Severe weather returns to southeastern Kentucky
After a brief respite from last week’s violent storms, southeastern Kentucky is once again under threat as another round of severe weather is expected to roll in during the afternoon and evening hours of Tuesday, May 21. The National Weather Service (NWS) warns that this new system could bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and isolated tornadoes to areas still recovering from the previous storm outbreak on Friday, May 17.
Tornado risk not off the table
According to Chuck Greif, senior meteorologist at the NWS office in Jackson, tornadoes remain a possibility, though the threat is somewhat reduced compared to last week’s severe outbreak. “The tornado potential will be less than what we saw with the last system that went through there, but it is not zero. It probably will be a little higher than it usually is for these situations,” Greif explained.
The Jackson office is currently in direct communication with emergency management officials and local recovery crews. Greif emphasized the importance of remaining alert, staying informed, and knowing where to go in the event of a shelter-in-place situation. “Be prepared and know where you want to go to take shelter,” he said.
NOAA weather radios offline amid critical timing
Complicating matters is a temporary outage of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) emergency weather radio system. The system will be offline until at least Wednesday, May 22, due to scheduled upgrades. This creates a gap in a primary method of disseminating urgent weather warnings—especially critical for rural and storm-prone areas like eastern Kentucky.
Multiple alert sources urged
With the NOAA radio network temporarily unavailable, the NWS is encouraging residents to rely on multiple alternative channels for alerts. These include local TV and radio stations, smartphone weather apps with push notifications, and community outdoor siren systems.
As storms approach this afternoon, residents across Perry County, Knott County, and surrounding areas are urged to remain vigilant, monitor local updates closely, and stay indoors if threatening weather develops.
