(WKYT) – Severe thunderstorms rolled across parts of Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
Several severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were issued.
The storms caused damage and power outages across the commonwealth.
Damage in Lexington
Strong winds and heavy rain moved through the Lexington area around 5 p.m. Tuesday, bringing down trees and power lines across the city.
Areas near Ironworks Pike sustained damage. Video from the scene shows a tree that fell on top of a car in the 1800 block of Ironworks Pike.
Police said they were dispatched to the scene just before 6:15 p.m. No one was in the car at the time, and no injuries were reported.
A second tree fell on the same road, completely blocking the roadway. Crews used what appeared to be chainsaws to remove it.
That tree has since been cleared from Ironworks Pike.
Video from the scene showed the tree was uprooted from the ground.
The Lexington Police Department said officers responded to 20 non-injury crashes, five injury crashes and 78 traffic hazards, including downed power lines.
Bourbon Co. Family Dollar Manager shelters customers in store
A Family Dollar store manager says he sheltered customers and drivers inside his store during a severe weather event in Millersburg.
Shane Wilson, manager of the Family Dollar in Millersburg, said the situation began when emergency alerts went out to cell phones inside the store and tornado warning sirens started sounding.
He said he was recording video of the severe weather when drivers began pulling off the road into the parking lot.
“It was raining extremely hard, and the trees were folded over, lightning everywhere, and then for about 30-45 seconds everything just came to a complete halt,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he urged everyone outside to come into the store to shelter from the storm. When some expressed concern about whether the building could withstand the weather, he reassured them.
“There was a couple that were worried because they didn’t understand and wanting to know if the store was going to hold up, and I was like, it’s basically a bunker; it’s solid brick and concrete,” Wilson said.
The store withstood the severe weather, but many trees in and around Bourbon County were downed.
Millersburg Mayor Julie Hopkins said damage in town was minimal, though downed trees had to be cleared.
“We are such a small town and such a close-knit community. We had members of the community that came out and quickly were clearing roads and that kind of thing for everybody’s safety, but we are the kind of town where everybody checks on each other,” Hopkins said.
Power outages
As of 5:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, more than 58,000 people are without power across Kentucky, but the number was well over 100,000 at various points during Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Most of the higher outage numbers were in the northern part of the commonwealth near Cincinnati.
At its highest point, over 4,000 people in Fayette County did not have power.
Late in the night, 2,000 customers were in the dark in Bourbon and Harrison counties.
There were over 1,000 people without power in Franklin, Montgomery and Scott counties, respectively.
NWS warning issues in Jackson
The National Weather Service bureau in Jackson had trouble issuing warnings as storms moved across Eastern Kentucky, according to a social media post.
A neighboring office took over issuing warnings.
Storms knock out 911 in Powell County
Powell County experienced a 911 outage, according to a social media post, after Tuesday’s storms.
911 calls were transferred to an administrative line.
Downed trees affect area roads
Fallen trees were reported all across parts of the area after Tuesday’s storms.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 7, roads across four counties were affected: Bourbon. Clark, Jessamine and Montgomery.
North Middletown Road near Cane Ridge Road was affected in Bourbon County.
Wades Mill Road was affected in Clark County.
KY 169 at KY 1981 was affected in Jessamine County.
U.S. 60, KY 537 and Van Thompson Road were affected in Montgomery County.
Schools canceled due to storms
Two school districts in Eastern Kentucky canceled school due to the storms.
Perry County Schools delayed its first day from Wednesday to Thursday.
Knott County Schools also canceled classes. The district went back on August 5.