At least one tornado touches down during KY storms. Other areas experiencing flooding
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least one tornado touched down in Kentucky from Thursday morning’s strong storms.
The tornado touched down in northeast Hart County and reached peak wind speeds of 95 miles per hour, classifying it as an EF-1 twister. The NWS said preliminary information suggests it was on the ground for less than one mile.
A storm damage survey is expected in Hart, Jackson, Owsley and Rockcastle counties on Thursday, according to the NWS.
There were reports of a roof blown off a barn on Red Hill Road in Rockcastle County and downed trees in between Sextons Creek and Island City in Owsley County, according to the NWS.
Multiple rounds of intense storms with heavy rainfall moved through the state overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to the NWS. The strongest storms were expected to hit areas south of the Western Kentucky and Bluegrass Parkways.
Several counties in eastern and south-central Kentucky, including Fayette County, were under a tornado watch during the storm. Some areas were in a tornado warning when the storms were at its strongest, but those advisories have since expired.
Gov. Andy Beshear encouraged people to stay up to date on the forecast.
“Severe weather continues to move through southern Kentucky this morning with thunderstorms and the chance of tornadoes,” Beshear said in a post on X. “Stay weather aware and stay safe, Kentucky!”
Power outages in the state
There were over 3,400 power outages in Kentucky as of 8:05 a.m. Thursday, according to poweroutage.us. By 11:30 a.m. that number had decreased to under 1,500.
Counties reporting over 100 outages as of 11:30 a.m. are Hart, Jefferson, Letcher and Pulaski.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Fayette County had over 500 outages, according to LG&E & KU’s power outage map. By 11:30 a.m. that figure had dropped to 33.
There was a large outage affecting 383 customers in the Southland neighborhood near Clays Mill Road. Lexington Catholic High School originally planned to be on a two-hour delay due to the outage but later canceled classes for the entire day.
Another outage in the Woodhill neighborhood affected 97 customers, according to the electric company’s outage map. Power in both areas has since been restored.
Flood watch, schools closed in Southeastern Kentucky
Much of Southeastern Kentucky was under a flood advisory Thursday morning due to heavy rainfall from the storm. The NWS said the advisory expired at 11:45 a.m.
“The heavy rain has ended. Urban and small stream flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures,” the NWS said.
A flash flood warning remains in effect for Clay, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Perry and Pike counties until at least 1 p.m. The NWS said storms producing heavy rain have left the area, but excessive runoff from previous rainfall will continue to cause flash flooding of small streams and creeks in low-lying areas.
Fayette County was previously included in the flood watch but was dropped from the advisory before 9:30 a.m.
Two vehicles reportedly got stuck in high water on Bowman Mill Road at Old Harrodsburg Road, according to the Lexington Traffic Management Center. The Lexington Fire Department said two people from two separate vehicles were rescued from stalled cars in roughly two feet of water. No injuries were reported.
The Ashland - Boyd County - Catlettsburg Emergency Management Agency said many roads in the county are flooded and several water rescue teams have been deployed.
Greenup County Schools canceled classes Thursday due to roads being covered in high water. WKYT reported several other schools closed Thursday due to the weather.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 7:34 AM.
