Late Friday storms in Hopkinsville and Christian County uprooted trees, brought down limbs, and caused lengthy power outages. However, the damages were not as severe as those in other areas of Kentucky, including Somerset and London, where numerous deaths were reported due to apparent tornadoes.
“This is another tough morning for Kentucky after a night of deadly weather,” Governor Andy Beshear stated.
The National Weather Service will send teams to the Pennyrile region on Sunday or Monday to survey two areas of potential tornado damage: one in northern Trigg County and the other extending from northern eastern Christian County through most of northern Todd County. The NWS office in Paducah posted on Facebook that additional damage surveys may be required.
Hopkinsville residents were out Saturday morning clearing debris from their lawns and stacking tree limbs at curbs. The sound of chainsaws, wood chippers, and power generators echoed down the street.
City crews were clearing debris from several temporarily blocked streets, including South Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets, East 18th Street at Walnut Street, Phelps Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets, and East First Street Extension near Butler Road.
A city official advised caution when traveling near low-hanging limbs, communication lines, and power lines.
Hopkinsville Electric System reported several power outages Friday night due to “high winds.” Crews restored power to 3,500 customers by 6:15 a.m., but there were still eight broken poles and several lines down, according to the utility.
Pennyrile Electric reported outages that affected 14,482 members around 11 p.m. on Friday. The utility serves parts of nine counties and has 48,000 members. As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the number of members without power was reduced to 7,007, according to a Facebook post.
“As we continue to restore power for our members, several additional crews from out of town have arrived to assist with outages,” a Pennyrile Electric official wrote in the post. “If you are experiencing an outage and use electricity for a medical device, please make plans for extended outages.”
