29 KY counties under tornado watch ahead of pair of severe storms. See forecast timing
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- First wave 4–10 a.m.; hail, wind gusts and possible tornadoes.
- Second wave 2–8 p.m.; damaging winds and tornado risk NE counties.
- Cold front 6–8 p.m. ends storms; cooler temps follow, into the 30s next week.
A second round of severe weather is expected to hit Kentucky later Wednesday, bringing damaging wind gusts and the possibility of hail and tornadoes.
The second round of storms is expected to be more severe than the first round that hit Wednesday morning. All of Kentucky is under a slight risk for severe weather this afternoon, the second-lowest risk of five in the National Weather Service’s storm prediction center outlook.
Slight risk implies severe thunderstorms with varying levels of intensity are expected. The storms are expected to be in the region between 2 and 8 p.m., according to the NWS.
At 12:10 p.m, the NWS said thunderstorms are expected to develop across southern Indiana over the next couple of hours and move into north-central Kentucky later this afternoon. A band of thunderstorms is also developing in western Tennessee and could get stronger as it travels into south-central Kentucky through the afternoon.
Damaging wind gusts is the main threat in the afternoon storms. The NWS said if the thunderstorms become more discrete, then isolated large hail and tornadoes would be possible.
The greatest tornado risk is in Kentucky’s most northeastern counties, according to the NWS.
Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Bracken, Bullitt, Campbell, Carroll, Elliott, Fleming, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Meade, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties are under a tornado watch until 6 p.m., according to the NWS.
Several areas of Kentucky, including Fayette County, are under a wind advisory from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the NWS. Widespread gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected.
Heavy rain is also expected Wednesday. The NWS said some areas could get up to 2 inches of rain, but widespread flooding is not expected.
“While most of the CWA (county warning area) should be able to handle these amounts with little more than nuisance flooding, these amounts could cause some issues across southern Indiana,” a meteorologist wrote in the area forecast discussion.
What happened during the morning wave of storms?
The first round of storms brought very little severe weather to Kentucky, although several areas across the state reported wind gusts of at least 40 mph, according to the Kentucky Mesonet.
As of 1 p.m., Fayette County has reported four wind gusts of at least 40 mph, according to the Mesonet. The strongest gust of 43.2 mph was recorded at 11:55 a.m.
The fastest wind gust was recorded in Fulton County at 9:40 a.m. local time, at 46.1 mph, according to the Mesonet. Fayette County’s mark was the fourth-strongest wind gust recorded Wednesday behind Fulton, Boyle and Franklin counties.
Boone, Campbell, Carroll and Trimble counties have all recorded at least a half-inch of rain on Wednesday, according to the Mesonet.
Weather forecast later in the week
After the storms, a cold front is expected to move from the northwest to the southeast between 6 and 8 p.m., according to the NWS. A few rain showers could take place after the cold front moves into the region, but precipitation is expected to stop around midnight.
The NWS’ seven-day forecast for Lexington project’s Thursday’s high at 49 degrees. The temperature is expected to warm back up into the high 50s Friday and Saturday and the low 70s Sunday.
Another cold front will move into the region Sunday night, dropping temperatures around 25 to 30 degrees from Sunday to Monday. The NWS said some post-frontal rain showers could change to snow by Monday, but confidence is low.
Below-average temperatures will persist through the middle of next week. The projected high temperature for Lexington Monday and Tuesday is 39 and 38 degrees.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 7:40 AM.
