MOUNT VERNON — Stormchasers in the area had a busy weekend as Knox County endured storm watches and warnings spread over three days. However, very little damage was reported due to the storms, which for the most part, skipped around and over Knox County.
While over 3 inches of rain fell in many parts of the county since Friday afternoon, only a handful of reports of downed trees or tree limbs falling onto power lines were handled by county fire departments over the weekend.
Tornado sirens were activated across the county Friday evening around 5:16, when the first tornado warning of the weekend was issued by the National Weather Service. Saturday afternoon at 2:52 p.m., a second warning was issued.
According to Brian Hess, Knox County Emergency Management Agency director, despite the two tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service Friday and Saturday, his office has learned of only one possible sighting of a funnel cloud, that by a citizen who is not a trained weather spotter.
Hess and Deputy Director Matt Sturgeon were both in contact with dispatchers, first responders and amateur radio operators across the county during the storms.
Hess said the Knox County 9-1-1 dispatchers did an excellent job handling the increased call volume during the storms. He said there were a lot of nonsense calls and increased medical calls as well, and they did a great job keeping everything running smoothly.
Hess said the NWS never notified the EMA office of any funnel cloud sightings or touchdowns in Knox County over the weekend.
“If there was anything confirmed, [the National Weather Service] would have contacted my office,” Hess said Sunday evening.
