LAWRNCE COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) — With a welcome break from the storm pattern Thursday, folks are still cleaning up after Monday’s twister near Louisa.
Tony Cavalier did some research on the history of tornadoes in Lawrence County.
When a wild cloud formation swirled through eastern Lawrence County on July 4, a strong Force 2 tornado would soon pummel the area around the Walmart just south of Louisa.
Winds of 120 miles per hour smashed cars, twisted metal signs, and knocked a tractor trailer onto its side.
“I saw the sky turn blueish-green,” Gary Arcum said. “Clouds started rotating like cotton candy. I knew it was a tornado. All of a sudden it sounded like a freight train. I grabbed the dogs and went to the basement.”
Just 3 years ago in June, a wild hail storm in the southern end of the county in Lowmansville announced the arrival of a smaller twister. Homes were pockmarked from hail and wind damage.
The granddaddy of all tornadoes in the county’s history struck in March of 2012, when a rare winter tornado strafed through the left fork of Blaine a few miles south of Walmart.
That twister claimed 8 lives in its long trek through Morgan and Lawrence counties.
There have been 24 tornadoes in Lawrence County, about 3 per decade, making this decade the most active on record and a candidate for the new tornado capital for our region, but with one big caveat: the flatter Scioto Valley and adjacent Greenup and Lewis counties are still more prone to twisters over the long haul.
By Tony Cavalier |
Posted: Thu 11:19 PM, Jul 07, 2016 |
Updated: Thu 11:58 PM, Jul 07, 201
