On Sunday Nov. 17, a major thunderstorm traveled through western and northern Kentucky, with reports of tornadoes in eight different counties. According to reports, the tornadoes caused no serious injuries and the death toll remained at zero throughout the entirety of the storm. Overall, 5.3 million people were in at-risk situations during Sunday’s storm.

Buddy Rogers, a resident of Butler County in western Kentucky, was most affected by the tornadoes. The roof was blown off of his home, and his neighbors’ homes were also negatively affected by the tornado that touched down in the area.

Central Kentucky was also under watch. A tornado watch was issued by the National Weather Service that evening, but the threat never accumulated. Quarter-sized hail and strong winds were the primary cause of damage throughout the state.

Tornadoes during November are a rare occurrence. April, May and June are the most common tornado months, due to changes in temperature and atmosphere. Meteorologist Chris Bailey of Lex18 News spoke of the unlikeliness in an interview with the Lexington Herald Leader.

“This will go down as one of the great November tornado outbreaks,” said Bailey. “This is very rare.”

While the storm posed little threat to the commonwealth, the Midwest was hit hard by tornado threats, especially in Washington, Illinois. A total of 16 tornadoes touched down in Illinois on Sunday evening alone. Since 1986, there have been 194 tornado warnings in Illinois, with 101 of these being issued on the 17^th. The tornadoes caused massive destruction of Washington, with the final death toll reported at six, which includes the death of an elderly man whose farmhouse was destroyed by a tornado.

The Red Cross was sent to help victims of the tornado’s destruction throughout Illinois. Donations through this organization, the Salvation Army, or through the Tornado Relief fund can go to help the less-fortunate victims of November’s surprising storm.