SerpApi.Org
Severe weather was expected in Kentucky Tuesday afternoon, and Lexington officials encouraged people to prepare for the storms ahead of time.
But rain had cleared and skies were mostly cloudy after around an hour-long thunderstorm in Lexington.
In the hours before it passed through Central Kentucky, a tornado was seen in Owen County, according to several news outlets. A tornado warning was issued from around 7 to 7:30 p.m. in Knox and Laurel counties just north of Tennessee.
Lexington was under an enhanced risk for severe weather, the third-highest risk assessment out of five in the National Weather Service’s storm prediction center. Enhanced risk implies a greater concentration of severe thunderstorms with varying levels of intensity.
The National Weather Service said it expected “torrential rainfall” for some areas of Fayette and Harrison counties.
The enhanced risk zone originally only included Kentucky’s northeastern-most counties and stretched toward Central Kentucky to include Lexington. Around 12:50 p.m., the NWS expanded the enhanced risk zone toward the southwest to include many of the Kentucky counties that border southern Indiana.
The rest of the state was under a slight risk for severe weather, one level lower than the enhanced risk zone.
The storms were expected to arrive in Lexington between 1 and 4 p.m., according to the NWS. Storms were forecast as early as 10 a.m. in areas north of Interstate 64, while areas in Southern Kentucky expected less severe weather until later Tuesday evening.
A line of storms moved into the state from the northwest ahead of a cold front. The main threat from the storms was damaging winds that were forecast to reach around 70 miles per hour, but hail and tornadoes were also possible.
The main line of strong storms moved through the state’s northern region in the afternoon and would continue through Southern Kentucky in the evening. Additional storms were possible behind the main line, but they were not expected to be as severe, the NWS said.
Pea-sized hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph were expected in northern Fayette and Harrison counties from 4 p.m. to at least 5 p.m., according to a Special Weather Statement by the National Weather Service.
The storms were expected to depart the Lexington area between 7 and 10 p.m., according to the NWS. Fayette County was one of several Kentucky counties where advisories escalated from a severe thunderstorm watch to a warning around 5 p.m., according to the NWS. A warning means the conditions are occurring or imminent, while a watch means the conditions are likely but uncertain.
Mayor Linda Gorton said city divisions of streets and roads, water quality and traffic engineering were all prepared for the incoming storms. Lexington’s first responders were also ready to help people if needed.
“The city is prepared to assist residents in the event of strong storms, high winds, and hail,” Gorton said in a news release. “It’s possible that we will experience power outages, trees and limbs down in roadways, and traffic issues.”
The NWS put Lexington’s chances of experiencing damaging wind between 45% and 59%. Chances for experiencing hail and tornadoes were lower but still possible.
A Kentucky Mesonet station in Lexington has recorded several wind gusts of at least 20 miles per hour since 10 a.m., topping out at 25.8 mph at 12:30 p.m., according to Mesonet data.
Tree damage and power outages were possible from the storms, the NWS said.
Over 12,000 power customers in Kentucky, including around 150 in Fayette County, lost electricity by 6 p.m., according to a live map of power outages.
There was also a risk of flash flooding from the storms. The NWS said some storms would be capable of producing heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding.
Areas east of Interstate 65 were forecast to get 1 to 2 inches of rain from the storms, according to the NWS. A flood watch was be in effect from 1 p.m. Tuesday through the late evening hours for the areas east of Interstate 65, including Lexington.
