Landslides, downed trees, a possible tornado and thousands of people without power.
Then there’s the flooding.
Late February punished the Tri-State with all kinds of wicked springtime weather. And the Ohio River wasn’t even expected to crest until late Sunday.
A line of severe thunderstorms, which rolled across the region Saturday night and early Sunday, knocked a tree onto a car in Cincinnati’s Clifton neighborhood. The three people inside escaped with minor injuries.
In Bellevue, Kentucky, a sinkhole opened up into a home on Foote Street, up the road from the popular Schneider’s Sweet Shop.
Thousands of Duke Energy customers were left without power Sunday morning, all around the region.
In Clermont and Brown counties, the National Weather Service was checking out damage from what many residents believe was a tornado. People living in the village of Hamersville said they heard that classic “freight train” sound of a tornado for about two minutes; and then, silence.
No injuries were immediately reported, though there was plenty of property damage.
Cincinnati’s hillsides often start slipping when they’re saturated; the storms’ heavy rain meant landslides for Mount Adams and Paddock Hills. The mess they created added to an ever-growing list of road closures.
Storm kills four people in Kentucky, Arkansas
Severe storms in the South and Central US claimed four lives Saturday.
Three people in Kentucky died in storms that included at least one tornado, and one death was reported in Arkansas.
A 79-year-old woman died when she was hit by debris in her southwestern Kentucky home, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office said. A tornado that passed through the area was likely EF-2 in strength, the National Weather Service said. That means winds may have gusted up to 110 mph.
The county’s emergency management office said some structures, including barns and grain bins, were damaged.
A man was found dead in Simpson County, Kentucky, after his car became submerged in a creek, CNN affiliate WSMV reported.
In Robertson County, on the other side of the border with Tennessee, there were also reports of overturned vehicles, windows blown out, and downed trees.
Another unidentified man in Union County, Kentucky, died when his car was submerged in a ditch filled with storm water.
In Knobel, Arkansas, Albert Foster, 83, died when his trailer home was blown away by storms passing through, Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller said in a post on the department’s official Facebook page.
Power outages, downed power poles and flooded roads were reported in the county, the sheriff’s office said.
Ohio Governor John Kasich issued an emergency declaration for 17 counties – along the Ohio River and in southern Ohio – “due to dangerous conditions resulting from severe storms and heavy rain.”
“I urge people to stay safe by staying informed, not taking any chances and checking in on your neighbors, especially seniors and families with young kids,” Kasich said in a press release.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee were under a tornado watch until early Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
