An unknown number of tornadoes struck western Kentucky on Sunday.
A confirmed tornado struck in far western Kentucky in Lyon County, as one twister appeared to strike the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville. A tornado, caught on video, also touched down in Caldwell County, according to Caldwell County Judge-Executive Kota Young.
There are reports of catastrophic damage in Russellville, as the town’s city hall was struck, disabling its tornado warning system.
Graves County, home to Mayfield, which was leveled by a tornado in December 2021, also suffered severe damage. Cadiz, in Trigg County, additionally incurred serious damage.
Closer to Grayson County, Hopkins and Muhlenberg counties report widespread damage. It’s unclear at this point if the damage was caused by straight-line winds or a tornado[s].
WFIE.com reports one person was killed in Hopkins County. A storm-related death was also reported in Jefferson County.
Ohio, Butler, Breckinridge, and northern Hardin counties also endured damage to trees, power lines and structures.
Butler County, as of 8:00 Monday morning, had 1,600 customers without power, while Ohio County had just over 800 customers without electricity. Edmonson County, according to WRECC, had nearly 500 customers in the dark.
The National Weather Service will dispatch damage assessors around the state this week, which will give a clearer picture of what caused the destruction.
Gov. Andy Beshear late Sunday night declared a state of emergency in Kentucky.
Thunderstorms rumble through Grayson Co.
The Foxborough subdivision, off Clifty Church Road, suffered severe devastation as multiple homes were hit by strong straight-line winds, which downed and uprooted several large trees and tossed a large travel trailer into the side of a residence. A three-story garage on the same property was destroyed, as well.
Multiple homes in the subdivision were missing parts of roofs and several homes had roof damage from falling trees or large branches.
On Clifty Church Road, at the intersection of Foxborough Drive, all that remains of an outbuilding located adjacent to a residence are pieces of wood strewn over a large area.
On Center Street in Clarkson, a tree fell on a house. Luckily, though, according to Caneyville Fire Chief Brian Pharris, the home did not suffer structural damage.
Blue Creek Lane in Caneyville was blocked by a large tree that fell across the roadway.
Leitchfield Fire Chief Tim Duvall said his department responded to approximately 10 locations where downed trees blocked roadways. Duvall said most of the calls were on the outskirts of Leitchfield.
The Clarkson and East Grayson Fire Departments responded to trees over the roadway at several locations, including Antioch Church Road, Summit Road and on Elmore Lane, off Omer Drive, a huge tree and power lines fell on top of two vehicles.
At its peak, nearly 1,000 Grayson County customers were without power. As of Monday morning at 8:00, about 520 customers were still without electricity.
The thunderstorm that arrived in Grayson County between 10:30 and 11:00 Sunday night inflicted far less damage than the storm 12 hours earlier. There were reports of trees down, one at the 97-mile marker of the westbound Western Kentucky Parkway, as well as on Maple Leaf Lane near Grayson County High School.
The state Highway Department and Caneyville Fire Department removed the tree from the parkway.
(Headline photo: Tornado in Lyon County, courtesy of Jamie Hilton)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
