Severe thunderstorm strikes Louisville, bringing hail

The Courier-Journal

A severe thunderstorm bringing large hail struck the area Saturday night, leaving more than 4,000 customers in Louisville and Southern Indiana without power at one point and delaying activities at Kroger's Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront.

But shortly after the storm, which hit Louisville about 8 p.m., area police and emergency officials said they weren't getting reports of hail damage.

By 11:30 p.m., 1,425 Louisville Gas & Electric customers in Jefferson County lacked power, down from nearly 3,500 earlier in the evening.

"This appears to be hail damage," LG&E spokeswoman Chris Whelan said, adding that she wasn't sure when all the power would be restored.

In Southern Indiana, 214 Duke Energy customers were without power as of 11:15, down from roughly 900 after the storm moved through.

Marble-size and larger hail was visible downtown, and was reported elsewhere as well. The National Weather Service reported 2-inch hail just east of Fern Creek. And baseball-sized hail was reported at the French Lick Airport in Indiana, the weather service said.

Kroger's Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront and the Chow Wagon delayed activities until the storm passed, but then continued with events as planned. Churchill Downs delayed races for 50 minutes before the fifth race because of the storm.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, damage from hail approaches $1 billion nationally each year – and much of the damage is to crops. Vehicles, roofs and landscaping are also commonly damaged by hail.

Click Here to read the full text of the article

For you roof repair needs, Call (812) 725-9463 or visit our website at truststatewide.com