(WKYT) – Severe weather across the Commonwealth has led to downed trees, traffic impacts and thousands of power outages.
Extensive coverage will be available on air and on WKYT+, where people can stay updated on the latest storm threats and impacts.
Fayette County damage
A large limb fell from a tree at Mike Hollingsworth’s home on Winchester Road, coming down in the backyard.
“They’re very old and large trees so, we do worry from time to time when there’s a storm of something happening, but we just got to go with it,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth said he is more worried about the front of the home, where his gutter is damaged. His wife usually parks directly under it but pulled up closer to the garage, saving the vehicle from being crushed.
“There’s an electrical wire that’s right there on the corner of the house and so I don’t want to mess with that tree here and risk it falling more on top of the wire,” Hollingsworth said.
He said they lost power for about five minutes but are waiting before they start to clean up.
“If the trees are really large, I would get a professional out here, and then that’s what I plan on doing. I have a chainsaw, but I’m not going to mess with these,” Hollingsworth said.
The couple said they are lucky it wasn’t worse but won’t know the full extent of the damage until experts arrive.
Franklin County damage
A house fire was caused by lightning striking the attic space above two bedrooms, the Franklin County Fire Department reports.
A child was reportedly awakened by smoke, and alerted the residents to danger. Everyone was able to get out of the home safely before fire crews arrived.
Crews say they were able to contain the fire to the attic, which reduced further damage to the home.
Grant County damage
According to the National Weather Service, straight line winds from severe storms in Grant County Thursday morning left trees ripped from the ground and buildings destroyed.
It was early Thursday morning when Kasey and Chad Cockrell got a weather alert on their phones.
Then they heard the storm.
“It was just, like, really loud and then, like, the ground was shaking,” Kasey said.
During the storm, the power turned off. Kasey says they ran to the front of the house to see if there was any damage, there wasn’t. But when they looked into the backyard, Kasey said she was in disbelief.
“I would’ve never thought that we would come out and all of our trees would be up. They uprooted. There’s seven of them and they’re huge,” she said.
But it wasn’t just the trees.
“The cars were totaled,” Kasey said.
She said she was heartbroken to see the cars damaged. But shortly after our interview she sent me a picture of a heart shape in the tree that hit one of the cars.
She says the tree took a lot from her and Chad, but not their love.
Kasey said her parents brought them cars to use and a generator to keep the power on.
All day Thursday, they’ve been checking in on their neighbors and cleaning up.
“We’re lucky that it didn’t land on the house,” Kasey said.
Just a few streets over from the Cockrell’s, what was once a car garage is now only rubble.
The damage continued across the street. Debris was flung over into a field where it damaged a fence and several power lines.
The Grant County Judge-Executive Chuck Dills declared a state of emergency for Grant County due to severe weather damage.
Harrison County damage
Neighbors in Harrison County say Thursday morning’s storms were the worst they’ve seen in decades.
Cleanup is underway along Ammerman Pike and KY 356 after the severe weather left downed trees, roof damage to a couple homes, and a barn damaged. Emergency management says this may be the hardest-hit area in the county.
A storm tore through Ammerman Pike on Thursday morning, leaving at least one long-time homeowner shaken.
“This was absolutely the scariest one we have experienced being out here other than ’74,” said Anne Slade, a homeowner.
Slade was one of several neighbors assessing the damage Thursday evening. She says before becoming the owner of her home, she grew up in it. The wife and grandmother say not since the 1970s has she witnessed a storm hit her area as bad as this storm did.
Slade says she was asleep when the storm rolled in.
“My wife told me that we need to get up so we got up. Then it maybe lasted about 20 minutes or so,” Slade said.
Down the road from the Slade house sits one of the most visible signs from Thursday’s early morning storm. The owners didn’t want to go on camera, but they say their barn is a complete loss.
The couple adds that they had just recently finished it. Inside they had various things like trucks and farm equipment. One of the truck’s front windshields was damaged. Debris from the barn was found across the street.
That’s where a different couple, Brenda and Steve Hamilton, were seeing the damage of the church they’ve attended for nearly 50 years.
“When we got to where we could see, it was like ‘wow, the barn is over on our property and the roof is gone,’” Brenda Hamilton said. “I knew there would probably be some branches, but I wasn’t expecting this,” said Steve Hamilton.
For the people living along Ammerman Pike, the storm may be gone, but the work is just beginning. However, Slade says there’s no other place she’d rather be.
“I love this country-feeling. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Slade said.
The couple that lost their barn say they will rebuild if they can get the insurance to approve it.
Mason County damage
The Washington Fire Department says crews have been busy with storm damage reports from early morning storms.
The Mason County Judge Executive Owen McNeill says most of the damage seems to be west of US 68 within or near the Maysville city limits. McNeill says trees and debris are in roads county wide, with several power lines down.
Jessamine County damage
Jessamine County Emergency Management posted on social media that multiple weather-related incidents and power outages Thursday morning have taxed their Emergency service teams
Officials say crews have responded to multiple flooded out roads, downed trees and at least four damaged structures including some commercial occupancies that had collapse of roof or structures.
If you experienced any damage, you are asked to message Jessamine County Emergency Management or submit a damage assessment report.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 7 said KY 1267 at Cushingberry Lane in Jessamine County is closed due to a downed tree on a phone line.
The roof at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Kimberly Square in Nicholasville collapsed during a storm, trapping one person inside. Emergency management officials said the person sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
“We were able to treat the one individual that was injured. He was transported to a local hospital just for evaluations, but he has since returned and has no life-threatening injuries,” said Johnny Adams, director of emergency management for Jessamine County.
Yellow caution tape now surrounds parts of Kimberly Square. A gas leak, extensive water damage and a power outage have left several businesses unable to operate.
The most notable damage occurred at the Ollie’s Discount store’s roof near the back loading dock.
“The damage to the structure was in the rear of the building. The roof actually collapsed. We also had gas from a natural gas source that was leaking into the building. We were able to get all the utilities secured and property management has been on scene, and we turned the property back to them at this time,” Jessamine County EMS said.
Adams said the roof sustained significant structural damage during the storm.
“The roof came in, and we were not making assumptions, but we did have some heavy rain which may have been the reason for the roof collapse,” Adams said.
Flash flooding strands Richmond residents in homes
Residents on Bradbury Pointe Drive were stranded in their homes Thursday morning as rainwater filled their street, driveways and front yards.
The Richmond Fire Department was called just before 9 a.m. to help people out before conditions worsened.
“We actually had a call with the National Weather Service yesterday evening at 3 o’clock and we know this was coming,” a fire official said.
Neighbors said this is not the first time flash flooding has caused an issue in this neighborhood.
Madison County Emergency Manager Tim Gray said it is not uncommon for a dip like this in the roadway to quickly fill up with water during a severe storm.
“It’s an area that is prone for a lot of water coming into it at one time with nowhere really to go where it’s not usually a creek or a streambed, it’s just a low lying area that water drains into,” Gray said.
A spokesperson for the city said the water did not damage the inside of the homes. The damage outside was contained to a few broken skirtings.
In the event flood water does start to come inside, Gray advises people to seek higher ground.
“If they can safely exit to get to higher ground, away from the water, would be the probably the proper thing to do, but if not get to higher level and call 911,” Gray said.
Gray said with all the rain that came down Thursday morning, it presents a danger for people who live along the Kentucky River downstream that the emergency management department will keep an eye on.
A farmer who lives near Tates Creek noticed the water raging there too. It stayed in the basin, but Margery Baldwin is more worried for her neighbors who live closer to the creek now than ever before.
“It’s too cold, or too hot, or too floody, too water, too whatever…everything is too much and it’s not like it used to be,” Baldwin said.
She has some advice for her neighbors who live close to those raging creek waters.
“Stay weather aware as they say, and of course don’t do dumb things like cross a creek that’s flooded,” Baldwin said.
Show us your photos
Viewers are encouraged to submit any photos and videos of storm damage and impacts to WKYT. People can submit entries below.
Power outages
Over 22,000 customers are experiencing power outages across the Commonwealth, according to Kentucky Power Outages.
Fayette County currently has 1,977 customers without power.
That number is down significantly from over 25,000 reported by LG & E and KU at 9:00 a.m.
In a social media post, the company said they would be watching the forecast closely, and will be ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible to any potential impacts.
No other major outages have been reported in the counties surrounding Lexington except in Bourbon County, where 1,272 customers are without power.
Clark Energy Cooperative said it is aware of outages throughout Clark County and that crews are responding.
The company advised people to stay away from any downed power lines and to report them immediately.
There are many outages across the northern Kentucky area.
Currently, 2,528 customers in Mason County are without power.
In neighboring Pendleton County, 1,945 customers are without power.
Harrison County has 1,411 customers without power.
Road Conditions
Several roads in Woodford County were impacted by the morning’s severe weather according to Woodford County Emergency Management.
The Boyle County Fire Department says Mitchellsburg Road is flooded between Perryville and Mitchellsburg.
Salt River Road’s river is at the top of its banks, and overflowing in some areas. The Boyle County Fiscal Court says water is across the road in some places.
Midway Road (US 62) near Fire Gate 22 has utility wires and trees blocking the road, and the location can’t be cleared until the lines are made safe. Officials say to expect the area to remain closed for an extended time.
Old Frankfort Pike (1681) has tree debris with utility wires involved near FG 17, and one lane is open. Officials say the road will be closed while crews and the State Road Department clear the area.
The crossing of Elkhorn Creek and Old Frankfort Pike in the area of Faywood is blocked with debris.
Morgan Street is blocked in downtown Versailles, and crews are reportedly in the process of replacing a utility pole. Officials say the road will be closed for an extended period of time.
Garrard County Emergency Management says that crews are out surveying conditions, clearing roads and assessing areas impacted by flooding.
It also reported that water is beginning to recede in some locations but urged drivers to use caution.
Rolling Acres is closed between Bender Drive and Rancho Drive in Frankfort due to storm damage according to the Frankfort-Franklin County Office of Emergency Management. Utility crews are making preparations for repair onsite.
U.S. 127 Business at mile point 1.4 in Anderson County was closed due to a downed tree, according to KYTC, and Midway Road is closed between Old Frankfort Pike and US 60 in Woodford County.
KYTC reports a downed tree at mile point 3.1 on Bryan Station Road in Fayette County. The road is currently blocked. Information will be provided as updates become available.
Old Frankfort Pike is also closed between Pisgah Pike and the Fayette County line due to a tree on utility lines, KYTC said.
The Harrodsburg Police Department says that the road at Moberly Road and Scooter Avenue is not drivable due to high water, and barricades are in place to prevent drivers from attempting to cross.
KYTC encouraged drivers to use caution while traveling and watch for roadway hazard, including downed trees, debris and powerlines.
Water rescue in Washington County
Two sheriff’s deputies rescued a woman and a dog from a truck stuck in rushing water in Washington County.
The rescue took place around 4:20 p.m. on Simmonstown Road.
Valley View Ferry impacted
The famous Valley View Ferry is facing the fallout from Thursday’s storms.
Ferry officials say that a large amount of drift and debris has been carried into the Kentucky River by flash flooding from tributary creeks and streams.
The debris poses a risk of damage to the ferry’s paddle wheel and cable system, and as a result, the ferry was unable to operate.
