Latest news with #ThunderOverLouisville
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Louisville officials plan ‘massive' volunteer cleanup ahead of Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Historic flooding has led to city leaders planning an equally historic community cleanup initiative during what would normally be Thunder Over Louisville. The Louisville Metro Police Department put the word out on social media around 11 a.m. on Friday, saying officers aren't trying to arrest or fire anyone — they simply need the community to show up willing to help pick up debris left by Mother Nature. Louisville law enforcement said that the April 12 cleanup is set to be one of the largest events of its kind in city history. Hopkinsville man allegedly strangled, planted tracking devices on now ex-girlfriend Louisville officials plan 'massive' volunteer cleanup ahead of Kentucky Derby Lexington police announce passing of officer 'known for his smile and laugh' 'Come dressed to tackle mud and debris,' the LMPD wrote. 'Wear long pants, wear closed toe shoes, and come support your community.' The cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 12, at the TurfMutt Great Lawn. Event organizers said free parking can be found at the surface lot across the street from the lawn. To find more information about the community cleanup and register, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
As sun shines bright, Louisville and other Kentucky communities wait for floods to recede
The rain is gone. The water isn't. Louisville and much of Kentucky saw the sun for the first time in several days Monday, as storms that had rolled through the region throughout the weekend and last week have finally passed. But those heavy rains left a swollen Ohio River in Louisville and varying degrees of flooding around much of the state, including hard-hit Frankfort. And as more stormwater rolls into the region from waterways to our east, the high water is likely here to stay for some time. According to the National Water Prediction Service, the Ohio River is expected to crest at 37 feet at the upper portion of the McAlpine Locks and Dam near the Falls of the Ohio, similar to the water levels reached in the 2018 floods. The lower portion of the dam is expected to crest at 68.5 feet, which could pose threats to west and southwest Louisville, officials added. Much of River Road was underwater by Sunday, including businesses around the historic Louisville Water Tower, where Louisville EMS said more than 60 people were evacuated Monday from a nearby Candlewood Suites Hotel, and further east toward Harrods Creek and Wolf Pen Branch. Waters are expected to crest in the area Wednesday, forecasters have projected, with a likelihood it could be among the 10 highest floods in city history. Jefferson County Public Schools and the University of Louisville each held classes online Monday. The annual Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks showcase, originally scheduled for this Saturday, was already canceled over the weekend as a precaution. Other parts of the state, meanwhile, are dealing with issues of their own. The Kentucky River in Frankfort appeared to have crested as of Monday morning, but Kentucky's capital city was rocked by the waters. Residents were asked to stay home and conserve water if possible as many local businesses were swamped, including the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which expects to remain closed until Thursday at the earliest. Eyes in the region were also watching the Dix Dam closely. Ten of the spill gates on the dam between Mercer and Garrard counties were opened as part of a planned release Sunday, according to LG&E and KU, but a miscommunication between officials led Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams to warn residents the gates were accidentally opened and that communities along the Kentucky River should evacuate. He apologized Monday, citing "bad information." On Monday afternoon, Kentucky State Police confirmed the body of Lee Chandler, 27, had been found in far west Kentucky, marking the third death of the flooding event, while minutes later Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed a fourth death in Trigg County. Chandler was swept away while trying to retrieve his boat Sunday, police said at the time. Two other people, a 9-year-old boy in Frankfort and a 74-year-old woman in Boston, have died amid the floods, according to the governor and local officials. The governor did not identify the 65-year-old Trigg County man who was killed. But local outlet WKDZ reported the body of David Duncan was found Monday morning in a truck that had been overcome by floodwaters. Beshear also warned an overnight freeze warning was likely Monday night heading into a chilly Tuesday and urged Bluegrass State residents to continue to take precautions as rivers and other waterways near peak levels. "Do not drive through water, do not move barricades, because remember, if you do that, you're not just making a bad decision for yourself, you could cause the harm or even death to that next person that comes along," he added. More than 500 state roads were closed at the start of the week due to high waters. Temperatures in Louisville on Tuesday are expected to remain in the mid to upper 40s, according to the National Weather Service, before rising back into the upper 50s and lower 60s Wednesday and Thursday. Some precipitation is expected Wednesday night heading into Thursday. In cases of life-threatening emergencies, Beshear said, call 911. For immediate issues that do not put lives at risk, call 502-607-6665 or visit Emergency management crews from several other states are currently in the commonwealth supporting the National Guard, KSP and other first responders. "Four days of severe storms have brought devastation to so many communities," Beshear said. "... To all the rescue teams from here in the commonwealth or from other states that have come to aid us, thank you for helping our people. Thanks for answering the call once again." Reporters Marina Johnson, Leo Bertucci, Connor Giffin, Stephanie Kuzydym and Killian Baarlaer contributed. Reach The Courier Journal's news team at lounews@ This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville waits for Ohio River flood to crest after days of rain
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Kentucky floods: Which areas have warnings? When will they end? What to know Sunday
Kentucky remains in the throes of deadly flooding from a severe storm system that has dumped torrential rain over the state since Wednesday. The continued significant levels of rainfall have resulted in historic flooding in some areas. Cities in the central swath of the commonwealth, including Lexington and Bowling Green, have higher chances of seeing impacts, meteorologists said. Heavy rainfall is expected until the weather system starts to move east Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville. The National Weather Service in Louisville issued the following warnings: A flash flood warning for Bullitt, Nelson and Spencer counties in central Kentucky due to expected thunderstorms producing heavy rain. Areas expected to experience flash flooding included Bardstown, Shepherdsville, Pioneer Village, Taylorsville, Mount Washington, Hillview, Lebanon Junction, Hebron Estates, Bloomfield and Fox Chase. A flash flood warning for Breckenridge and Meade counties into Sunday morning, affecting Brandenburg, Hardinsburg, Webster, Irvington, Cloverport, Muldraugh, Ekron, Basin Spring, Clifton Mills and Garfield. A flood warning for Anderson, Franklin and Woodford counties through Tuesday afternoon, impacted by the Kentucky River at Frankfort Lock where more flooding was expected due to additional rainfall expected. Kentucky River at Lockport Lock could affect Carroll, Owen and Henry counties; and Elkhorn Creek Near Peaks Mill could impact Franklin County. The flood stage was 41.4 feet Saturday evening and the river is expected to rise to a crest of 47 feet Monday morning, comparable to a crest of 47.5 feet on January 25, 1937, one of the area's most significant floods. Many state and county roads in west Kentucky were closed Saturday as floodwaters swept over pavement. Clinton, the seat of Hickman County, was inaccessible from several directions due to road closures and some of the remaining routes into town were barely above water as of midday Saturday. Kentucky weather updates: Thunder Over Louisville 2025 canceled due to weather At least two people have died in flooding-related incidents in Kentucky. A 9-year-old Frankfort boy died Friday after being swept away by floodwaters while walking to a school bus stop, Frankfort police said. A 74-year-old man was found dead inside a submerged vehicle in the 2800 block of Nelsonville Road in Boston Saturday, according to the Nelson County Sheriff's Office. The National Weather Service is urging motorists to stay off flooded roads. Most flood fatalities occur in vehicles, according to the agency. More than half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous floodwaters, and the second-highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near floodwaters, the service said. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult. Twelve inches of rushing water can sweep most cars off a road and 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks. Kentucky's capital city could soon see the Kentucky River crest to the highest level in more than three decades. Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson said the river is predicted to crest at more than 44 feet and could surpass the levels it reached in 1989. Since Friday, the river has risen more than 10 feet and is expected to rise an additional 5 feet by Monday, Wilkerson said in a Facebook post. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the incident could become one of the city's top 10 worst flooding events when the Ohio River crests in the city Wednesday. According to the five most significant Kentucky floods are: The Ohio River Great Flood of January 1937 surpassed all prior floods during the previous 175 years of modern occupancy of the Ohio River Valley. About 70% of Louisville was submerged, forcing 175,000 residents to flee. About 90% of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was flooded with 13,000 residents forced to flee their homes. Louisville received 15 inches of rain over 12 days, from January 13-24. More than 19 inches of rain fell over the month. At Louisville, the crest of the 1937 flood is still a full 10 feet higher than the second-highest crest set in 1945. At McAlpine Lock, the 1937 flood crested at 85.4 feet. The flood stage is 55 feet. Damage was estimated at about $250 million — more than $3.3 billion in 2025 dollars. The flood that beset the Ohio River Valley in 1945 is the second-biggest flood at Louisville, peaking at 74.4 feet. Late on March 5, the river was flowing over a sandbag dike and caused about 50,000 citizens in the Louisville area to evacuate. The bulk of the heavy rain that caused the flood fell during a three-week period leading up to the flood. The rain came in four main waves on February 20–21, February 25–26, March 1-2, and March 5-6. Damage was about estimated at around $2.6 million. Large amounts of rain fell on central Kentucky and southern Indiana from the end of February to the beginning of March 1997. Thunderstorms and large areas of heavy rain repeatedly moved over the same areas, causing record flooding along smaller streams and some of the worst flooding along the Ohio River since at least 1964, and in some places since the Great Flood of 1937. A few smaller streams set their all-time records. Water reached the rooftops in Boston in Nelson County. Barge traffic was halted on the Ohio River when the locks flooded. The Louisville area sustained about $200 million in damage from the flooding, affecting about 50,000 homes. The region saw a total of about $400 million in damages. Interstates 64 and 65 were closed, and 92 counties in Kentucky and 14 in Indiana were declared disaster areas. Nineteen deaths occurred in Kentucky, including nine due to attempts to cross flooded roadways. The flood that struck Frankfort saw the Kentucky River peak on December 10 at a record 48.47 feet and led to the state capital being almost completely cut off from the rest of the commonwealth. About 1,000 people fled their homes. Strengthening low pressure moving slowly from Texas to Michigan brought Gulf moisture northward, resulting in historic rainfall across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Parts of southern Kentucky saw 8-10 inches of rain. Bowling Green, Marrowbone, Bradfordsville, Richmond and Albany all set new records for two-day rainfall amounts and almost all streams and rivers in southern Indiana and central Kentucky experienced some sort of flooding. Stoner Creek at Paris and the Kentucky River at High Bridge attained their third-highest crests on record. The Green River at Rochester stayed above flood stage for two weeks following the rain. Damage totaled more than $30 million and there were five fatalities in central Kentucky. Contributing: Keisha Rowe, Olivia Evans, Connor Giffin, Stephanie Kuzydym and Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at or 317-444-6264. Follow her on or Bluesky: @ This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky floods 2025: See flood warnings, river crest timing, more
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Famous Louisville air and fireworks show kicking off Kentucky Derby celebrations canceled: ‘We are just as disappointed as you'
Video note: Despite this article's time stamp, the above video is the latest forecast from The Weather Authority. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — The sound of jet engines and dazzling fireworks won't be roaring over Louisville to ring in the 151st Kentucky Derby, officials announced on Saturday. Thunder Over Louisville posted on Facebook that the famous event had been canceled for safety reasons. 'Unfortunately, Thunder is such a large-scale event and massive logistical undertaking involving partners at local, state and federal levels, that it's not able to be postponed or rescheduled for another date,' event organizers explained. University of Kentucky says 4 students have had their visas revoked Famous Louisville air and fireworks show kicking off Kentucky Derby celebrations canceled: 'We are just as disappointed as you' Nelson County responders find 1 dead inside fully submerged vehicle Officials with Thunder Over Louisville said they are disappointed in having to cancel but knew that they needed to focus on the community and Kentuckians affected by flooding and severe storms. 'We still have a full schedule of Kentucky Derby Festival events planned leading up to the first Saturday in May and hope you'll join us in the coming week,' event organizers wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
