Campus Alert Archive
WKU

After Midnight, a Tornado Warning and 'TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY' for Bowling Green

KYsevere stormemergency notificationmedium confidence

In the early morning hours of December 11, 2021, a deadly tornado swept through Bowling Green near the WKU campus as part of the Quad-State Tornado outbreak. Campus weather service White Squirrel Weather issued a "TORNADO WARNING TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY" alert around 1 a.m. CST, and WKU's emergency team activated its Emergency Operations Center within the hour.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Western Kentucky University
Public Masters · KY
WKU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction141 chars
Tornado Warning issued west of Warren County. A tornado is possible. Monitor White Squirrel Weather and be ready to take shelter immediately.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstruction of the first warning; the WKU Herald reported White Squirrel Weather alerted followers to a tornado warning west of Warren County at 12:53 a.m. CST on December 11, 2021.
Bowling Green is in the Central time zone (UTC-6), unlike Louisville and Lexington which are Eastern; the offset here is CST.
UPDATETwitter/X
Verified verbatimWKU Herald, quoting White Squirrel Weather's alert40 chars
TORNADO WARNING TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY
The all-caps, six-word imperative is preserved verbatim from WKU Herald's quote of the student-run White Squirrel Weather alert at roughly 1 a.m. CST.
This is an update rather than an all-clear because it escalates the prior warning to an immediate shelter directive as the tornado approached Bowling Green.
ALL CLEARTwitter/X
Approximate reconstruction209 chars
The tornado warning has expired for Warren County. The immediate threat has passed. Significant damage has been reported near campus; stay away from damaged areas and downed power lines and check on neighbors.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstruction of the all-clear; WKU reported that less than an hour after the storms, its Emergency Operations Team activated an EOC to coordinate response.
A genuine all-clear: it confirms the warning expired and the immediate threat passed, while honestly warning of post-storm hazards.
Context

Background

The December 10-11, 2021 outbreak produced the long-track Quad-State Tornado that killed dozens across Kentucky, including in nearby Mayfield. In Bowling Green, the WKU Herald reported that student-run White Squirrel Weather tracked the storm overnight, issuing a tornado warning at 12:53 a.m. and a stark "TORNADO WARNING TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY" alert around 1 a.m. CST. A tornado devastated subdivisions off Russellville Road and damaged areas along Nashville Road and the 31W Bypass near campus. WKU's main campus was largely spared, and the university activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate relief. The episode highlights the role a campus weather operation can play as a frontline alerting source during an overnight tornado emergency.
Outcome
A tornado devastated subdivisions off Russellville Road and caused extensive damage near campus along Nashville Road and the 31W Bypass. The WKU campus itself was largely spared, but the surrounding Bowling Green community suffered fatalities and major destruction.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Tornado warning issued for Bowling Green - WKU Herald
    wkuherald.com
  2. Official
    For White Squirrel Weather, tornadoes are 'the kind of thing we have been training for' - WKU News
    wku.edu
  3. Official
    WKU Tornado Recovery Efforts - WKU News
    wku.edu
Tags
severe-weathertornadoquad-state-tornadoemergency-notificationkentuckybowling-green
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion