Severe weather headed toward Louisville, tornadoes possible
I’M VICKI DORTCH, I’M RICK VAN HOOSE. WE’LL HAVE MORE TEAM COVERAGE ON PREPARATIONS FOR THAT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. BUT FIRST, JAY HAS BEEN TRACKING THOSE STORMS. JAY, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THIS THREAT TO HIT THE REGION? YEAH. VICKY, A LITTLE LATER ON THIS EVENING FOR THE METRO, WE’RE THINKING ANYWHERE FROM SEVEN, ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO 8 OR 9:00. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WESTERN ONE HALF OF THE VIEWING AREA. THIS GOES UNTIL 11:00 TONIGHT, BUT THIS WATCH COULD BE EXTENDED FARTHER EAST AS THE EVENING HOURS UNFOLD. SO FAR, THE RADAR NOT SHOWING MUCH. GOOD TO SEE. AFTER THE SHOWERS AND STORMS, WE HAD THIS MORNING. THAT DID PUT DOWN SOME HAIL PRODUCING ACTIVITY, IF YOU WILL, TO THE SOUTH OF THE METRO, BUT YOU CAN SEE OFF TO THE WEST. WE’RE STARTING TO GET SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOWING UP ON THE SCAN, AND THE FARTHER WEST WE GO, WE HAVE SUPERCELLS THAT HAVE FIRED UP IN THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY OFF TO THE WEST OF US. THERE’S ONE CLUSTER NEAR CHAMPAIGN PUSHING TOWARDS INDIANAPOLIS. THERE’S ANOTHER CLUSTER HERE IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS DOWN TO NEAR PADUCAH. BY THE WAY, THERE’S A TORNADO WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE PADUCAH AREA. A TORNADO HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THE GROUND HEADING TOWARDS THAT CITY. AND THAT SUPERCELL IS EXPECTED TO BE A LONG TRACK SUPERCELL. IN OTHER WORDS, MOVE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN KENTUCKY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AND COULD COME CLOSE TO OUR SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES. SO LET’S TIME OUT THE STORMS FOR YOU NOW. AGAIN, IS THIS GOING TO BE A SOLID LINE WITH WIND DAMAGE EVERYWHERE? NO, I DON’T THINK SO ANYMORE. I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE CELLULAR IN NATURE. THAT MEANS THE STORMS WILL BE SCATTERED. THAT MEANS THE POTENTIAL DAMAGE WILL ALSO BE SCATTERED. YOU CAN SEE THE LATEST FUTURECAST SHOWING A COUPLE OF CLUSTERS. THAT’S THE BIG SUPERCELL THAT’S COMING OUT OF PADUCAH. AND THAT COULD COME VERY CLOSE TO YOU FOLKS IN GRAYSON COUNTY, PERHAPS BOWLING GREEN AND CATCH OUR SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES AS THE EVENING HOURS WEAR ON. OKAY, HERE’S 8:00 TONIGHT. NOTICE WE’VE GOT STORMS ON TOP OF THE METRO. ANY ONE OF THESE STORMS YOU SEE WILL BE SCATTERED, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER, HAIL, HIGH WINDS, EVEN A TORNADO SPIN UP. SO AGAIN, DON’T PUT DOWN YOUR GUARD. STAY VERY WEATHER AWARE FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE NIGHT AS WE MOVE TOWARDS 10:00 11:00, STILL IN THE THICK OF IT. AND THEN FINALLY BY MIDNIGHT, EVERYTHING IS SINKING OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST WILL BE COMING OUT OF THE SEVERE ALERT, I THINK AFTER MIDNIGHT WE WILL BE DONE WITH ANY AND ALL SEVERE WEATHER CHANCES WITH EVEN SKIES CLEARING AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. SO YOUR DETAILED 12 HOUR FORECAST. WE’RE 81 WARM AND HUMID RIGHT NOW, MOVING TOWARDS EIGHT, NINE, TEN, 11:00 TONIGHT WE HAVE THE SEVERE ALERT IN EFFECT FOR SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS. AGAIN, ALL HAZARDS ON THE TABLE. AND THEN BY MIDNIGHT THE THREAT WILL BE SINKING OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. VICKY RICK. OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WE’LL ACTUALLY SEE CLEARING SKIES AS COOLER LESS HUMID AIR BUILDS INTO THE REGION. MORE ON THE STORMS. AND OF COURSE YOUR WEEKEND WEATHER GUYS THAT IS COMING UP IN THE NEXT CHECK. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU JAY. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CREWS FROM AROUND THE AREA HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THESE STORMS ALL DAY. ADDIE MEINERS SPOKE WITH THOSE CREWS TODAY TO FIND OUT WHAT PREPARATION LOOKS LIKE. SHE JOINS US NOW LIVE TO TELL US MORE ADDIE. YEAH. HERE IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE, WE’RE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO METRO SAFE, WHICH IS WHERE JEFFERSON COUNTY’S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ALL GATHER TO WATCH AS THESE STORMS ROLL THROUGH HERE AND ARE BEGINNING TO APPROACH THE AREA. NOW, IN OTHER COUNTIES, THEY DO HAVE A SIMILAR SETUP, BUT JUST A LITTLE BIT ON A SMALLER SCALE. STILL, ALL OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS THAT I SPOKE WITH TODAY ALL SAID THAT THEY WERE DOING THE SAME THING. THEY’RE GETTING CREWS ON STANDBY. THEY’RE ALSO GETTING ALERTS OUT TO THE PUBLIC ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND SOME ARE EVEN GETTING COMMUNITY SHELTERS READY HERE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS JUST CAME IN TO METRO SAFE TO BEGIN WATCHING THE STORMS AS IT CLOSES IN ON OUR AREA. NOW, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR KELLY JONES SAYS THE MAIN THING CREWS WILL LOOK AT IS WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE THE STORM IS DOING IN █OTHER PLACES BEFORE IT ARRIVES HERE IN LOUISVILLE. THEN THEY’LL HAVE APPROPRIATE STAFF HERE AT METRO SAFE SO THEY CAN RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. AFTER THE STORM PASSES THROUGH, WE LOOK AT A LOT OF THINGS. DO WE GET FLASH FLOODING? WHAT’S THE FLOODING LOOK LIKE? WHAT’S THE WIND DAMAGE? WHAT’S THE WIND SHEAR? DID A TORNADO END UP TOUCHING DOWN? A LOT OF THAT PLAYS INTO THE FACT IS WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE NEED TEMPORARY SHELTER AND HOUSING AND THAT THAT TYPE OF THING. WHERE DOES IT HIT IF IT HITS AT ALL? IT KIND OF SELF DICTATES. YEAH. AND ANOTHER REALLY INTERESTING THING THAT KELLY POINTED OUT TO ME IS ABOUT OUTDOOR TORNADO SIRENS. HE SAYS IF YOU’RE INDOORS, YOU SHOULD NOT BE RELYING ON OUTDOOR SIRENS TO GIVE YOU THAT WARNING. INSTEAD, YOU SHOULD HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS TO GET A TORNADO WARNING. IF ONE WERE TO BE ISSUED A COUPLE OF WAYS YOU CAN DO THAT. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OUR FREE T MOBILE APP, OR YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR THE CITY’S LENS ALERTS. NOW WE’LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN DO THAT AHEAD OF THESE STORMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
Severe weather headed toward Louisville, tornadoes possible
Updated: 6:39 PM EDT May 16, 2025
WLKY Chief Meteorologist Jay Cardosi has the latest on severe weather moving into the region Friday night.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —WLKY Chief Meteorologist Jay Cardosi has the latest on severe weather moving into the region Friday night.
