
At least two dead in Kentucky flooding as US braces for more wintry weather
Much of the US faced another round of biting winter weather on Sunday, with torrential rains causing intense flooding in Kentucky and resulting in at least two deaths.
A 73-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Clay county, Kentucky, WKYT-TV reported. The Clay county emergency management deputy director, Revelle Berry, confirmed the fatality but did not provide additional details.
Meanwhile, in Hart county, Kentucky, the state department of fish and wildlife said an investigation into a death and a rescue operation was under way, WNKY-TV reported. The station reported a youth died and a second victim was missing in flooding on Saturday evening.
The fish and wildlife department and the Hart county sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for more information from the Associated Press.
Severe storms also swept through parts of Florida and Georgia, where tornado watches were in effect early on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
Elsewhere, bone-chilling cold is expected for the northern plains with low temperatures into the minus 30s F near the Canadian border. Dangerously cold wind chill temperatures in the Dakotas and Minnesota of minus -40F (-40C) to minus 50F are expected.
Heavy snowfall amounts were expected in parts of New England and northern New York. In some areas, wind gusts could reach 60mph (about 97km/h) and create 'hazardous whiteout conditions', the NWS said.
In Kentucky, water submerged cars and buildings – and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia. Both of the states were under flood warnings, along with Tennessee and Arkansas. The National Weather Service warned residents to stay off the roads.
Kentucky's governor, Andy Beshear, pre-emptively declared a state of emergency in Kentucky, where flash flooding was expected into Sunday. He also said that he had written to Donald Trump's White House requesting an emergency disaster declaration and federal funds for affected areas.
The president had approved the request, the Kentucky congressman James Comer said.
'We want to specifically put assets in places that flood and have flooded in the past,' Beshear said on social media.
Beshear later used social media to update residents on areas in danger of flooding, including Jackson county, and he said Kentucky state police officers were performing wellness checks while shelters were opening in Pike county and Jenny Wiley state resort park in Prestonsburg.
The Kentucky River medical center in the city of Jackson said it had closed its emergency department and was transferring all patients to two other hospitals in the region. The hospital said it would re-evaluate conditions on Sunday morning to determine when it can safely reopen. The north fork of the Kentucky River was forecast to crest nearly 14 feet (4.3 meters) above flood stage that afternoon, the weather service said.
Flash flooding hit some roads in Bowling Green, and parts of western Kentucky could face up to 8in (20cm) of rain.
Meanwhile heavy snow was expected to blanket much of New England and then transition to sleet, making travel nearly impossible. The heaviest accumulations, possibly a foot or more, were expected in upstate New York and portions of northern New England.
Snow and Arctic temperatures swept much of the midwest and upper plains, covering roads in eastern Nebraska, northern Iowa and much of Wisconsin. Winter weather advisories were issued for parts of those states and Michigan, with up to 4in of snow predicted throughout Iowa, southern Wisconsin and most of Michigan by Sunday evening.
Meteorologists said the US was about to get its 10th and coldest polar vortex stretching event this season, with the northern Rockies and northern plains first in line. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the north pole into the US and Europe.
In Denver, where temperatures were expected to dip as low as 14F over the weekend, the city opened shelters for those living on the streets.
Dry weather returned to southern California after the strongest storm of the year. But the risk of rock and mudslides on wildfire-scarred hillsides continued because dangerous slides can strike even after rain stops, particularly in areas where vegetation that helps keep soil anchored has burned away.
Water, debris and boulders rushed down the mountain in the city of Sierra Madre on Thursday night, trapping at least one car in the mud and damaging several home garages with mud and debris. Bulldozers cleaned up mud-covered streets in the city of 10,000 people.
A storm in the Sierra Nevada dumped 6ft of snow over 36 hours. Two Mammoth Mountain ski patrol workers were caught in an avalanche during avalanche mitigation work on Friday, the resort said on Facebook. One was extracted and was responsive. The other was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
Hikers rescued as ski season begins in Australia's alpine region
A long weekend cold snap in Australia's south-east has seen the ski season begin in earnest, with authorities in NSW and Victoria conducting rescues across the alpine region. Hikers were filmed on Sunday night as they walked through heavy snowfall in Mount Kosciuszko national park while being rescued by police


The Sun
19 hours ago
- The Sun
I fell 9,000ft & LIVED after my paraglider wing collapsed during a flight… but I can't wait to get back in the sky
A GRANDAD has told how his paraglider's wing collapsed 9,000ft above the French Alps. Retired counter-terrorism cop Steve Barnett, 57, flew into a storm cloud, saturating his glider. 5 5 5 The wing caved under the weight of water as he tried an emergency landing — sending him falling 30ft through trees. Steve broke his pelvis when he hit the ground at 40mph. He called fellow paraglider Matt Roach, 47, for help. The pal, in the air at the time, tracked him down and alerted a rescue helicopter. Steve was airlifted from Passy, in south eastern France, to a hospital near the Italian border. He was allowed to head home to Seaford, East Sussex, just two days later. Steve recalled: 'There was a big cloud and I started hearing a pitter patter on the wing. "It came down heavier. 'Then all I could hear was this snapping, crackling and rippling. "I bounced on the ground and rolled. Shock vid shows half-frozen paraglider who was sucked 5 MILES into sky by vortex & left shivering in -40C conditions 'It was like someone had kicked me really hard.' Unfazed, he added: 'I can't wait to get back into the sky.' 5 5


The Guardian
19 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia news live: whale rescuers try to help humpback entangled in buoy; drivers trapped in heavy snow near Mount Hotham
Update: Date: 2025-06-08T21:22:12.000Z Title: Welcome Content: Good morning, and welcome to Monday. I'm Nick Visser and I'll be here all morning to take you through today's breaking news. Here's what's on deck: The mother of Pheobe Bishop remembered her daughter as someone who 'always sung to her own tune' at a vigil on Sunday. 'She loved the people that she loved to every extent of the earth', Kylie Johnson told hundreds of community members at the gathering. A second vigil will be held tonight. Dozens of people were trapped in their cars in the Victorian Alps amid heavy snow this weekend. The state's SES said the agency rescued more than 20 people near Hotham Heights yesterday, with an official saying they believe there could be up to 20 vehicles still on the mountain. Emergency officials will meet this morning to discuss ongoing plans. Officials will continue to monitor a humpback whale seen near Sydney harbour yesterday entangled in rope. Rescue teams tried to free the animal, which is trailing a buoy behind it, on Sunday but were unsuccessful. Stick with us throughout the day.