Tornado possible record breaker

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A tornado that traveled through parts of Western Kentucky and left dozens dead late Friday and early Saturday may have broken a 96-year-old record.

According to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, the tornado originated in northeast Arkansas and lifted up in Breckinridge County, Ky., covering a continuous distance of 223 miles. Gov. Andy Beshear reported the tornado may have traveled 227 miles.

If the National Weather Service confirms that information, it would break the record for the longest continuous distance ever traveled by a tornado.

The previous record, according to the Weather Channel, was held by the Tristate Tornado from 1925, which left 695 dead and over 15,000 homes destroyed.

That EF5 twister traveled across three states — Missouri, Illinois and Indiana — a continuous 219 miles and spanned approximately three-quarters miles in width.

The tornado covered ground at approximately 59 miles per hour, which means it covered the 219 miles in roughly three and a half hours.

This weekend’s tornado first struck Mayfield upon entering Kentucky, leaving dozens dead and many more displaced in its wake.

The tornado continued traveling northeast through Benton, Princeton, Dawson Springs and Central City before retreating in Breckinridge County.

A list of the 10 deadliest tornadoes in the United States since 1900:

■ 695 deaths. March 18, 1925, in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

■ 216 deaths. April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Miss.

■ 203 deaths. April 6, 1936, in Gainesville, Ga.

■ 181 deaths. April 9, 1947, in Woodward, Okla.

— 158 deaths. May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Mo.

■ 143 deaths. April 24, 1908, in Amite, La., and Purvis, Miss.

■ 116 deaths. June 8, 1953, in Flint, Mich.

■ 114 deaths. May 11, 1953 in Waco, Texas.

■ 114 deaths. May 18, 1902 in Goliad, Texas.

■ 103 deaths. March 23, 1913, in Omaha, Neb.