Louisville Mayor Declares State Of Emergency After Possible Tornado

LOUISVILLE, KY — Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency after severe storms moved through the city Wednesday night, causing damage and leaving thousands without power.

There are no known deaths or serious injuries from the storm, Fischer said. The city's mobile emergency operation center is assisting with recovery efforts in the areas struck by the storm.

Most of the storm damage occurred in the southeast portion of the city, and the National Weather Service is assessing whether a tornado touched down in the area during the storm.

"There is certainly evidence that could be the case," Fischer said.

The National Weather Service is assessing damage on several storm tracks in central Kentucky, including two spanning across Jefferson and Shelby counties. A third track spans Ohio and Grayson counties, and a fourth covers a large swath of the region beginning in Grayson County and ending near the border of Washington and Marion counties.

Jefferson County Public Schools canceled school Thursday after a number of schools were without power and debris was blocking bus routes. A makeup date will be announced later, the district said.

Nearly 8,000 customers in Jefferson County were without power as of 10:45 a.m., according to poweroutage.us. After the storms passed through Wednesday, around 19,000 customers in the Louisville area lost power, according to Louisville Gas & Electric.

This story is being updated.