12:01 am ET
Tornado warning issued in Louisville as storms push into central Kentucky
Connor Giffin
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for much of Jefferson County, including Louisville, St. Matthews and Shively, until 12:30 a.m. Thursday, as storms pushed into central Kentucky.
Tornado warnings were also issued for several nearby counties, including Bullitt, Hardin, Oldham, Trimble and Henry.
Clark, Floyd, Harrison and Jefferson counties in Southern Indiana were also recently issued tornado warnings. New Albany, directly across the river from Louisville, was included in a tornado warning issued shortly after 11:30 p.m.
Severe weather, including multiple confirmed tornadoes, has already left a trail of destruction in some western reaches of the state, and reports of injuries and property damage have begun to trickle in.
11:27 pm ET April 2, 2025
Tornado warnings issued for Southern Indiana, just across river from Louisville
Connor Giffin
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Southern Indiana, including Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties, just across the Ohio River from Louisville. A previous tornado warning was issued for Scottsburg, Salem and Austin, in an area of Indiana less than 15 miles north of Louisville.
The warning closer to the river is set to remain in place until midnight, and the other until 11:45 p.m., according to the NWS. Hail is also possible in the area.
A tornado warning had not yet been issued for Jefferson County as of 11:35 p.m., as lightning flashed over the city.
10:50 pm ET April 2, 2025
Injuries reported in Ballard County, tornado headed for Murray
Connor Giffin
Emergency management reported four injuries and one person in critical condition in Ballard County near Gage in Western Kentucky. The report also included damage to structures and snapped power poles and trees.
The report was listed as associated with tornado damage. Ballard County was under a tornado warning earlier in the night and was under a tornado watch as of 9:40 p.m. CDT.
The injury reports came as the National Weather Service reported a confirmed tornado headed for Murray, a town of 18,000 and the seat of Calloway County. Residents were advised to take shelter at 9:25 p.m. CDT.
10:16 pm ET April 2, 2025
Wind damage reported in Jefferson County as storm approaches
Connor Giffin
In the last hour, officials received reports of wind damage near Okolona and St. Matthews in Jefferson County and in Bullitt and Butler counties, including downed trees and power lines.
Still, some distance remains between Louisville and the worst of the coming weather. The nearest tornado warnings, as of 10 p.m., were around Jasper, Indiana — about 60 miles west of Louisville — and farther west, around Evansville, Indiana.
Severe weather threats were expected to arrive in the Louisville area between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., the National Weather Service reported Wednesday afternoon.
9:05 pm ET April 2, 2025
Tornado warnings issued for Paducah, western areas of Kentucky
Connor Giffin
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Paducah until 8:30 p.m. CDT.
The agency previously issued tornado warnings for McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Graves, Livingston, Calloway, Marshall, Henderson and Union counties within the last hour.
The warnings are among the first to touch Kentucky amid Wednesday night’s severe weather, which is expected to move east toward the Interstate 65 corridor into the night. Strong tornadoes, wind and hail are possible as the storm travels.
8:18 pm ET April 2, 2025
UPS Worldport to suspend some operations ahead of severe weather
Connor Giffin
As severe weather approaches the Louisville area, UPS is “taking the unusual step of suspending Worldport Next Day Air sort operations and cancelling domestic inbound flights on Wednesday night,” according to spokesperson Jim Mayer, citing safety precautions.
Operations are expected to resume Thursday morning, he said, “to get our customers’ critical shipments moving as quickly as possible to their destinations.”
The company encouraged customers with questions about shipments to track them at UPS.com. The massive UPS Worldport in Louisville is the company’s largest air hub, processing 2 million packages daily.
7:29 pm ET April 2, 2025
Tornado watch issued for Louisville metro, other areas
Killian Baarlaer
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Louisville and several other Kentucky counties.
The watch is active until 2 a.m. Thursday.
Other Kentucky counties in the watch zone include Allen, Anderson, Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Edmonson, Franklin, Grayson, Green, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henry, LaRue, Logan, Marion, Meade, Metcalfe, Monroe, Nelson, Ohio, Oldham, Shelby, Simpson, Spencer, Taylor, Trimble, Warren and Washington counties.
7:16 pm ET April 2, 2025
Driver rescued from car hit by fallen tree
Louisville Metro Police rescued a driver after a tree fell on a vehicle while driving near Iroquois Park Wednesday afternoon, spokesperson Dwight Mitchell said.
Third Division LMPD officers responded to Palatka Road near Manslick Road around 4:20 p.m. and found a driver trapped inside the car when they arrived. Officers were able to remove the driver, and the individual was transported to UofL Hospital, where he is expected to survive, Mitchell said.
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Works is on scene and working to remove the tree from the road.
6:03 pm ET April 2, 2025
Kentucky Derby Festival postpones Saturday event in anticipation of poor weather
Killian Baarlaer
The Zoeller Pump Company ParadeFest, a Kentucky Derby Festival event originally set to take place Saturday, will be rescheduled as several days of heavy rainfall and flooding would likely impact the outdoor event, organizers announced.
Festival officials will announce the new date soon, organizers said in a news release Wednesday.
“Kentucky Derby Festival produces most of our events outdoors and over the years we’ve learned to be flexible when it comes to weather in the Ohio Valley,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “The potential for rain and high winds this weekend would make it challenging to host the ParadeFest outside and impact the event experience, so we’re postponing to a later date.”
5:28 pm ET April 2, 2025
Paducah, far-western KY positioned for worst of severe weather
Killian Baarlaer
The National Weather Service in Paducah has issued several advisories for Kentucky’s far-west counties, including a flood watch, a wind advisory and a tornado watch as forecasters anticipate the region to get the worst of the nearing severe weather.
A handful of counties in west Kentucky are slated to receive 10-15 inches of rain through Monday — the highest totals predicted across the commonwealth — and could see catastrophic or historic flooding, according to NWS forecasts.
Areas under the advisories include Fulton, Hickman, Carl, Carlisle, Ballard, McCracken, Graves, Calloway, Marshall, Livingston, Trigg, Lyon, Caldwell, Crittenden, Caldwell and Hopkins counties, along with portions of bordering counties.
Many of those counties are also considered “high risk” for severe weather Wednesday night, meaning forecasters are confident widespread severe storms will materialize. Tornadoes, significant wind damage and hail 2 inches in diameter or bigger are all possible for the area, but the flooding set to follow Wednesday night’s severe storms could prove to be most dangerous aspect of the weather event, NWS meteorologist Ryan Sharp said.
Multiple rounds of heavy rain will fall on the region through Saturday as a cold front settles over the commonwealth. The latest forecast from Paducah warns that areas not typical prone to flooding could flood and characterized the risks as “life-threatening.”
“This is going to be the biggest concern out of all this, as far as I know, because flooding is the number one killer,” Sharp said.
3:16 pm ET April 2, 2025
NWS meteorologists urge residents to take precautions ahead of ‘scary’ forecast
Killian Baarlaer
The National Weather Service is warning Kentucky residents take precautions as storms are set to enter the commonwealth Wednesday evening.
The storms — which could give rise to tornadoes, hail and damaging winds — will move into west Kentucky starting around 5 p.m. and make their way eastward, according to the latest forecast. Meteorologists predict Louisville will be impacted by severe storms from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
“It’s a scary forecast,” NWS meteorologist Ryan Sharp said.
Louisville is at risk for severe straight-line winds that could reach 58 mph or faster and hail that could be an inch in diameter or bigger. A wind advisory issued by the NWS is in effect in Louisville until 1 a.m. Thursday. Tornadoes are possible in the Louisville metro area, with a 10% chance or greater of seeing tornadoes rising to EF-2 or stronger.
Sharp said rainfall totals and flooding impacts will be dependent on how the initial round of storms move through the commonwealth.
“It’s all going to come down to what happens tonight — at least as a beginning point — where it stalls out, and then we’ll be able to figure out things a little more from there,” he said.
Louisville is currently expected to receive 8-10 inches of rain and will be under a flood watch starting Wednesday at 8 a.m. and ending 8 a.m. Sunday.
3:06 pm ET April 2, 2025
White Flag operations begin ahead of incoming weather system
Marina Johnson
The Coalition for the Homeless has announced Wayside Christian Mission is now operating under White Flag conditions ahead of the incoming weather system.
According to the Louisville Metro Government website, White Flag operations typically occur when there’s a wind chill of below 35 degrees or a heat index over 95 degrees, or when an ozone alert occurs, although it’s often implemented amid severe weather conditions like the incoming storms.
The shelter — located at 432 E. Jefferson St. — offers check-in when White Flag conditions are called for the day. No reservations are needed and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis with a capacity of around 200.
Salvation Army, which typically operates under White Flag conditions during severe weather and is also located closer to downtown at 911 S. Brook St., has not yet made an announcement regarding emergency operations.
The Coalition for the Homeless is further urging unhoused populations to stay away from Louisville’s riverbanks with major flood risks over the next several days.
12:36 pm ET April 2, 2025
JCPS cancels activities Thursday, Friday
Leo Bertucci
Jefferson County Public Schools has canceled all school-related activities Thursday and Friday due to the expected severe weather set to arrive in the Louisville area, district officials announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The cancellations are due to Gov. Andy Beshear’s state of emergency declaration. JCPS officials said.
Students in the district are on spring break through Friday.
10:30 am ET April 2, 2025
Beshear declares state of emergency ahead of severe storms
Leo Bertucci
Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency ahead of anticipated severe storms Wednesday, and said in a statement he is especially concerned about the high risk for tornadoes in west Kentucky.
The executive order signed by the governor allows officials to coordinate an emergency response plan from the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center and mobilize the Kentucky National Guard, among other actions.
While much of the Louisville area is at a moderate risk for severe weather, the fourth-highest of five categories issued by the National Weather Service, west Kentucky, including Paducah, is in the highest risk level.
“Remember, these can be strong tornadoes, EF-2 and greater,” Beshear said. “We’re really concerned about people’s safety, especially in the overnight, because when storms or tornadoes hit while people are asleep, that’s sadly when we’ve lost the most people. So, everybody out there, be really careful.”
Beshear also activated the state’s price gouging laws. Consumers are advised to report price gouging to the Office of the Attorney General.
9:53 am ET April 2, 2025
Storms to roll in Wednesday evening. Here’s when
Marina Johnson
Storms will start moving into the western edge of the commonwealth beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Louisville.
West Kentucky cities like Paducah and Owensboro are expected to start seeing impacts from 7-11 p.m. and are under a Level 5 risk with widespread severe storms, including high-strength tornadoes of EF-2 or higher and destructive hail, possible during the surge. A Level 5 risk, also known as high risk, is the highest threat level on the service’s scale.
Storms are then expected to slowly track eastward and reach the Louisville metro area between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., while areas like Lexington, Frankfort and Bowling Green are likely to fall in the midnight to 4 a.m. range. Eastward movement of the storm system slows significantly east of Interstate 65 with the eastern half of the state, including cities like Russell Springs, London, Morehead and Pikeville to see rain after 4 a.m.
Forecasters have warned severe weather could last for one to two hours in the impacted areas, though heavy rain will last longer.
7:46 am ET April 2, 2025
Several inches of rain expected in coming days. See the forecast
Marina Johnson
Louisville’s 5-day forecast
Wednesday
Chances of precipitation rise throughout the day from 20% to 100% with a slight chance of storms between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. New rainfall of 1-2 inches possible at night. High near 82 and low near 64. Breezy, with a south winds of 10 to 15 mph increasing to 24 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph and will become southwest of 15 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph in the evening.
Thursday
Chance of precipitation is 100% with conditions starting before 8 a.m. High near 70 with a low around 57. Southwest winds of around 6 mph. New rainfall during the day is between a quarter and half of an inch possible with 2-3 inches possible Thursday night. Winds become northeast in the evening.
Friday
Chance of precipitation is 70% to 90% with new rainfall amounts of between 1-2 inches possible during the day, followed by a half and three quarters of an inch possible at night. High near 72 with a low around 63. East winds around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Saturday
Chance of precipitation is between 70% and 100%. High near 77 with a low around 54.
Sunday
Chance of precipitation is 80% and lessens to 30% by Sunday night. Storms mainly before 2 p.m. but possible after 2 p.m. and before 8 p.m. High near 60 with a low around 39. Partly cloudy.
