In an update Tuesday, officials said the tornado that traveled between Pulaski and Laurel counties was an EF-4 with peak winds of 170 mph. It was on the ground for more than 55 mi

Meteorologists with the NWS Paducah office have also confirmed several tornadoes in its region the afternoon and evening of May 16. Three tornadoes impacted western Kentucky, including an EF-3 tornado in Morganfield with winds of 155 mph, an EF-2 tornado in Allegre and an EF-2 tornado in Casky.

The NWS in Jackson, KY, said the track for the tornado in Russell, Pulaski and Laurel Counties was 55.6 miles long with a maximum width of 1700 yards, which is almost one mile.

Barbourville Road was down to one lane in front of Slate Hill Baptist Church just outside of London, Ky. in Laurel County Sunday, May 18, 2025 as utility workers made repairs from down lines on the road. Two days earlier, thunderstorms and a deadly tornado ripped through the Southern Kentucky community destroying many homes.

The National Weather Service in Louisville is predicting possible severe weather for areas of the state on May 20, following deadly tornadoes that struck parts of Kentucky in recent days. Multiple rounds of storms are possible, with the strongest storms to fall during the evening hours.

Louisville metro residents won't be able to use their weather radios through May 21 due to a pre-planned computer systems update.

As Chairman of the (subcommittee) that funds the National Weather Service, I will work to ensure that our weather offices have the funding and staff necessary to keep our people safe,” Rep. Hal Rogers wrote in a statement.

The agency’s office in Jackson, Kentucky, had begun closing nightly as deep cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency began hitting. But the weather service kept staffers on overtime Friday night to stay on top of the deadly storms, which killed nearly 20 people in the Jackson office’s forecast area.