The March 2, 2012 tornado
EF2Laurel County, Kentucky
An EF2 tornado on a 7.2-mile path that killed 6 and injured 40. It was one of 70 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. that day, 10 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Watch how it happened Part of the outbreak of March 2, 2012: 70 tornadoes in 11 statesEF2 tornado · March 2, 2012
How it happened
Follow the tornado’s path, minute by minute.
The tornado
- Rating
- EF2
- Enhanced Fujita scale
- Path length
- 7.2 mi
- Width up to 310 yards
- Killed
- 6
- Along the whole path
- Injured
- 40
- Along the whole path
- Date and time
- Friday, March 2, 2012
- 7:04 PM EST
The National Weather Service account
Written by the local Weather Service office after its damage survey.
A storm damage survey team from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson, Kentucky confirmed that an EF-2 tornado moved across portions of Laurel County on March 2, 2012. The tornado touched down southwest of Wood Creek Lake at 704 pm EST, and tracked northeast crossing I-75 and Highway 490 before lifting just south of the Victory community. Winds were estimated to have reached 125 mph. This tornado damaged or destroyed several residences. Five fatalities occurred on March 2nd with another person dieing on March 23rd from injuries they received as their mobile home was impacted by the tornado on March 2nd. All fatalities occurred in mobile homes.
The storm system that day
During the afternoon and evening hours of March 2nd, 2012, an historic tornado outbreak occurred in eastern Kentucky. Tornadoes struck Menifee, Morgan, Bath, Wolfe, Laurel, Johnson and Martin Counties causing a combined 16 deaths in those counties. The hardest hit areas were West Liberty in Morgan county, Salyersville in Magoffin county, and East Bernstadt in Laurel county. One of the strongest tornadoes in this outbreak, rated at EF-3 with winds estimated at 140 mph, caused extensive damage in Menifee and Morgan counties. This tornado killed 2 people in Menifee county and took an additional 6 lives in Morgan county. The town of West Liberty was particularly hard hit, with every building in the downtown area suffering some degree of damage. Several homes were swept off their foundations. ||A second EF-3 tornado touched down in extreme southeast Wolfe County and cut a path of damage across portions of Magoffin, Johnson, and Martin Counties. This twister was at its most intense strength in Magoffin and Johnson Counties, with winds estimated at 160 mph. This tornado caused catastrophic damage in parts of Salyersville. This second tornado killed 2 people in Johnson County. ||A third strong tornado caused extensive damage in and near the community of East Bernstadt in Laurel County. This tornado was rated at EF-2 and caused 6 fatalities. Most of these deaths occurred when several trailer homes were picked up and destroyed by the tornado. ||An EF-1 tornado was also confirmed in Bath County. This tornado caused extensive damage to trees, farm buildings and residences along its track. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries occurred as a result of this tornado. ||The storms that occurred on March 2nd also produced very large hail. Reports were received of hailstones as big as baseballs. Extensive damage to trees and structures due to thunderstorm wind gusts also occurred. To top it all off, the heavy rain produced by the large and powerful thunderstorms lead to flash flooding in several counties where tornadoes also occurred.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
Counties on its path
Other notable tornadoes that day
- EF4, Washington County11 killed
- EF4, Grant County4 killed
- EF3, Menifee County10 killed
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Path drawn as a straight line from the recorded start to end point.