Tornado Warnings and Severe Storm Alerts Issued for Cincinnati Area

The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for eight counties in the Cincinnati area through 1 a.m. Thursday, including Boone, Butler, Kenton, Gallatin, Warren, Dearborn, Ohio, and Switzerland counties. A tornado watch extends across Greater Cincinnati until 5 a.m. Thursday as severe storms approach the region late Wednesday into early Thursday morning.

The primary threat from the incoming storms is damaging winds reaching up to 70 mph, with an embedded tornado risk also possible. The Enhanced Risk zone has been adjusted, with much of the Cincinnati metro and Northern Kentucky moving out of the highest alert level as rainfall moves in. However, portions of southeastern Indiana and Butler County remain under Enhanced Risk designation. The main window for thunderstorms in Cincinnati is expected between midnight and 5 a.m. Thursday, as the leftover line of storms weakens while moving south from north of Interstate 70.

A Flood Watch has been issued beginning Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday morning due to the potential for repeated heavy rainfall over the same areas, which could produce localized flooding. Residents are urged to have multiple notification methods activated to receive alerts loud enough to wake them if warnings are issued during the overnight hours.

Rain is expected to move out of the area by early Thursday morning, with conditions clearing by approximately 7 a.m. The severe weather is expected to conclude before Father's Day weekend, with Sunday highs forecast in the lower 80s.