This week marks anniversaries of deadly tornadoes in Mayfield, Clarksville

Spring time is typically thought of as tornado season. However, during this week in December, residents of our area are observing the anniversaries of two of the most devastating tornadoes in local history.

It's been one year since the deadly Clarksville tornado was spawned on Dec. 9. It resulted in 4 fatalities and 62 injuries, as 114 homes were destroyed and over 1,000 were damaged.

On Saturday, the city of Clarksville participated in distributing hundreds of free trees to survivor families. Recipients chose from oak, maple and dogwoods to bring life back to their devastated properties.

Meanwhile, the third anniversary of the Mayfield tornado will be this Tuesday. On Dec. 10 in 2021, the long-track EF4 tornado formed in Obion County, Tennessee and tore through eleven Kentucky counties. Devastating 188-mph winds resulted in 24 fatalities in Graves County. More than 4,000 structures were damaged, and large swaths of the city of Mayfield were flattened. Other communities that took major damage were Cayce, Benton, Princeton, Dawson Springs, and Bremen.

Last Saturday, the third annual Mayfield Strong memorial walk took place. Attendees walked from where the candle factory once stood to the Mayfield Court Square.

On Tuesday night at Mayfield High School, there will be a pair of basketball games between Mayfield and Dawson Springs. The girls game will start at 6 pm. Between games, a remembrance of the tornado will take place.



(AP Photo Mark Humphrey)