Kentucky weather updates: Greenberg calls state of emergency in Louisville over Friday storm

Thousands are without power in Louisville and around Kentucky as severe weather rolls through the area and has been blamed for at least three deaths in the state.

Louisville Gas & Electric reported about 78,000 total power outages in Jefferson County just before 11 p.m., while online aggregator poweroutage.us reported about 530,000 outages across the Bluegrass State. Storms blew through the area earlier in the day followed by high-speed winds, with top speeds recorded at more than 70 mph in Jefferson County. Thousands in Southern Indiana are without power as well, according to Duke Energy.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called a local state of emergency Friday night into Saturday and urged residents to exercise caution if traveling. He said the move will ”allow the most effective use of our emergency services and first responders and allow Louisville Metro Government to access potentially available funding to assist in recovering from these severe weather events.”

The strong winds have caused several key highway closures in Louisville, though no complete closures were in place as of 9 p.m. Property damage was reported across the state as well — Lexington’s airport closed Friday evening amid the storm due to damage to its roof.

Gov. Andy Beshear called a state of emergency in the commonwealth Friday morning as a precaution. Several school districts in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, including Jefferson County Public Schools, called off in-person classes Friday, with wet weather and gusty winds expected into the late afternoon.

Here's a quick look at what's happened Friday around the region.

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Three weather-related deaths reported

In separate Twitter posts, Beshear said three people in Kentucky have died as a result of the storms.

The first death was reported in Simpson County, Beshear said in a 5:30 p.m. tweet. Beshear reported the second death, in Edmonson County, just after 6 p.m.

Beshear tweeted again around 7:50 p.m. to report a third death in Logan County.

No additional details about either death were immediately available.

Simpson and Logan counties are along the state's southern border with Tennessee, while Edmonson County is just north of Bowling Green.

Power outages and strong winds in Jefferson County

LG&E reported 78,130 without power in Jefferson County, 1,955 people without power in Bullitt County and 1,098 people without power in Meade County as of about 11 p.m.

The National Weather Service in Louisville recorded winds at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport at 71 mph.

High-speed winds leave their mark

Winds in Louisville hit 71 mph at one point, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist. And the nearly hurricane-force gusts have made an impact across the state.

At Louisville's GE Appliances park, a number of light poles have been knocked over, with some cars in the parking lot damaged. The company told employees in an email that two poles had been knocked over and that it was canceling the remainder of second shift on Friday and would institute a two-hour delay for the start of third shift. Employees on site who were not comfortable traveling amid the severe weather were welcome to stay, the email said.

In Bowling Green, meanwhile, several Twitter users reported a large sign at a White Castle restaurant had blown over and destroyed a car. No one was injured, WDRB reported, but several photos went viral as the storm continued to blow through the region.

Tornadoes in Kentucky

At 12:30 p.m., Beshear tweeted that a tornado had touched ground in McCracken County. He followed at 1:08 p.m. with a tweet about a second tornado in Christian County, in Western Kentucky near the Tennessee border. Christian County Emergency Management said in a Facebook post that some trees had been pulled from the ground in Hopkinsville and had flipped some semi trucks on local roads.

At a 10:30 a.m. press conference, Beshear said the biggest threats of the incoming storm would likely be damaging winds that follow a "fast-moving thunderstorm," with the potential for isolated tornadoes.

Louisville weather radar

Courts and other offices close

Jefferson County Circuit Court closed at 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to Circuit Court Clerk David L. Nicholson. His office has also closed and only has minimal staff to process bonds, mental health petitions and domestic violence requests.

State office buildings also closed at 11 a.m. to allow employees time to get home, Beshear said in his Friday morning press conference. Erran Huber, director of communications of the Jefferson County Clerks Office, said the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office locations will close at 2 p.m., and that motor vehicle branches and service locations will open on Monday.

The Louisville Urban League said on Twitter account its office is closing due to the state of emergency put in place by Beshear.

The Kentucky Humane Society said their Main and Eastern offices will close at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Changes in regional basketball tournament schedule

Carolyn Callahan, a spokesperson with JCPS, said Seventh Region Tournament boys' basketball games scheduled for Friday at Valley High School will be postponed to Sunday afternoon. These include the Manual vs. Trinity game, which will be at 2 p.m., and the Male vs. Ballard game, set for 4 p.m.

Callahan said the Saturday schedule will stay the same.

The Sixth Region final that was scheduled for Tuesday will be rescheduled for 7 p.m. Monday and the Seventh Region final scheduled for Monday will be postponed to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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High Wind Warning in Central Kentucky region, including Louisville

Chase Graham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Louisville, said the biggest concern is wind gusts of 55-60 mph which could happen this afternoon and could cause power outages. He said tornadoes are possible with some of the strong storms expected this afternoon.

He also recommends drivers stay off the roads in the afternoon because it is difficult to control a vehicle in high winds.

"The main threat, however, is for damaging straight line winds, up to 70 to 75 miles an hour, with some of the stronger storms," Graham said.

He said the heavy rain will likely calm down by 4 p.m., which is why the flood watch is in effect until then, but there can be "river flooding" through the weekend which is normal in these situations.

Is there school today? Several districts cancel in-person classes

In Kentucky, the following school districts and institutions have announced classes are canceled Friday.

• Jefferson County Public Schools

• Oldham County Schools

• Bullitt County Public Schools

• Shelby County Public Schools

• Hardin County Schools

• LaRue County Schools

• Marion County Public Schools (Non-traditional instruction day)

• Fayette County Public Schools in the Lexington area

• Jefferson County Catholic elementary and high school

• Warren County Public Schools

• Kentucky State University

• University of Louisville (classes cancelled and offices close starting at 11:30 a.m.)

In Southern Indiana, the following school districts have set Friday as a remote learning day, meaning students will complete assignments from home:

• Greater Clark County Schools

• New Albany-Floyd County Schools

• Borden-Henryville Schools

• North Harrison Community Schools (closed entirely, make-up day on April 21)

• South Harrison Community Schools (closed entirely, make-up day on April 7)

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Friday's forecast for Louisville

Friday's forecast in the Louisville area has the potential for storms, strong winds and the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

A National Weather Service in Louisville release Thursday afternoon said the region could get between 2 and 4 inches of rain. The updating hourly forecast said rain could begin in the early morning hours and last through most of the day, peaking between 3 a.m. and 2 p.m. Flash flooding is possible, and a flood watch is in effect in Louisville and the surrounding region through Friday afternoon.

High-speed winds are likely. The agency's forecast said winds will be at their strongest from mid-morning through the afternoon, with sustained wind speeds from 25 to 35 mph that could reach 55 to 65 mph.

Power outages are possible as a result – Louisville Gas & Electric offers an updating map of power outage totals on its website and provides status updates during outages by texting STATUS to 4LGEKU (454358).

Most of the state is at risk of isolated tornadoes as well, the afternoon forecast noted.

Friday has a high temperature of 67 degrees. And on the bright side, Saturday should be clear, with highs in the upper 50s.

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Reach The Courier Journal's breaking news team at lounews@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Weather Friday in Kentucky: Power outages, highway closures over wind