What the record says
On 27 April 1971, a tornado touched down near Rochester, Kentucky. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 27.4 miles long and up to 150 yards wide, rated F3 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 1 person.
- F3Fujita rating
- 1death
- 0injuries
- 27.4 mipath length
- 150 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 3 and killed at least one person.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 37.20, -86.95 and the end point at 37.10, -86.47 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Kentucky
- Woodland Mills, Tennessee tornado10 December 2021, EF4, 57 deaths, 515 injuries, 168.5 miles long
- Hardinsburg, Kentucky tornado3 April 1974, F5, 31 deaths, 270 injuries, 32 miles long
- Evansville, Indiana tornado6 November 2005, F3, 24 deaths, 238 injuries, 41.3 miles long
- Gallatin, Tennessee tornado5 February 2008, EF3, 22 deaths, 63 injuries, 50.3 miles long
- Jamestown, Kentucky tornado16 May 2025, EF4, 18 deaths, 60.1 miles long
- Bowling Green, Kentucky tornado11 December 2021, EF3, 16 deaths, 63 injuries, 29.3 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1971
- Cary, Mississippi tornado21 February 1971, F4, 58 deaths, 795 injuries, 202.1 miles long
- Delhi, Louisiana tornado21 February 1971, F5, 47 deaths, 510 injuries, 109.2 miles long
- Edwards, Mississippi tornado21 February 1971, F4, 13 deaths, 182 injuries, 65.2 miles long
- Duck Hill, Mississippi tornado4 February 1971, F2, 7 deaths, 6.1 miles long
- Greensburg, Kentucky tornado27 April 1971, F4, 6 deaths, 58 injuries, 14.1 miles long
All tornadoes of 1971 · Kentucky tornado history · All notable tornadoes