Thunderstorm ‘microburst’ strips roofs from Heaven Hill warehouses

Sheets of roofing material hang over the side of a seven-story whiskey warehouse in the Heaven Hill complex at Loretto Road and Gilkey Run Road. Click to enlarge.

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Framing timber, rafters and roofing material lay in a pile after high winds stripped them from a whiskey warehouse at Heaven Hill’s warehouse complex on Loretto Road.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015, 8:30 p.m. — The severe thunderstorm that passed through Nelson County that downed several tree limbs included what the National Weather Service believes was a “microburst” — a powerful downdraft — that damage the roofs on two Heaven Hill Brands whiskey warehouses Tuesday afternoon.

The storm hit the Bardstown area about 3:30 p.m., and a microburst with 95 mph winds is believed to be responsible for completely removing the roof from one whiskey warehouse and blowing more than half the roof off a second warehouse.

Heaven Hill officials told Louisville media no one was injured in the incident, and that none of the barrels of whiskey in the warehouses were lost or damaged.

Each warehouse holds approximately 22,000 barrels.

This radar image from 3:31 p.m. Tuesday shows the severe thunderstorm as it passed through Bardstown. The storm downed tree limbs and stripped roofing from two whiskey warehouses at Heaven Hill Brands on Loretto Road.

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