Severe weather outbreak continues with strong, long-track tornado threat from Ohio to Kentucky
After storms caused damage in the nation’s heartland Monday, Tuesday’s severe weather outbreak is expected to be more intense, with the potential for strong, long-track tornadoes that could tear across parts of Ohio, central and eastern Kentucky, southeastern Indiana and far western West Virginia.
A broader severe weather risk extends into portions of the Southeast, where strong tornadoes are a threat from Tuesday evening into Tuesday night across parts of Alabama and Georgia.
An initial round of severe thunderstorms already caused damage across the Ohio Valley on Tuesday morning, but a second round of severe weather Tuesday afternoon has forecasters concerned as supercells are forecast to develop after the passage of warm front.
In addition to the significant tornado threat, the FOX Forecast Center said large hail and 70-plus-mph wind gusts are also possible.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a Level 4 out of 5 risk for severe weather in parts of Ohio, central and eastern Kentucky, southeastern Indiana and far western West Virginia. This includes the cities of Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton in Ohio, as well as Louisville and Lexington in Kentucky.
A Level 3 out of 5 risk for severe weather extends from the Ohio Valley into the mid-South and Southeast. It includes the cities of Indianapolis in Indiana, Nashville in Tennessee, Atlanta in Georgia and Birmingham in Alabama.
“We’re almost maxing out on the barometer for severe weather that encompasses northern Kentucky, that southeastern portion of Indiana and well into Ohio,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres said.
“When you get into where the conditions are just so ripe, we could have some long-duration long-track potential tornadoes here, and tornadoes that are EF-2 or stronger.”
Right now
The second round of dangerous storms for Tuesday has started to erupt in the Midwest, with warnings being issued in southern Illinois.
Tornado Watches stretch from the Ohio Valley through the Tennessee Valley and cover more than 5 million people.
Ohio Valley hit by severe storms Tuesday, causing injuries
Early Tuesday morning, an 84-mph wind gust was reported near Evansville, Indiana.
City officials reported significant storm damage throughout the city, particularly on the north side.
City crews are working to clear the roads, and there are reports of power outages in several areas, including stoplights.
Strong winds in Vanderburgh, Indiana, caused damage to the city’s Emergency Operations Center’s roof.
According to the National Weather Service, there have been multiple reports of downed trees and powerlines and damage to mobile homes throughout Vanderburgh.
Additional strong winds and falling trees caused notable destruction in southern Boonville, Indiana, leading to roof and structural damage.
Utility poles were also snapped in Chrisney, Indiana, due to the high winds.
Emergency managers reported one person suffered minor injuries in Uniontown, Kentucky, when a tree fell onto a mobile home, according to the NWS office in Paducah, Kentucky.
The Ohio and West Virginia areas experienced significant damage to various structures, causing widespread tree and power line damage.
The Proctorville, Ohio, Fire Department building was destroyed, and several other structures suffered significant damage.
Multiple structures in South Point, Ohio, were damaged, and there was also widespread tree and power line damage.
In Hanging Rock, Ohio, several trailers were flipped over.
On Tuesday morning, there was a wind gust of 92 mph near Huntington, West Virginia.
This caused trees and power lines to fall all over the city, and a tractor-trailer was flipped over on the 31st Street bridge.
While Westwood suffered damage to several homes.
Jeff Diederich, sheriff of Williamson County in Illinois, said a significant amount of property damage was reported in the county early Tuesday.
He said the damage included downed trees and power lines.
“We have residences that have significant trees across their roofs,” Diederich told FOX Weather.
“We have roofs that are missing in some isolated residential areas and then we have multiple businesses that are significantly damaged or completely destroyed.
Severe weather threat shifts to East Coast on Wednesday
Severe thunderstorms packing threats of damaging winds and hail are possible Wednesday across parts of the eastern Carolinas and mid-Atlantic, with a second severe weather threat area expected over the Florida Peninsula.
Wednesday’s threat zone includes the cities of Richmond and Virginia Beach in Virginia, Hatteras in North Carolina.
Further south, a line of storms is expected to move across the Florida Peninsula, with hail and damaging winds being the main threats.
Communities such as Gainesville, St. Augustine and Tampa and Orlando are all included in the likely threat zone.
Be sure to check back with FOX Weather for updates on this ongoing severe weather outbreak.
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