High winds, storms axe Memorial Day services Sunday

A steady flow of inclement weather Sunday morning, which included rain, thunderstorms and high winds, caused events in Owensboro and Daviess County commemorating Memorial Day to be canceled.

According to the National Weather Service’s Paducah office, a flash flood watch was issued at 3:17 a.m. Sunday, predicting “multiple rounds” of strong to severe thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall that were expected to “traverse the region” through the evening, with flooding likely to occur in areas that “receive multiple rounds of heavy rainfall, and especially in areas that have received heavy rainfall” over the last few days.

Additionally, NWS issued a hazardous weather outlook advisory at 2:03 p.m. Sunday, citing “an additional round of strong to severe thunderstorms” throughout the afternoon and evening hours with the possibility of “damaging winds, tornadoes and large hail.”

The warning and outlook, both in effect through 7 a.m. Monday, were to impact southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, west Kentucky and southeast Missouri.

Jessie Hettinger, member of the Owensboro-Daviess County Veterans Organization, said these advisories led to Memorial Day services scheduled for Sunday to be called off.

The events impacted included the American Legion James L. Yates Post 9 Memorial Day observance at “Veterans’ Triangle” in Elmwood Cemetery and Utica Baptist Church’s service and flag presentation in honor of veterans.

“... (The American Legion) … didn’t want anybody to get out and get hurt with the (potential) damage and everything …. It would have been an awesome service because (the American Legion does) a great job each year when they have the service out there …,” Hettinger said. “As for Utica (Baptist Church), … I know that all of them are hating they had to cancel due to the weather.”

Keith Cooley, lead forecaster at NWS Paducah, said the first round of inclement weather touched down in the city and county at approximately 9:30 a.m. Sunday before shifting northeast slightly after 10 a.m.

“We had a line of very strong to severe thunderstorms move through the area from west to east. Those storms were producing wind gusts of anywhere from 60 to as high as 80 m.p.h. … and produced widespread wind damage across much of southeast Missouri, parts of southern Illinois and western Kentucky; and that does include the Owensboro-Daviess County area,” Cooley said. “... All these storms also produced very heavy rainfall … with rainfall rates up to one-to-two inches an hour, so there was a lot of flash flooding that occurred ….”

As of Sunday afternoon, Cooley said there was “strong evidence on radar” of spin up tornadoes that occurred in western Kentucky and southeast Missouri, but does not believe a tornado was present locally.

“It looks like it was more of straight-line winds,” he said, “but we’ll have to (finalize) all of that … afterwards with the damages that occurred everywhere.”

Andy Ball, director of Daviess County Emergency Management, said damage from the weather event was “minimal,” such as trees and utility poles being down “all throughout the county” and some blocking roadways, such as Kentucky 56 in the West Louisville area which was eventually cleared by about 1:30 p.m.

Two reported incidents of damage included a tree falling on a home in the 5400 block of Kentucky 1514 and a home in the 4600 block of Windstone Drive being struck by lightning.

Lt. Nick Wall, with the Daviess County Fire Department, said he was dispatched to the latter scene at 9:38 a.m. for a “possible structure fire.”

Wall said units with the Airport-Sorgho Fire Department were first to arrive and observed “light smoke” in the home’s attic space area.

“Upon investigation, we made entry into the attic space (and) found a slow-moving fire (before extinguishing it) with minimal amounts of water,” he said.

Wall said preliminary findings are “consistent with a lightning strike on the home” which caused slight damage.

“There’s nothing structurally wrong with the house. (The homeowner) will have to have some type of repairs done to attic trusses and heating and air …” he said. “... There may be (about) $50 worth of damage inside the living area of the home, while the attic space will be a little bit more.

“(The home) technically is livable, but there’s no power or gas until the homeowner gets an electrician and the heating and air system looked at.”

No injuries were sustained in either incident, according to Ball and Wall.

Kenergy and Owensboro Municipal Utilities reported multiple power outages shortly after the first weather event, with the latter having nearly 1,600 reports by 10 a.m. Sunday.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, power was restored to all affected OMU customers, while 79 Kenergy customers residing in Daviess County were still without power.

Hettinger is uncertain if either service on Sunday will be rescheduled, but said events slated for today, Memorial Day, which include the Veterans Organization’s annual service at 11 a.m. at the veterans monument at the Owensboro Sportscenter, and the city’s “Seaside Service” at 1 p.m. at the VFW Post 696 on Veterans Boulevard, plan to take place as scheduled.

“... As of right now, the weather (looks) like it’s going to be all clear,” Hettinger said Sunday afternoon.