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EF-1 tornado confirmed in Madison County

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Posted at 7:13 PM, Jan 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-03 00:01:47-05

UNION CITY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many people in Madison County have been convinced a tornado touched down on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down with approximately 90 mph winds.

"I was driving in it and it passed right over me," said Chad Moore.

Moore talked with LEX 18 while standing in front of his sister's house. He drove through the tornado and will have clear memories for a long time of what that was like.

"One point the truck was on two tires and it was kind of scary," he recalled.

"It was wild. It was wild. There were sticks hitting the truck. I ran over like five little trees that were blown down in front of me."

Pieces of homes are wedged in trees. Windows are blown dozens of yards from where they are supposed to protect homeowners from harsh conditions.

"Every handful of years, we will get one or more tornado episodes during the winter months," said Ron Steve with the National Weather Service.

"What was damaged, what kind of condition it was in to begin with," he said regarding how meteorologists determine the strength of a tornado. "The trees and structural damage is what tells the story and that allows us to back out the wind speeds."

With clean-up underway, Moore says it hasn't taken long for neighbors to show the strength of the community.

"Everyone will be alright," he said. "All the neighbors are coming out and helping each other clean up and everything, checking on each other after it happened."