Severe weather expected in Kentucky on Thursday, Lexington put on tornado watch
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Storms expected Thursday afternoon into late evening, strongest 2–9 p.m.
- Main hazards include large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes.
- Cold front follows storm; temps expected below freezing by Saturday night.
A storm system that could produce strong to severe weather was expected to arrive Thursday in Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service.
The storms, which have been fueled by warmer temperatures this week, are expected to begin Thursday afternoon and evening. The storms could be at their strongest in Lexington between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., and they aren’t expected to leave the region until 11 p.m, according to the NWS.
The main hazards associated with the storm are large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. The NWS said some of the storms could be significant and include hail larger than 2 inches, 75 mph or more wind gusts and EF-2 tornadoes.
Fayette County and many northern areas of Western and Central Kentucky are under a slight risk for severe weather, the second-lowest risk out of five in the NWS’ storm prediction center outlook. Slight risk implies that severe thunderstorms with varying levels of intensity are expected.
Fayette County put on tornado watch
At 1:15 p.m., the NWS issued a tornado watch for areas in the slight risk zone. Fayette County was not included in the original advisory, but it was expanded at 3:18 p.m. to include Fayette and other Central Kentucky counties. Bourbon, Clark, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Madison, Nicholas, Scott and Woodford counties were among the others place under a tornado watch.
The NWS said storms are expected to intensify over the next couple of hours. The biggest threat will be to areas north of the Bluegrass and Western Kentucky parkways, as well as along Interstate 64.
The watch is scheduled to expire at 9 p.m. Thursday, according to the NWS.
Lexington was originally included in the slight risk zone earlier this week, but forecast changes moved the city into the marginal risk zone. The forecast changed again as of 11:55 a.m. Thursday to slightly increase the chances of severe weather in Lexington from the storms.
Many other parts of the state are under a marginal risk for severe weather, the lowest risk out of five. Marginal risk implies which implies severe storms of either limited intensity or longevity.
The NWS said the greatest tornado threat is in southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
Supercell storms are expected to develop in southern Indiana and move east toward Kentucky. The NWS said the supercells will become more discrete as they arrive in Kentucky, but some could still be strong enough to produce severe weather in the Interstate 64 corridor.
Lexington’s chances of experiencing a tornado are between 2% and 9%, and the city has between a 5% and 29% of experiencing hail and damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, according to the NWS. There is less than a 10% chance Kentucky gets a tornado.
Cold temperatures to follow severe weather
A cold front is expected to move in behind the storm system, dropping the temperatures later this week. The NWS said temperatures are expected to drop below freezing Saturday night and stay in the 30s or colder until Tuesday.
The projected high temperature is 37 degrees for Sunday and 34 degrees for Monday, according to the NWS’ seven-day forecast for Lexington. The temperature is expected to rise to 40 degrees on Tuesday and 51 degrees Wednesday.
There is a chance for snow flurries Saturday night, but no accumulations are expected except for the farthest areas of Eastern Kentucky.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 8:06 AM.
