The weather has claimed the life of a child who was reportedly swept away by floodwaters around 6:30 Friday morning, according to Frankfort police. No name has been released.
About four inches of rain has been dumped on Central Kentucky so far, but other areas could wind up with a foot by the time the multi-phase weather event tapers off on Sunday.
"We're gonna have some roads covered in parts of Kentucky probably for days, and you're not gonna be able to drive through them, and it'd be a big mistake to try," Gov. Andy Beshear said.
The Kentucky River is already up 12 feet, according to the Herald Leader, and water rescues have been necessary in Casey and Jefferson Counties. Major portions of Kentucky, including Lexington, remain under a flood warning with flash flooding — a worry especially in the hard-hit western end of the state.
President Trump declared a state of emergency for Kentucky, qualifying the state for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding.
Saturday evening could bring more severe storms before the days long emergency subsides.
UPDATE: Friday, 3:30 PM
More than 300 road closures are in place in Kentucky as the state awaits another bout of rain and severe weather.
"There are some places and some roads that we are not accustomed to seeing flooding on," he said. "Be prepared. It might occur on those roads."
Gray also mentioned reports of individuals moving barricades in order to drive through flooded areas, and not replacing them. He strong a strong warning against the behavior.
"There's a lot more rain to come. We've seen areas of the state inundated with over eight inches of rain in the west and almost five inches of rain in the east. This is a very widespread event. It's going to take a lot of effort to get through this," Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said. "We expect this to be a long duration."
With the ground already saturated, Gray warned the flooding over the weekend could ultimately be worse than the floods in February.