National Weather Service Sending Crews to Western KY and Southern IN
Last night, a Tornado Warning turned into a "tornado emergency" in western Kentucky. Law enforcement officials and trained weather spotters confirmed that a large, dangerous and potentially life-threatening tornado was on the ground and tracking through various counties.
We knew heading into Sunday that much of southern Illinois, southern Indiana and western Kentucky was facing a MODERATE Risk (level 4 of 5) of severe weather. We also knew that a long-track tornado or two was possible. It appears that may have happened- twice.
The National Weather Service is sending teams to assess damage along two different storm tracks. One of those tracks is in southern Illinois. That particular storm originated along the Johnson and Williamson County line and tracked through Saline County into Gallatin County.
The western Kentucky tornado appears to have tracked an even longer distance. Daylight is painting a much clearer picture of the extent of the damage caused by that storm. In some areas, it's extensive. That storm appears to have spun up in Marshall County and tracked through Lyon, Caldwell, and Hopkins County before finally losing its strength and falling apart in Muhlenberg County. The storm was eventually weakened by an organized line of storms behind it. That line eventually caught up with the super cell that produced the rotation and weakened it. Thank goodness.
Today, the National Weather Service will send assessment teams to the area.