In the early hours of December 11, 2021, two large and strong tornadoes would hit the city of Bowling Green, located in Warren County, Kentucky.

The tornado would then exit the Bowling Green area, moving over rural properties and passing south of Plum Springs, before directly impacting the industrial community of Sunnyside at high-end EF3 intensity, producing major damage caused by winds estimated at 165 miles per hour (266 km/h).

The tornado would continue to damage structures at a lesser intensity in rural Warren County before lifting twenty-nine minutes after touching down.

Despite heavily damaging several structures, including at the NCM Motorsports Park, the second tornado was only on the ground for five minutes and caused no injuries or deaths.

On December 8, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlined a slight risk of severe weather across a broad area of the Mississippi Valley.

[1] The following day, the SPC noted the increased potential for organized severe thunderstorms in the region extending from southeastern Arkansas northeast into southern Indiana, upgrading that area to an enhanced risk.

[5] Though this activity lacked much vigor at its onset due to a strong capping inversion,[6] the convective cells began to show organization as they progressed eastward.

One such storm—which formed from the initial mid-afternoon activity near Arkadelphia, Arkansas—matured into a long-lived supercell as it progressed in an unstable, deeply moist, and highly sheared environment;[7] this cell ultimately persisted for more than 550 miles (890 km) over several hours from eastern Arkansas to northeastern Kentucky, producing two large and intense tornadoes along its track, among eleven tornadoes in total.

At 5:51 p.m. CST, the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock issued the first tornado warning associated with the storm for portions of Jackson, Lawrence, White, and Woodruff counties.

This time frame coincides with the start of the Western Kentucky tornado, implying the supercell underwent a mesocyclone re-strengthening phase during this period.

During this intense tornado's lifetime, peak gate-to-gate velocities of 128 mph (206 km/h; 111 kn) were recorded at 9:58 p.m. CST (04:58 UTC) over northeastern Marshall County, Kentucky.

[10][11][12] Elsewhere, multiple lines of intense storms, some featuring embedded supercells, developed across the Mississippi Valley region through the overnight hours and generated other strong and long-lived tornadoes.

[13][14] By the pre-dawn hours of December 11, a decrease in instability led to a gradual weakening of a line of thunderstorms stretching along the associated cold front from eastern Kentucky southward into central Alabama.

Many trees were downed, a 1,700-pound (770 kg) horse trailer was thrown 300 feet (91 m) into a ravine, while multiple barns and farm buildings were completely destroyed in this area.

As the tornado began to enter the western fringes of Bowling Green, it rapidly intensified and became strong again as it produced EF3 damage to homes along Rembrandt Court.

Nearby, the tornado moved across Old Tramm Road and Powell Street, where some one-story homes and duplexes were destroyed, a couple of which were leveled or swept clean from their foundations.

Damage surveyors determined that the extent of the destruction noted at the homes and duplexes was more due to heavy debris impacts, rather than extreme winds, and a rating of high-end EF2 was applied in this area as a result.

[17] By this time, during live severe weather coverage on ABC/Fox affiliate WBKO; the station's tower camera was pointed toward the western sections of Bowling Green as the tornado approached.

[17] After crossing the interstate, the rapidly-intensifying tornado struck the Creekwood subdivision, where devastating damage occurred as numerous homes were completely destroyed.

A two-story apartment building on Hillridge Court had its roof and many top floor exterior walls torn off, and numerous trees and power poles were snapped.

It then clipped the south edge of the Western Kentucky University campus, where the buildings were not directly hit by tornadic winds, but debris was found speared into the exterior walls of a few structures.

The tornado increased in intensity again as it moved along the US 31W just south of downtown Bowling Green, heavily damaging or destroying several businesses at high-end EF2 to EF3 strength.

A liquor store and a smoke shop were destroyed, while a boba tea lounge, a strip mall, and an automotive business were heavily damaged.

It then crossed the Barren River and regained low-end EF2 strength as it destroyed a brick silo and inflicted considerable roof damage to some houses and apartment buildings to the south of Old Porter Pike.

Large rooftop HVAC units were torn off, and extensive roof damage occurred at the plant, with metal sheeting, insulation, and other debris scattered hundreds of yards.

A gas station canopy, a Wendy's sign, and some storage garages were also damaged near the plant, and a fully loaded tractor-trailer was flipped onto its side and pushed about 15 yards (14 m) from where it originated into the front of a restaurant.

The tornado then weakened to EF2 strength, but continued to inflict heavy damage as it struck a Crown Verity plant; a cookware manufacturer, near the north side of US 68.

[17][24] The first tornado would destroy approximately 475 homes in the Warren County area, damage that would later receive a maximum rating of EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.