SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia on Friday, hours after a harsh storm hit a remote area of central Kentucky, killing one person and injuring seven others.
In Kentucky, Washington County Judge-executive Timothy Graves said two or three houses were destroyed and downed trees temporarily blocked roads.
“We were fortunate this was located in a remote part of the county,” Graves said.
Gov. Andy Beshear canceled a visit planned for Friday to Pulaski and Laurel counties, which were hit by a tornado earlier this month. That storm left 19 dead in the state. Officials were responding to reports of a possible tornado in Washington County, he said in a social media post.
“This level of severe weather was unexpected, with a system still moving through the state,” Beshear said. “We also expect to see additional storms today with Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky facing a risk of more severe weather. Please be alert this morning and stay safe.”
National Weather Service’s office in Louisville, Kentucky, said a crew surveying damage Friday in Washington County was following a damage path that may enter neighboring Mercer County. By midday, the crew had found “at least” EF1 tornado damage in southwestern Washington County, the office said in a social media post.
Three of the injured people were taken to University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington. County Emergency Management Director Kevin Devine said the county was not expecting harsh weather Friday morning.
In a social media post, the sheriff’s office asked people to stay home to allow emergency workers to do their jobs.
In Tennessee, multiple people were injured when severe weather hit the Philadelphia area of Loudon County, on Friday morning, the county sheriff’s office said in a social media post. The weather service’s office in Morristown later preliminarily confirmed in a social media post that an EF0 tornado struck near the border of Loudon and Monroe counties.
In addition to tornado warnings, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia until Friday night.
