BUTLER, Ky. — The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down just south of Butler Wednesday night during one of the biggest storm events the region has seen in months.
With wind speeds estimated to reach up to 87 mph, the NWS categorized the tornado as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, reaching a width of 1/8 mile and traveling 4.17 miles through Pendleton County.
It was the first tornado the Tri-State had seen since October 2014, and the first tornado to hit the Tri-State in December since 1973.
The Wednesday evening tornado in Butler, KY marks our FIRST tornado of 2015 in the Cincinnati viewing area! @wcpo #cincyWx
— Jennifer Ketchmark (@KetchmarkWCPO) December 24, 2015
The tornado was on the ground for 9 minutes, from 8:11-8:20 p.m.
No fatalities or injuries were reported to the National Weather Service, but three people were hurt when high winds blew over a mobile home. Barn roofs were removed and trees were downed, as well, throughout the area.
Damage was also reported in neighboring Grant County, where a severe thunderstorm strengthened to produce the tornado.
Tornados were reported throughout the Midwest and the southern states during Wednesday night's storms. The governor of Mississippi declared a state of emergency and three people are dead as a result of the severe weather that tore through the state.
