At least four people have died in Kentucky after torrential rain triggered widespread flooding across the southern US state, according to Governor Andy Beshear. Three of the fatalities occurred in Madison County and one in Jackson County, Beshear said on Saturday, 27 June, as he declared a state of emergency to mobilise resources for search-and-rescue efforts.

Local authorities in Madison County reported that two victims—a man and a woman—were found dead inside a submerged home in Richmond. A third person died after being swept away with a vehicle on Tates Creek Road near Lexington, the county coroner’s office said. Emergency teams, including swift-water rescue units and state police, were conducting door-to-door searches in the worst-affected areas, some of which remained inaccessible.

The National Weather Service recorded rainfall of up to 18 centimetres in parts of Kentucky, with similar volumes in neighbouring Indiana, where flash-flood warnings were also in effect. Beshear warned that a second wave of storms was expected overnight, urging residents to avoid driving after dark because of low visibility and flooded roads. At least 12 state roads were impassable and several bridges had been “completely destroyed”, he said. In Bullitt County, just outside Louisville, a landslide at a dam embankment prompted precautionary evacuation orders, though officials said the structure was holding and there was no indication of imminent failure.

The flooding is the latest in a series of severe weather events to strike Kentucky. Catastrophic inundations in 2022 killed dozens, and flash floods earlier in 2025 claimed lives after a month’s worth of rain fell in under 24 hours. Five counties—Bullitt, Madison, Meade, Mercer and Spencer—have declared local emergencies. Beshear, speaking to reporters, said: “We know we’ve already lost some Kentuckians. I don’t want to lose any more.” Search-and-rescue operations continued into the night, with the death toll remaining provisional as authorities assessed the full extent of the damage.