LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A pair of tornadoes touched down in southeast Louisville Wednesday night, rocking the Fern Creek area with powerful winds and blowing debris for miles.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency in the wake of tornados in Fern Creek
- The NWS found evidence of EF-0 and EF-1 activity in preliminary damage surveys
- The emergency declaration urges Gov. Andy Beshear to assist locally with recovery efforts
- No deaths or serious injuries have been reported
The National Weather Service conducted preliminary damage surveys Thursday morning, which found damage from winds indicating both an EF-0 and a separate EF-1 tornado. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency in the wake of the storm.
"Preliminary storm damage survey in Jefferson County reports at least 95 mph EF-1 damage on Providence Dr. in the Glenmary Reserve neighborhood," the NWS told Spectrum News.
Wednesday night's storm system brought rain, thunder and strong straight-line winds through much of Kentucky, with winds knocking down trees and power lines from Bowling Green to Lexington.
You can find all of the preliminary storm reports from last night's storms in the map above.
Over 30 counties in Kentucky saw tornado warnings during Wednesday's storm. In Shelby County, there was a report of a tornado on I-64 near Simpsonville, which has yet to be confirmed by the NWS.
Preliminary damage survey results from the NWS found tornado damage southeast of Shelbyville along Rockbridge Road. The damage is from at least an EF-1 so far with estimated 90 mph winds.
The NWS in Paducah, Ky. had preliminary reports of four confirmed tornadoes in western Kentucky, including EF-1 damage with winds estimated around 90 mph just north of Mayfield, Ky., two reports of EF-0 damage with 85 mph winds and 70 mph winds in Marshall County and one report of EF-0 damage with winds around 81 mph in Hickman County.
Fischer confirmed that no deaths or serious injuries have been reported as a result of the storm. Citing widespread power outages and blocked roadways, JCPS, Kentucky's largest school district, canceled classes on Thursday.
As of 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, an estimated 32,942 LG&E customers were without power in Kentucky. That number fell to just over 11,000 by 9:45 a.m. Thursday, with 7,735 still without power in Jefferson County.
"The heavy lifting is ahead of us," an LG&E official said at a media briefing. Around 160 wires were down and 40 poles were broken in Louisville.
This story may be updated. Check back later for the latest updates from Spectrum News.
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