Severe weather swept through the Ohio Valley on Tuesday, bringing thunderstorms, large hail, and strong winds that caused damage such as uprooted trees and flipped mobile homes. One storm-related death was reported in Oklahoma, but details were not immediately available. Multiple states, including Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, were expected to be affected by the severe weather, with forecasters predicting tornadoes, hurricane-force winds, and baseball-sized hail. About 14 million people were under a tornado watch, primarily around Nashville, with some schools closing early and canceling activities. Over 207,000 customers lost power, mainly in West Virginia, and a tornado warning was issued for southern-central West Virginia.
Parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio were under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. Eastern time, with the possibility of tornadoes, ping-pong ball-sized hail, and wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour. Kentucky declared a state of emergency due to the severe weather, with reports of substantial damage to structures but no fatalities reported at the time. Additional severe weather, including flooding, was expected through the evening, prompting weather officials to advise residents in affected areas to seek shelter in a basement or interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building during a tornado warning. The severe weather was part of a powerful storm system that had impacted Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas the previous evening, with around 24 million people facing an enhanced risk of severe weather.
On Monday, forecasters faced an outage that affected a key part of the nation’s weather tracking system, potentially hindering their ability to warn people about severe weather. However, the service had returned to normal by Tuesday morning. The storm system was expected to move into New England on Wednesday and Thursday, with more than five million people under a winter storm warning, particularly in areas such as Boston. Heavy rain, river flooding, wet snow, and strong winds were anticipated in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday as the storm system continued its path eastward.
