Update, 8pm CDT Sunday- The NWS in Paducah says more than one tornado caused the damage in Henderson and Warrick counties Saturday evening.
Update, 8pm CDT Sunday- On Twitter, the National Weather Service in Paducah said that two EF-2 tornadoes, one in Henderson County and one in Warrick County, caused the damage Saturday evening. They expect more information to be available later Sunday evening or Monday morning.
The first damage reports Saturday evening were in Henderson County. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesperson Kiersten Jaggers said in an email that the roof was ripped off an old salt dome and tossed onto KY 2099. A communications tower was also damaged.
The storms jumped the Ohio River and hit Newburgh. Jason Bailey lives in the 6600 block of Blue Spruce Drive.
He said, “It seemed like it came right over the top of us. We were huddled a bit from a garage door. The suction just kind of pushed that garage door in a little bit then pushed it back out.”
Bailey says thanks to a cell phone alert, they had enough warning of the approaching storm. Despite heavy damage to some homes, the injuries in his neighborhood came after it was over.
He said, “One of our neighbors was throwing up tools to the upper level where they were trying to put up a tarp to cover their exposed attic and I think she stepped on a nail.”
Vectren reported at one point that 11,000 customers were without power because of storm damage.
As of Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service has not ruled on whether the Saturday night storms were tornadoes. This is a developing story. We will provide updates as they become available.
