LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The National Weather Service confirmed the powerful tornado that killed 19 people across three Kentucky counties Friday night was an EF4 with 170 mph winds.

The NWS office in Jackson, Kentucky, confirmed through a multi-day survey the tornado was 1,700 yards wide at its peak — nearly 1 mile — and was on the ground for more than 55 miles from Somerset to London.

The tornado left a path of destruction in its wake, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that people need to be ready for another round of severe weather with multiple ways to receive warnings and alerts.

There's an outage in central Kentucky for the weather radios from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The transmitters are down for a systems upgrade in the area from Monday through Wednesday.

That means weather radios won't work until then.

"If you're in central Kentucky, Louisville, Lexington and the surrounding area, you need another way to get your alerts," Beshear said Tuesday.

The NWS reminds people to make sure to have a back up way of receiving weather warning information, either by local TV/radio, weather apps, or at the NWS website by clicking here. To make sure you have all the best ways to receive information and alerts from WDRB, click here.

The governor spoke from London, Kentucky, where a tornado with at least 140 mph winds leveled whole neighborhoods and killed 19 people so far across Laurel, Pulaski and Russell counties.

The EF4 tornado stretched across three counties Friday night.

The Bowling Funeral Home released the names of those 19 people who were killed during the tornado: Richard and Wanda McFall, June Johnson Fisher, Major Leslie Leatherman, Darlene Miller, Nancy Clem, Pamela Mason, Sherri Smith, Tiffany Heim, Ray Cowan, Linda and Garry Sweet, Lisa Fortney, Kenneth Elliott, Marshall Miracle, Bobby and Bernice Tillman, Melodie Godby and Debra Edelman.

Eight people remain hospitalized, two of whom are in critical condition.

According to LEX18, mandatory evacuations were ordered for two hard-hit areas of Laurel County ahead of Tuesday night's storm system.

"This tornado event is devastating," Beshear said Tuesday. "There's no other way to describe the destruction and the death that it brought to this community. ... A lot of Kentuckians are hurting right now. Whether you were in the path of these tornados or you are watching what has happened to your fellow Kentuckian, there's going to be a lot of need."

IMAGES | Kentucky residents clean up after deadly tornado flattens homes

Top Stories:

How to be prepared for severe weather with WDRB

TUESDAY'S THREATS: Which Two Look Most Concerning And Where...

'It was too late' | Kentucky father fights back tears recounting how family survived EF3 tornado

Tornado Blog | Real-time updates after deadly severe weather hits Kentucky

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.