Churchill Downs,Home of The Kentucky Derby Hit By Tornado!

A surprise storm hit Louisville,Kentucky at about 7:15 pm est.
It produce a tornado that hit the historic Churchill Downs,
home of the Kentucky Derby.
My wife and I were starting to watch Falling Skies I had recorded on my dvr,when
a tornado warning flashed across the screen.
I was like,WTF???
So I went outside and saw a funnel cloud come down the recede back into the clouds.
Then I saw a second one come down.
They were just south of me,and Churchill is about 2 miles east of me.
Caught the weather guys totally off guard,as they were coming in and reporting
with shorts and golf shirts on.
The sirens are still going off as the storm is still in our county.
Total freak storm.
I was watching the weather only 15 minutes before and they were
just predicting some rain.


TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN OLDHAM COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY UNTIL 845 PM EDT.

AT 824 PM EDT, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CONFIRMED TORNADO NEAR ST. MATTHEWS...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL ALSO IMPACT...

ST. MATTHEWS...
LYNDON...
ANCHORAGE...
MIDDLETOWN...
ORCHARD GRASS HILLS...
FLOYDSBURG AND PEWEE VALLEY...

A TORNADO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED! TAKE COVER IN A STURDY BUILDING NOW. MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES ARE NOT SAFE.

www.wave3.com...

That same storm came through Tennessee a little bit ago but luckily there were no tornadoes that I know of. I checked the weather channel, after the trees were constantly, violently shaking and it was raining so hard you could only see grey, but there was no mention of it either... it said cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms... strange. God bless you and your family and get to a secure shelter asap! Keep us updated please.

Hope you folks and everyone else up there are safe. Here in Texas we're going to get hit with another round or storms.

Strange weather but, its usually bad in the summer.

reply to post by kdog1982


I don't know what is going on. Tornados and severe storms having been hitting all spring with apparently no warning. A couple of weeks ago it wasn't even raining here where I live. There was no warning sirens and all at once a tornado rips through. Then 2 nights ago about 1 am the weather channel was saying light rain and all of a sudden a storm simply exploded out of no where. I just knew we were getting hit with a tornado. It is the first time I have ever been scared by a storm. It began hailing, wind had everything blowing and howling, the thunder was so loud I couldn't tell if it was thunder or if it was the sound of a tornado ripping through. The storm then blew over just as fast. I am beginning to wonder if the satalite is down or they fired their weather people or something.

reply to post by kdog1982


Sounds like a freaky storm indeed, and probably way more riveting than the Falling Skies vid, believe me! I work from home, and often have the Weather Channel on TV (without sound!) in the background. As many have said in some other threads, there seems to be more interesting weather in general these days.

reply to post by kdog1982


I was watching Spongebob with my daughter when the NWS broke in with their warning. I also was like, WTF!!! We live east of Mt. Washington but most of my family lives in Louisville. Some scary stuff happening tonight. Looks like more on the way. Stay safe.

To all that have posted,the weather is getting bizarre,to say the least.
I'm a avid weather buff,as I have been through 2 tornadoes and a few hurricanes.
This totally caught me off guard.
The weather guys are even saying that they were caught off guard.
Damage not to bad,blew some roofs off the horse barns at Churchill and some trees
and power poles,I think at least 6 of them blown over around there.
But it was wild that I stepped out,and there was a funnel cloud.
Haven't seen that since I lived in Iowa as a teenager,and never so close!!
But we are safe,as far as I know,the sirens are still going off.
Thank you fellow ATS'ers for the thoughts and concerns,but
we have a safe place to bunker down in and have a plan.

Originally posted by newsoul
reply to post by kdog1982

 

I was watching Spongebob with my daughter when the NWS broke in with their warning. I also was like, WTF!!! We live east of Mt. Washington but most of my family lives in Louisville. Some scary stuff happening tonight. Looks like more on the way. Stay safe.

Hopefully you should be ok,as the storms are north of you.
I'm just off Dixie highway on top a big hill about 2 miles east of Churchill.

Originally posted by redrose123
reply to post by kdog1982

 

I don't know what is going on. Tornados and severe storms having been hitting all spring with apparently no warning. A couple of weeks ago it wasn't even raining here where I live. There was no warning sirens and all at once a tornado rips through. Then 2 nights ago about 1 am the weather channel was saying light rain and all of a sudden a storm simply exploded out of no where. I just knew we were getting hit with a tornado. It is the first time I have ever been scared by a storm. It began hailing, wind had everything blowing and howling, the thunder was so loud I couldn't tell if it was thunder or if it was the sound of a tornado ripping through. The storm then blew over just as fast. I am beginning to wonder if the satalite is down or they fired their weather people or something.

I'm a avid storm watcher,and this came out of nowhere.
We need to be keeping an eye on the skies more now then ever.
We need not rely on what the weathermen are telling us,cause I think that
things are a changing and their computers are not predicting as well.

This storm is crazy! I live just across the river from Louisville, and this is one of the strangest storms I've ever seen...hardly any lightning! I didn't even know anything (other than rain) was happening until my wife came running screaming, "TORNADO WARNING!" My response was, "Where?" Crazy weather...

Originally posted by CoincidenceX
That same storm came through Tennessee a little bit ago but luckily there were no tornadoes that I know of. I checked the weather channel, after the trees were constantly, violently shaking and it was raining so hard you could only see grey, but there was no mention of it either... it said cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms... strange. God bless you and your family and get to a secure shelter asap! Keep us updated please.

We are fine here,live in a stone house with a basement.
Got our plan in place in use.
Raining like hell now,but we are safe.
Thank you.
Sirens still going off.

Oh.crap,
looks like more on they way.
My son ,who is 9 years old and weighs 110 lbs,
just had his tonsils out today.
So he is a little hard to move up and down the stairs
at this time,since he is drugged out.
The storms just grew,and the only good thing out of this
is they cancelled the presidents speech.

reply to post by kdog1982


This is insane. I also live nearby and work downtown. I hear Ft Knox is about to get hit as well. I cant help but think this is NOT normal.

The damage isnt severe though...a wooden barn and some roofs, trees and poles. Nothing like what happened in Mississippi.

reply to post by newsoul


I live in Hardin County. I didnt realize there were so many of us from this area on here.

reply to post by kdog1982


Guys, I don't think that if the local stations looked at the weather channel forecast for their area they would be off guard unless the weather was blocked some how. There are news black outs for flooding in other parts, maybe now they are blacking out the severity of the weather coming in to take people by surprise. It wouldn't surprise me. I've seen it where I live too. It says just showers here but if I look at the weather channel, they have a TOR CON level of 7! 70% chance for tornadoes! Go figure. I'm getting used to misinformation! Stay Safe everybody!

Originally posted by kissitgoodbye
reply to post by kdog1982

 

Guys, I don't think that if the local stations looked at the weather channel forecast for their area they would be off guard unless the weather was blocked some how. There are news black outs for flooding in other parts, maybe now they are blacking out the severity of the weather coming in to take people by surprise. It wouldn't surprise me. I've seen it where I live too. It says just showers here but if I look at the weather channel, they have a TOR CON level of 7! 70% chance for tornadoes! Go figure. I'm getting used to misinformation! Stay Safe everybody!

I don't know whats going on.
Guess the weathermen here were asleep at the wheel.
Anyways,races are cancelled at Churchill tomorrow cause of the damage.
Locals,has this ever happened??

UGG!!!!
My basement just flooded!!!

Fun,fun!

Well,got the basement under control and saw the official report.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) The famed Churchill Downs horse race track, longtime home to the Kentucky Derby, was hit by a possible tornado Wednesday, knocking down parts of barns and chasing out horses that ran loose before being corralled, officials said. KENTUCKY DERBY IMAGES In calmer days last month, Churchill Downs hosted a colorful, exciting Kentucky Derby. •See the best action and moments from the Run for the Roses. •Which celebrities showed up in Louisville? •Hats off to the fashion-minded at Churchill Downs. Hours after the storm hit, officials had no reports of injuries to humans or horses at the track on the southwestern side of Louisville. Elsewhere in the city, high water from torrential rains trapped a couple of people in their cars, a mayor's spokesman said, and a hospital reported that it treated two patients hit by falling trees. The National Weather Service said radar was tracking a confirmed tornado near the track and the University of Louisville campus about 8:10 p.m. Though no races are run on Wednesdays, a simulcast of races elsewhere was being shown in the theater, and a Texas Hold 'em poker tournament was being held, officials said. At least nine barns were damaged, as was the chapel. The barn damage was on the backside of the track where workers live in the dorms, said track President Kevin Flanery. ''It's a hell of a mess back here,'' track spokesman John Asher said of the barn area where the damage was concentrated. The iconic twin spires above the clubhouse overlooking the finish line were not apparently damaged, Flanery said. ''Clearly we've got several barns with significant damage and we're just trying to make sure people and the animals are safe first,'' Flanery said. Some horses had gotten loose for a time, but were later caught, Asher said. At least 1,300 horses were stabled at Churchill, said vice president of racing Donnie Richardson.

msn.foxsports.com...

Hello my fellow Kentuckian and Louisvillian!

I snapped a few pictures from my balcony here off 71, one appeared to be a" baby funnel cloud "but I believe it was just a drop cloud (forgot the technical term, where's OZ weatherman when you need him? . I spent most of the storm on my balcony watching for this tornadic activity, really there was no need for the weather guys to have ruined the night's viewing pleasure for the folks here in Kentucky, fear mongering overkill.

Mockingbird Valley RD flooded for about an hour, it has already receded thank goodness.


Picture of the baby funnel cloud cloud:



Can't say I really care about Churchill Downs or it being damaged as I am very against the sport of horseracing.

Kdog, if you can get some pictures in the morning that would be super! I am gonna try to get out for a bit in the morning, I heard there are rocks on Mellwood ave!

Edit to add a quick local news link:

www.fox41.com...

•Power outages near Blankenbaker Pkwy. and the Hurstbourne Pkwy. areas.
•Damage on Electron Drive, near Jeffersontown and Industrial Park.
•Wires down and pipes burst on Central Ave., Floyd St. and Eastern Pkwy., near Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium.
•Reports of barn damage at Churchill Downs, with a confirmed tornado touchdown.
•Power lines and trees down on top of vehicles on Southern Pkwy. near 3rd St.
•Flooding in the south end of Louisville, with Southern Pkwy. shut down.
•On Beatrice Way, a walnut tree has fallen and is blocking two homes.

reply to post by kdog1982


No damage in Lyndon, St. Matthews was there????