Mark Stitz said two tornado warnings were in effect Tuesday afternoon as severe storms moved through the Tri-State, putting the tornado in Cincinnati area under immediate cover-now instructions. One warning covered Hamilton County and southwestern Butler County until 3:45 p.m., while an earlier warning included west-central Hamilton County, northern Boone County and Dearborn County until 3:30 p.m.
At 3:17 p.m., radar detected rotation in a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near Bright, moving southeast at 50 mph. People in the warning area were told to take cover immediately and watch for flying debris.
Hamilton County and Butler County
The warnings came during a Weather Alert Day for the threat of severe storms and flash flooding across the Tri-State. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remained in effect for all of the Tri-State until 8 p.m. Tuesday, and the next wave of storms entered from the northwest.
Mark Stitz said the storms were expected to push southeast into Greater Cincinnati closer to the evening commute and could be out of northern Kentucky closer to 7 this evening. Damaging wind was the main concern, with a couple of tornadoes possible, along with a couple of pockets of hail that were not expected to be common.
Bright and the Tri-State
The rotation near Bright added urgency because radar showed a tornado-capable storm in motion, but the facts provided do not say a tornado touched down. That left the warned counties under a short-fuse threat built around immediate sheltering and the possibility of tree damage and power outages.
The wider setup did not end with the warnings. A Flood Watch in effect for everyone until 8 a.m. Wednesday followed leftover scattered showers and storms overnight and into Wednesday morning, when the severe threat was much lower but one or two severe storms still could not be ruled out.
Flood Watch in Wednesday
Mark Stitz said the Tri-State was also in an enhanced risk of severe storms from the Storm Prediction Center, rated 3 of 5 on the threat scale, before dropping to a marginal risk of 1 of 5 on Wednesday. Heavy rain upstream on the Ohio River was expected to raise the river from 26.7 feet to 40 feet on Saturday, putting the area into action stage.
For people in Hamilton County, Butler County, Boone County and Dearborn County, the immediate step was simple: stay where cover is available until the warnings expire and watch the sky and alerts as the storms keep moving southeast. The next few hours carried the most risk, not the rest of the week.
