On December 10 and 11, 2021, a massive tornado outbreak hit the middle of the US, which is incredibly rare for the time of year, because most tornadoes appear in the middle of spring. What really caught people’s attention was one of the tornadoes in the outbreak, not the outbreak itself. It traveled 167 miles, becoming rain-wrapped at times. Rain-wrapped means a tornado is hidden behind a stormcloud, making it nearly impossible to see with the naked eye and hence much more deadly. It killed at least 58 people and reached wind speeds of up to 190 mph. This tornado had a major impact and has been compared to the Tri-state Tornado. 

The Tri-state Tornado happened back in 1925. It carved a 219-mile path through three different states: Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. At its time, it held the title for longest destruction path, highest wind speeds, and most deaths, with 695 in total. Nothing like this tornado, with all 3 records, has been recorded since. However, two of the records have been stolen, with the most deaths being held by the Daulatpur-Saturnia tornado of 1989, killing around 1300 people in Bangladesh, and the highest wind speed being owned by both the Moore Oklahoma Tornado and El Reno tornado. The longest path record still stands with the Tri-state Tornado. 

However, this tornado is still considered the most extreme tornado in recorded history, even with two of its records stolen. And yet, 96 years later, it happened again, but only staying in Kentucky instead of three states.

While not as impressive as the late Tri-State tornado, the Kentucky tornado still has its major impact. People are still recovering from deaths now, the reconstruction has barely even begun, and even the First Lady is going to see the damage.

Many people are still working through the destruction around Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Bremen, or just anywhere around Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, northwest Tennessee, and Kentucky. This event was truly devastating.