Four dead as a result of Kentucky weekend storms, officials confirm
Four people are confirmed dead as a result of severe flash flooding that swept through Kentucky Saturday, local officials confirmed.
Three people have died in Madison County, according to Coroner Jimmy Cornelison. Two of the deaths were on University Drive in Richmond and were suspected drowns, according to the Richmond Police Department.
The police responded to a call regarding flooded homes with individuals trapped inside. Several residents of flooded homes were located or evacuated, the police said.
However, they could not make contact with anyone in a basement residence that was already underwater. Rescue teams later found an adult male and an adult female deceased from suspected drowning, Cornelison said.
One death was an adult male in a vehicle on Tates Creek Road in Richmond, said Chief Deputy Coroner Carlos Coyle.
Autopsies will confirm the cause of death at a later time, police said.
The fourth death was confirmed in Jackson County by Coroner Conley Tyra.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
Gov. Andy Beshear said he expects more fatalities to be reported as a second set of rainfall is forecasted for Saturday evening. Saturday afternoon, the governor said one of deaths was from a driver being swept away.
“We’ve been warning about the storms of this morning and then later on this afternoon and evening, but they’ve turned out much more severe than most would have thought,” Beshear said during an emergency update on Saturday.
Beshear declared a state of emergency for Kentucky. Five counties also declared states of emergency: Mercer, Meade, Spencer, Bullitt, and Madison counties.
Bullitt County has also issued an evacuation order for certain areas after a dam failure, and the county is receiving up to 10 inches of rainfall, according to radar data.
The state has deployed five search and rescue teams with special-teams vehicles to Madison County, which has experienced extensive flooding, to reach stranded residents, according to Beshear. Madison House has opened up on Saturday as an emergency shelter to serve flooding victims in the county, providing food and other necessities.
Infrastructure across the state has been reported severely damaged by flooding. At least 12 state highways have been closed, and reports indicate several county road bridges, like two in Spencer County, will be closed until Monday due to damage to the bridges and roadways.
“We know we’ve already lost at least a handful of Kentuckians,” Beshear said. “I don’t want to lose anymore.”
The governor warned that a second round of severe weather is expected between 2 and 11 p.m., bringing the potential for additional heavy rainfall and worsening flooding conditions.
This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 5:31 PM.
