Severe storms caused major problems in parts of West Virginia and Kentucky on Thursday. Heavy rain led to flooding, creeks overflowing, and even a brief tornado. At the same time, some areas in the Midwest and Northeast experienced a rare weather phenomenon known as “thunder ice,” where freezing rain was accompanied by lightning and thunder.
In states like Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, people reported seeing flashes of lightning while freezing rain fell. This unusual event surprised many, including Brian Heffner from Spencerville, Ohio, who shared a video online, saying he had never seen anything like it before.
A long stretch of thunderstorms moved across the region overnight, bringing heavy rain that flooded neighborhoods and caused landslides and car accidents. Some highways had standing water, making driving dangerous. Many schools in the affected areas had to delay classes or cancel them altogether due to unsafe conditions.
In West Virginia, emergency crews had to rescue multiple drivers who got trapped in floodwaters. Even animals were affected, as the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association asked for people to adopt or foster dogs after part of their shelter started to flood. Charleston received several inches of rain, prompting county officials to open an emergency operations center to deal with the situation. In Huntington, which is near the Ohio River, residents were advised to stay indoors for several hours due to flooding, but the warning was lifted later in the day. Many parts of West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southeastern Ohio remained under flood warnings.
In Kentucky, the National Weather Service confirmed that a short-lived EF1 tornado hit Hart County, about an hour south of Louisville. With winds reaching up to 95 mph (150 kph), the tornado damaged roofs and scattered debris, but fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Later in the evening, severe storms swept through eastern Tennessee, possibly producing tornadoes. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that officers were in Morgan County to check on residents and assist with damaged structures. The Morgan County School District announced that schools would be closed on Friday due to significant storm damage in parts of the county.
Meanwhile, a winter storm coated trees and roads in ice across several mid-Atlantic states. Although icy conditions are often dangerous because they can bring down power lines, most areas avoided major power outages as temperatures warmed up by midday.
In New England, forecasts predicted several inches of snow, leading to school closures and delays. In Maine, more than 200 schools and businesses either shut down or closed early. The Kennebunk school district decided to cancel school for the day instead of releasing students early. Officials worried that road conditions would get worse as the snow continued, making it risky for buses to transport students home safely.
The extreme weather affected multiple states in different ways, from flooding and tornadoes to icy roads and heavy snow. Emergency crews worked hard to keep people safe, and many residents took precautions to protect themselves from the harsh conditions.
