Meteorologists with the NWS Paducah office have also confirmed several tornadoes in its region the afternoon and evening of May 16. Three tornadoes impacted western Kentucky, including an EF-3 tornado in Morganfield with winds of 155 mph, an EF-2 tornado in Allegre and an EF-2 tornado in Casky.

The massive EF-4 tornado that killed 19 people in Kentucky last Friday tore through three counties leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Jackson,

The Jackson, Kentucky, office is one of at least four such facilities across the country that is so short-staffed that it is no longer routinely operating 24/7.

The Jackson, Kentucky, weather service office recently cut overnight staff but meteorologists were called in to handle the deadly tornado outbreak.

Gov. Andy Beshear praised the Trump administration’s response to a deadly tornado in his state, even as he worried about cuts at NWS.

The National Weather Service in Louisville is predicting possible severe weather for areas of the state on May 20, following deadly tornadoes that struck parts of Kentucky in recent days. Multiple rounds of storms are possible, with the strongest storms to fall during the evening hours.

One week after a deadly EF-4 tornado hit Russell, Pulaski, and Laurel counties, the National Weather Service has updated the storm’s path.

A National Weather Service official said it was the deadliest tornado to ever come through the Jackson office's warning area.

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says President Donald Trump has approved six counties for individual assistance after tornadoes moved through the state. "Thank you to the president and Sec. Kristi Noem for this support, which is essential to helping families affected rebuild," Beshear said in a social media post.

When the skies darkened over Laurel County on May 16, the Wilson family didn’t run home. They ran cold. Literally. With a deadly tornado bearing down, Charlotte Wilson and her partner, Dustin, gathered with their family and about two dozen others in the Shell store’s walk-in cooler.