Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning, ahead of the first round of severe storms that are expected to last for four days.
The storm is especially concerning in far western Kentucky, which is going to see potentially historic amounts of rain through Saturday.
Strong winds with the possibility of tornadoes are in the forecast for much of Kentucky into Thursday.
Western Kentucky is currently under a rare high risk of severe weather, Level 5 on the Storm Prediction Center’s scale of 1 to 5.
The part of Kentucky along and west of Interstate 65 is in a moderate risk area (Level 4), while central Kentucky has an enhanced risk (Level 3).
Major flooding is also expected over the weekend, due to the continued forecast of heavy rain through at least Saturday.
The governor has activated the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center and units of the Kentucky National Guard to stand ready to respond. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials and crews are also on alert, and local emergency management leaders are working to keep their counties informed.
