Two tornado warnings were in effect Tuesday afternoon for parts of the Tri-state as severe storms moved across the area, with residents told to take cover immediately and watch for flying debris. The newest warning covered Hamilton County and southwestern Butler County until 3:45 p.m., while an earlier warning that expired at 3:30 p.m. included west-central Hamilton County, northern Boone County and Dearborn County.
The warnings came as radar detected rotation in a severe thunderstorm near Bright at 3:17 p.m., with the storm moving southeast at 50 mph. That made the search interest immediate: people in the warned areas wanted to know which counties were under the gun and how long the threat would last, while the wider region was also facing damaging wind, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a flood threat that was already building.
WCPO 9 First Warning Weather team declared Tuesday a Weather Alert Day because of the risk of severe storms and flash flooding across the Tri-state. Damaging wind was the main concern, though a couple of tornadoes were also possible, and a few pockets of hail could not be ruled out. Tree damage and power outages were possible because of lightning and strong wind, but hail was not expected to be common.
That mix of hazards is what made the situation awkward for people under warning: the most urgent threat on the radar was a tornado-capable storm, yet the broader forecast still centered on wind. The next wave of storms entered the Tri-state from the northwest and was expected to push southeast into Greater Cincinnati closer to the evening commute, then be out of northern Kentucky closer to 7 this evening. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch stayed in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday, and a Flood Watch remained in place until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The Tri-state was also in an enhanced risk of severe storms, rated 3 of 5 on the threat scale, and leftover scattered showers and storms were expected to linger overnight into Wednesday morning. The severe threat drops Wednesday, but one or two strong storms still cannot be ruled out. Mark Stitz said viewers who want weather coverage from their community can reach him at [email protected].
After that, the attention turns from warnings to what the water will do. Heavy rain was expected to push the Ohio River from 26.7 feet to 40 feet on Saturday, which would put the river into action stage, meaning flooding concerns become serious enough that people and responders have to prepare for protective steps. Showers and storms may continue at times Thursday and could affect the Bengals game, then become more scattered Friday before the weekend turns mostly dry, aside from a small chance of rain late Sunday.
