In Frankfort, Kentucky, relentless rainfall continued to inundate the region, pushing rivers to near-record levels and submerging neighborhoods, including threatening the state capital’s historic bourbon distillery. The persistent downpours have resulted in at least 23 fatalities since last week, leaving parts of Kentucky severely affected by flooding and destructive tornadoes. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service recorded at least 157 tornadoes within a week starting March 30. As the storms moved on, high flood risks persist in several states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, and Indiana.
Evacuation orders were implemented across several cities, prompting rescue crews to assist residents in Kentucky and Tennessee using inflatable boats, while utilities shut down power and gas supplies along a wide region ranging from Texas to Ohio. The flooding necessitated the shutdown of the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery, situated along the bank of the swollen Kentucky River near downtown Frankfort.
Jessica Tuggle, a salon owner, described the mounting floodwaters approaching her Frankfort establishment. “Everybody was just, ‘Stop raining, stop raining,’ so we could get an idea of what the worst situation would be,” Tuggle noted, as she had already relocated her salon equipment to a nearby taproom.
To mitigate the dangers posed by the rising River, local officials redirected traffic, power was cut off to businesses, and a curfew was imposed in Frankfort, while the river crested marginally below record levels on Monday. Governor Andy Beshear reported that over 500 state roads remained closed that evening.
The increasing water forced Ashley Welsh and her family to evacuate their riverside Frankfort home on Saturday evening, leaving behind countless personal belongings. By Sunday morning, her home cameras depicted floodwaters engulfing the second floor of her house, leaving her devastated.
Tragic deaths resulting from the storms include 23 fatalities since they began the previous Wednesday, with 10 occurring in Tennessee. In Kentucky, a nine-year-old was caught in floodwaters, while a five-year-old perished in Arkansas when a tree crushed his home. Various other incidents, including tornadoes ravaging several states with torrential conditions, have left many communities across the region facing the daunting task of recovery.
In Frankfort, the river reached a peak at near-record levels of 48.27 feet on Monday, narrowly missing the 1978 record, according to meteorologist CJ Padgett from the National Weather Service’s Louisville office. Governor Beshear shared that over 1,000 residents faced water access challenges while nearly 3,000 were under boil water advisories due to flood-affected systems.
The weather system’s persistent intensity is attributed to a combination of warm temperatures, instability, robust winds, and abundant moisture from the Gulf. The National Weather Service reported record rainfall amounts, exacerbating the conditions in several states.
Despite improved conditions, much work remains to regain normalcy, with many regions still dealing with the aftermath of the unprecedented weather events. The situation has drawn attention to gaps in staffing at forecast offices, exacerbated by recent budget cuts, hindering timely and effective response efforts.