MEADE COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) -- The National Weather Service determined on Thursday that a tornado touched down in Meade County, Kentucky, Wednesday evening.

Damage was clearly visible Thursday morning, hours after the storms. Giant cedar trees that once lined a drive were splintered and ripped out of the ground. Some were split in half, while others were completely uprooted. 

A neighbor's home security video captured video of the tress falling. They came crashing down almost all at once as the wind picked up and blew through. 

Video courtesy Tommy Breitmeyer of Brandenburg, Ky.

A family whose home sits at the end of the road said the destruction of the trees marks the end of an era.

"I know they were here, probably, when daddy was growing up," said Kathy Clemons.

Clemons' 96-year-old mother still lives in the home. Wednesday, the family was together and tried getting into a closet to shelter from the storm. Thankfully, the home did not suffer significant damage, and no one inside was hurt.

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A downed tree on Powell Lane in Meade County, Kentucky on April 6, 2023. A tornado is confirmed to have touched down in nearby Brandenburg. (WDRB image by: Darby Beane)

"We got a lot of family that have passed, and I think they are all around that house making sure those trees didn't hit it. Because, we had some angels watching over us, that's for sure," said Clemons.

She said this isn't her family's first experience with a tornado. Her grandparents were killed in 1974, when a tornado hit Brandenburg.

In Wednesday's storm, a large pecan tree narrowly missed her mother's home. 

"We're blessed that it didn't hit the house," said Clemons.

Across the road on Cedar Line Court, Larry Erwin's electrical panel was ripped from the side of his house. Multiple trees were also uprooted in his yard. He said the storm was quick, but it was strong.

"I heard it coming. I opened the curtain up and all I could see was things going sideways," said Erwin.

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A downed tree on Powell Lane in Meade County, Kentucky on April 6, 2023. A tornado is confirmed to have touched down in nearby Brandenburg. (WDRB image by: Darby Beane)

By Thursday afternoon, more than a dozen neighbors, friends and church members had called or stopped by his home to check on him and help clean up. Some of his neighbors on his street had roof damage and their fencing torn apart.

"[I] just thank God what we're here, we're safe, and the rest of it can be put back together," said Erwin.

According to the report from the National Weather Service, the tornado began at 4:41 p.m. and ended at 4:42 p.m. and went about a quarter of a mile. The National Weather Service was in Meade County Thursday to assess the damage.

"It's been extremely windy winter and continuing into spring, a lot of storm systems moving across Kentucky, and it goes to show we need to be prepared. Tornadoes can happen very quickly in any thunderstorm and folks need to have their preparedness plan in place, (and) know where to go when this strikes," said Mike Kochasic, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service-Louisville.

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A downed tree on Powell Lane in Meade County, Kentucky on April 6, 2023. A tornado is confirmed to have touched down in nearby Brandenburg. (WDRB image by: Darby Beane)

Kochasic said for anyone who has storm damage, please report that to the local emergency management agency.

Meade County neighbors said despite the clean-up ahead, they're thankful no one in their community was hurt. 

The Meade County tornado was one of at least four that have been identified in the WDRB viewing area. Authorities with the National Weather Service said there were two tornadoes in Louisville's Newburg neighborhood and one in the Pleasure Ridge Park neighborhood. 

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