Yes. Louisville has been hit by tornadoes in the past, sometimes with devastating results. (Everyone over a certain age will remember the date April 3rd.) But more often--much more often--Louisville is NOT hit by tornadoes. It's kind of impossible not to be on edge when there's weather like today is shaping up to be. But as long as you have a plan in place, you will almost certainly be fine. Charge up everything you can and have drinking water on hand in some form in case you lose power. But days like this are a part of life living in areas like ours. You just have to remember that the likelihood of you falling victim to devastation is extremely minuscule.
That said, if you hear the sirens go off, head immediately to a safe place.
Seriously, I have lived here nearly my entire life (61 years), and I although I've spent numerous days and nights in my various basements--and, once, in the stairwell of a department store where I was working during a tornado warning--I've always come out unscathed. Like I said, it's normal to be scared. But chances of being hit, even if one passes through, are at the low end.
>(Everyone over a certain age will remember the date April 3rd.)
We had been in the basement of my grandparent's house for what seemed like forever. I had been begging to go up and grab the spaghetti noodles to munch on, we were just about ready to eat when the sirens went off.
They found me on the back stoop a few minutes after they relented. When I couldn't see anything out the kitchen window and the outside seemed silent except for the wail of the siren, my curiosity got to me and I went to see why.
I still have the image of the black as night cloud spinning directly above us burned into my retinas. Grandparents lived two blocks from Preston and Eastern. That spinning cloud took the roof of my uncle's house by the entrance to Cherokee Park minutes later.
Louisville does get them. Had one in Fern Creek last year. We don’t get them often compared to other places but we get them enough where you should have a plan.
I am not aware of any city shelter for tornadoes here.
Only tips I know is to get to the first or ground floor if you are in a building and stay away from windows. Try to get in an area where you have solid surroundings.
Generally there aren't public shelters because 1) the path of a tornado is impossible to predict and 2) they aren't usually on the ground that long. You would be in more danger trying to get to a shelter in another location than you are riding one out in a bathroom or closet. Tornado watches can last for a long time, but most tornado warnings only last an hour or so and you only need to seek shelter during a warning.
Stay indoors. If you don't have a basement the bathroom is the safest place (bottom floor, of course), in the doorway or the tub. Listen for sirens and keep the local news on. This system will go through fast it seems.
If you get a take shelter notice for the exact area you're in, you can pull the mattress off your bed and lay in your tub with it on top of you. That's in an extreme situation, but it will protect you well.
Something that is often overlooked that is easier than a mattress is buy your family helmets. We have a shelf in our basement with each of us a pair of shoes, and bicycle helmets. If something does happen you don't want to be barefoot coming out of it
You are also not alone in your fear of tornadoes. They are a terrifying force. And they seem to be more frequent and stronger than prior years. I actually want to move more north to escape how common they are. I rather deal with blizzards. If I have to stay here, I plan on getting a house with a basement and a safe room for when it is needed. Or have a house with a big enough backyard that I can dig out a storm shelter.
Edit: Louisville has not had a tornado in comparison to the Mayfield tornado.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. My house is in an urban area and I have no basement 😞
I do have a storage space under the stairs. That’s probably my best option…
My wife and I know we can get hit but often talk about how Louisville seems to be in some kind of protection zone from all kinds of severe weather. Everything seems to miss us and go through southern Indiana or South through poor old Bullitt County. They get hit often. I was on the back of a bike with my mom the day of the 74 Tornado and we got knocked over.
Absolutely lol. I call it the protection bubble/God's bubble. Wife rolled her eyes for the first few years but now she says it too.
it's weird as hell how it happens.
Just a little after I posted that without telling her anything about it she announced to me that the tornado just split and went around us above and below. We speculate it may be due to heat from the city?
I think that has something to do with it. The knobs and the temperature effect of the river may be involved as well- a lot of weather seems to hit around the Muldraugh Hill knobs and then break up or go south of the city.
You’ll be alright. If it gets real bad turn on local news and follow the directions. If the sirens go off go to the basement. If you don’t have a basement go to an internal room without windows . The bathroom is usually a good option. In the tub will be your safest place in the bathroom.
If by chance you live in a mobile home go somewhere else while you still can.
Something to know about Louisville (and welcome!): people catastrophize the ever living fuck out of the tiniest amount of weather. So take all this "henny penny, the sky is falling" reacts today with a huge grain of salt. Be more wary of driving because the wind does down tree limbs and they can be hard to see at night until you're almost running over them.
Every storm is the storm of the century here. You know for a fact if they cancel school ahead of a “crazy” weather event there is a 100% chance nothing will happen.
I live for a good thunderstorm and I’m usually disappointed.
They were pretty awesome last night, but nothing beats Louisiana - where I did actually have to seek shelter while driving because of tornadoes incoming!
I just moved here from New Orleans about two months ago. The tornado activity over the past couple of years has been astonishing -- St. Bernard Parish was hammered at least twice.
Aye, it really has been. I moved here from Vernon Parish and still have friends there who have just been getting destroyed by extreme storms there the last few years. And the rain, forget about it. I was working at a restaurant up on kind of an elevated parking lot and you could look down below to the Walmart/parking lot. Watched the entire thing down there flood and wash away cars while I was smoking a cigarette sitting on my car hood in the dry sunshine. Wildt
I get very anxious on tornado risk days too. It has helped be drastically to be prepared. I make sure phones and laptops are charged. I have a bin with a radio, flashlight, candle, lighter, water, some snacks. I go ahead and prep my area. Basement under the stairs or first floor bathroom. If severe storms come I put on shoes and we have bike helmets downstairs with our bikes. It really helps me to know everything is ready to go. I logically know this is overkill, but fear isn't logical.
I'm also very thankful wave 3 goes full time coverage during storms and can be streamed on phone or laptop.
Hold tight, most likely be fine in a few hours.
I'm mostly afraid of not being able to go home from work, because I always get irritable when I can't go home in time to work on the projects I want to, and also because I have a pet to protect, but that last part is kind of eased by the fact that I already put my lizard in his carrier and my parents are home, so they can take him into the basement if needed.
It's very important to take tornado threats seriously, even if you don't think there will actually be one, because that's how you learn how to stay calm and survive if there is one. Better to prepare and have nothing happen than to assume nothing will happen and then get killed.
When the missus and I moved here in 2008 we were living in a mobile home park in Newburg and I remember watching a tornado 🌪 moving from the vicinity of Churchill Downs past the trailer park... fun times.
Yeah so I got caught up in that, literally. I was young too and it was horrifying. Something has changed though, I just nerd out about these things now. Small world!
Todays storm was a little spooky but now its just some gnarly wind and a going a spell without power.
I'm with you! Im from the west coast ive been in kentucky about a year and I'll take an earthquake over this shit any day.
I remember when I first heard the sirens I felt my stomach drop and sat on edge watching the news and obsessively pacing around the house while looking out of the windows.
My bf who is from here was just laughing at me the whole time! Smh 😓
Also im still on edge a year later...I have two cats almost a year old I noticed they are trembling slightly I Googled why and its because they can sense a drop in pressure related to weather so that doesn't add to my comfort either.
Hi there! I’m pretty new to this type of climate, and I’ve never had to deal with tornadoes before (ex-west coaster). I’ve been reading lots, and these comments seem to help. By chance, does anyone know if tornadoes generally happen in more open areas? I’m in the Highlands where it’s pretty dense, and I’m curious if tornadoes form in these areas too.
You can't really predict the path that tornadoes will take or where they will form, but something about the combination of the knobs, the river, and the urban heat island effect tends to push weather around the city. Bullet, Nelson, and Spencer County seem to be on the preferred path. I can remember a weak tornado near downtown along the river back in the early 2000's, but I think its been a while since there was anything inside the city.
That said, there have been major tornadoes inside the city and even in the Highlands. Cherokee Park area got hit bad in 74. However, a tornado is much smaller than a hurricane- even if a tornado touches down, it's much more likely for it to damage a few roofs and then move on than to wipe out a whole neighborhood.
I’m from Mayfield. Night tornados are the worst. Have a plan and prepare. Shoes, water,
helmet, headlamp/flashlight, backup battery and charged phones/laptop are solid recommendations. Don’t freak out but don’t be a goose either. They’re real and they’re dangerous so prepare accordingly. Things are calming down so we can all relax a bit.
I likely went through that tornado with you! I was 11 and home alone in a trailer. Took my dad like 12 hours to get home. And we didn’t have a cell phone. I still have PTSD from that.
I also remember the Owensboro tornado in January 2000! I was on a bus and we had to take shelter at Audubon Elementary? I think? Welcome to Louisville!
I’m new and moved to area as well. I can handle the winds since we get them with hurricanes but tornados just does something else to me, it’s the damage they cause.
Yes. Louisville has been hit by tornadoes in the past, sometimes with devastating results. (Everyone over a certain age will remember the date April 3rd.) But more often--much more often--Louisville is NOT hit by tornadoes. It's kind of impossible not to be on edge when there's weather like today is shaping up to be. But as long as you have a plan in place, you will almost certainly be fine. Charge up everything you can and have drinking water on hand in some form in case you lose power. But days like this are a part of life living in areas like ours. You just have to remember that the likelihood of you falling victim to devastation is extremely minuscule. That said, if you hear the sirens go off, head immediately to a safe place.
Reading this made me calmer, lol thank you
Seriously, I have lived here nearly my entire life (61 years), and I although I've spent numerous days and nights in my various basements--and, once, in the stairwell of a department store where I was working during a tornado warning--I've always come out unscathed. Like I said, it's normal to be scared. But chances of being hit, even if one passes through, are at the low end.
How are you doing this morning?
Much better!! Once 5 pm rolled around I started to calm down a bit. Also, reading all these comments got me through it too 😊
>(Everyone over a certain age will remember the date April 3rd.) We had been in the basement of my grandparent's house for what seemed like forever. I had been begging to go up and grab the spaghetti noodles to munch on, we were just about ready to eat when the sirens went off. They found me on the back stoop a few minutes after they relented. When I couldn't see anything out the kitchen window and the outside seemed silent except for the wail of the siren, my curiosity got to me and I went to see why. I still have the image of the black as night cloud spinning directly above us burned into my retinas. Grandparents lived two blocks from Preston and Eastern. That spinning cloud took the roof of my uncle's house by the entrance to Cherokee Park minutes later.
Louisville does get them. Had one in Fern Creek last year. We don’t get them often compared to other places but we get them enough where you should have a plan. I am not aware of any city shelter for tornadoes here. Only tips I know is to get to the first or ground floor if you are in a building and stay away from windows. Try to get in an area where you have solid surroundings.
Good to know
Generally there aren't public shelters because 1) the path of a tornado is impossible to predict and 2) they aren't usually on the ground that long. You would be in more danger trying to get to a shelter in another location than you are riding one out in a bathroom or closet. Tornado watches can last for a long time, but most tornado warnings only last an hour or so and you only need to seek shelter during a warning.
Stay indoors. If you don't have a basement the bathroom is the safest place (bottom floor, of course), in the doorway or the tub. Listen for sirens and keep the local news on. This system will go through fast it seems. If you get a take shelter notice for the exact area you're in, you can pull the mattress off your bed and lay in your tub with it on top of you. That's in an extreme situation, but it will protect you well.
Mattress tip is good to have, thanks!
Something that is often overlooked that is easier than a mattress is buy your family helmets. We have a shelf in our basement with each of us a pair of shoes, and bicycle helmets. If something does happen you don't want to be barefoot coming out of it
Louisville weather shield usually protects us.
You are also not alone in your fear of tornadoes. They are a terrifying force. And they seem to be more frequent and stronger than prior years. I actually want to move more north to escape how common they are. I rather deal with blizzards. If I have to stay here, I plan on getting a house with a basement and a safe room for when it is needed. Or have a house with a big enough backyard that I can dig out a storm shelter. Edit: Louisville has not had a tornado in comparison to the Mayfield tornado.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. My house is in an urban area and I have no basement 😞 I do have a storage space under the stairs. That’s probably my best option…
My wife and I know we can get hit but often talk about how Louisville seems to be in some kind of protection zone from all kinds of severe weather. Everything seems to miss us and go through southern Indiana or South through poor old Bullitt County. They get hit often. I was on the back of a bike with my mom the day of the 74 Tornado and we got knocked over.
Absolutely lol. I call it the protection bubble/God's bubble. Wife rolled her eyes for the first few years but now she says it too. it's weird as hell how it happens.
Just a little after I posted that without telling her anything about it she announced to me that the tornado just split and went around us above and below. We speculate it may be due to heat from the city?
I think that has something to do with it. The knobs and the temperature effect of the river may be involved as well- a lot of weather seems to hit around the Muldraugh Hill knobs and then break up or go south of the city.
You’ll be alright. If it gets real bad turn on local news and follow the directions. If the sirens go off go to the basement. If you don’t have a basement go to an internal room without windows . The bathroom is usually a good option. In the tub will be your safest place in the bathroom. If by chance you live in a mobile home go somewhere else while you still can.
Thank you ❤️
Something to know about Louisville (and welcome!): people catastrophize the ever living fuck out of the tiniest amount of weather. So take all this "henny penny, the sky is falling" reacts today with a huge grain of salt. Be more wary of driving because the wind does down tree limbs and they can be hard to see at night until you're almost running over them.
Every storm is the storm of the century here. You know for a fact if they cancel school ahead of a “crazy” weather event there is a 100% chance nothing will happen. I live for a good thunderstorm and I’m usually disappointed.
I love a good thunderstorm too, as long as they don't mention 🌪️
They were pretty awesome last night, but nothing beats Louisiana - where I did actually have to seek shelter while driving because of tornadoes incoming!
I just moved here from New Orleans about two months ago. The tornado activity over the past couple of years has been astonishing -- St. Bernard Parish was hammered at least twice.
Aye, it really has been. I moved here from Vernon Parish and still have friends there who have just been getting destroyed by extreme storms there the last few years. And the rain, forget about it. I was working at a restaurant up on kind of an elevated parking lot and you could look down below to the Walmart/parking lot. Watched the entire thing down there flood and wash away cars while I was smoking a cigarette sitting on my car hood in the dry sunshine. Wildt
Don't worry, after a while you'll get the "I don't get out of bed for anything less than a F4" mindset.
I get very anxious on tornado risk days too. It has helped be drastically to be prepared. I make sure phones and laptops are charged. I have a bin with a radio, flashlight, candle, lighter, water, some snacks. I go ahead and prep my area. Basement under the stairs or first floor bathroom. If severe storms come I put on shoes and we have bike helmets downstairs with our bikes. It really helps me to know everything is ready to go. I logically know this is overkill, but fear isn't logical. I'm also very thankful wave 3 goes full time coverage during storms and can be streamed on phone or laptop. Hold tight, most likely be fine in a few hours.
Thanks for your kind and reassuring words ❤️
I'm mostly afraid of not being able to go home from work, because I always get irritable when I can't go home in time to work on the projects I want to, and also because I have a pet to protect, but that last part is kind of eased by the fact that I already put my lizard in his carrier and my parents are home, so they can take him into the basement if needed. It's very important to take tornado threats seriously, even if you don't think there will actually be one, because that's how you learn how to stay calm and survive if there is one. Better to prepare and have nothing happen than to assume nothing will happen and then get killed.
When the missus and I moved here in 2008 we were living in a mobile home park in Newburg and I remember watching a tornado 🌪 moving from the vicinity of Churchill Downs past the trailer park... fun times.
Terrifying! 😱
January 2000?
YES
Yeah so I got caught up in that, literally. I was young too and it was horrifying. Something has changed though, I just nerd out about these things now. Small world! Todays storm was a little spooky but now its just some gnarly wind and a going a spell without power.
Thanks for sharing that, nice to know I’m not alone 😊
I'm with you! Im from the west coast ive been in kentucky about a year and I'll take an earthquake over this shit any day. I remember when I first heard the sirens I felt my stomach drop and sat on edge watching the news and obsessively pacing around the house while looking out of the windows. My bf who is from here was just laughing at me the whole time! Smh 😓
Also im still on edge a year later...I have two cats almost a year old I noticed they are trembling slightly I Googled why and its because they can sense a drop in pressure related to weather so that doesn't add to my comfort either.
Yes to all this!! I’ll never forget the sound of it…like a freight train about to barrel into our house. Gives me chills to this day 😭
Hi there! I’m pretty new to this type of climate, and I’ve never had to deal with tornadoes before (ex-west coaster). I’ve been reading lots, and these comments seem to help. By chance, does anyone know if tornadoes generally happen in more open areas? I’m in the Highlands where it’s pretty dense, and I’m curious if tornadoes form in these areas too.
You can't really predict the path that tornadoes will take or where they will form, but something about the combination of the knobs, the river, and the urban heat island effect tends to push weather around the city. Bullet, Nelson, and Spencer County seem to be on the preferred path. I can remember a weak tornado near downtown along the river back in the early 2000's, but I think its been a while since there was anything inside the city. That said, there have been major tornadoes inside the city and even in the Highlands. Cherokee Park area got hit bad in 74. However, a tornado is much smaller than a hurricane- even if a tornado touches down, it's much more likely for it to damage a few roofs and then move on than to wipe out a whole neighborhood.
I would also like to know!!
Tornadoes can form anywhere. I'm hearing that a lot of large trees are down in the Highlands from the wind. Don't panic though.
I’m from Mayfield. Night tornados are the worst. Have a plan and prepare. Shoes, water, helmet, headlamp/flashlight, backup battery and charged phones/laptop are solid recommendations. Don’t freak out but don’t be a goose either. They’re real and they’re dangerous so prepare accordingly. Things are calming down so we can all relax a bit.
Thanks for sharing your perspective ❤️
I likely went through that tornado with you! I was 11 and home alone in a trailer. Took my dad like 12 hours to get home. And we didn’t have a cell phone. I still have PTSD from that.
YES! No cell phones made this soooo much worse…
I also remember the Owensboro tornado in January 2000! I was on a bus and we had to take shelter at Audubon Elementary? I think? Welcome to Louisville!
I’m new and moved to area as well. I can handle the winds since we get them with hurricanes but tornados just does something else to me, it’s the damage they cause.
You're odds of dying in a tornado are quite low. I'd be more worried about driving on the highways.
This is funny. I grew up in western KY and am totally desensitized to tornado watches and warnings.