Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency ahead of severe storms expected to begin Wednesday night.
The weather system is expected to last four days.
Northern Kentucky is likely to experience severe storms and damaging wind gusts as the Storm Prediction Center continues to put most of the Tri-State area in an enhanced risk category of severe storms. The SPC has also added parts of southeast Indiana into the moderate risk category, which includes a risk of tornadoes. The tornado risk continues into the enhanced area, too.
Beshear said in a press release his concern is for western Kentucky, which could see historic amounts of rain and strong winds. The possibility of tornadoes is in the forecast for much of Kentucky.
“Tornadoes are expected, and I know that’s tough to hear. And we are most concerned about the area of western Kentucky that has gotten hit far too much, as well as a wider area of western Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “Remember, these can be strong tornadoes, EF-2 and greater. We’re really concerned about people’s safety, especially in the overnight, because when storms or tornadoes hit while people are asleep, that’s sadly when we’ve lost the most people. So, everybody out there, be really careful.”
Beshear is urging everyone in Kentucky to find a safe place to stay on Wednesday night.
The governor said that he has the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center and units of the Kentucky National Guard on standby, ready to respond if needed. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials and crews are also on alert, according to the press release.
