MARCH 2 2012
ESTIMATED TIME...430 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF4
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...175 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...ONE HALF MILE
PATH LENGTH...10 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...38.791N/84.633W
ENDING LAT/LON...38.8324N/84.459W
* FATALITIES...4
* INJURIES...8  

IMMEDIATELY AS THE TORNADO CROSSED FROM WEST TO EAST OF INTERSTATE 
75...THE STORM STRENGTHENED TO EF4 LEVEL WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 175 
MPH. WHILE A TOTAL OF FIVE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WERE DESTROYED TO 
THEIR FOUNDATIONS IN THE AREA...AT LEAST TWO OF THESE HOMES MET THE
EF4 CRITERIA OF SUFFICIENT FOUNDATION STRAPPING/BOLTING.

ALL 4 FATALITIES WITH THIS TORNADO OCCURRED WITHIN THE AREA OF EF4 
LEVEL DAMAGE.

THE EF4 LEVEL DAMAGE WAS FOUND FROM THE EAST SIDE OF INTERSTATE 75 
TO THE NORTH END OF OLD LEXINGTON PIKE...WHERE 2 HOMES AND MULTIPLE 
OUTBUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. BOTH HOMES WERE BRICK 
STRUCTURES WITH FOUNDATION BOLTING OR STRAPPING. THE EF4 LEVEL WINDS 
CONTINUED ACROSS ROUTE 25/DIXIE HIGHWAY...AND ENDED NEAR THE BAGBY 
ROAD AREA. AT LEAST 2 VEHICLES WERE CARRIED...WITH ONE CARRIED OVER 
1800 FEET. TREES WERE STRIPPED OF NEARLY ALL BRANCHES...WITH MUCH OF 
THE BARK ALSO STRIPPED. 

Image (click to enlarge): EF-4 tornado track near Crittenden and Piner, Kentucky, March 2, 2012, from National Weather Service