Heavy rains fell on Friday in Lee County in Kentucky, causing floods in the area. In the morning, authorities received a call that a car was submerged.

Several agencies such as the Sheriff's Office, EMS and Fire and Rescue joined in the search for the missing vehicle reportedly with a woman inside it. Kentucky State Police said that when the floodwaters went down, the missing car was found submerged in the creek with a dead woman inside, reports CNN.

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The vehicle was recovered and the female inside was declared deceased by the Lee County Coroner. Initial investigation indicated she was alone in the car, although earlier reports said a child was with her.

It was found at 7 p.m. in Sinking Creek near Beattyville. She apparently tried to drive through moving water on Kentucky Route 52 before 10 a.m. However, her vehicle was swept into the creek and disappeared, according to state police, NBC reports.

Up to five inches of rain was recorded in Kentucky, which led to more than 100 rescues made as roads became rivers and cars were inundated.

Weather Channel meteorologist Michael Palmer said the main risk from the floods is to drivers, especially when it becomes dark. "There is the potential for people to drive into flooded areas, getting stuck and then being swept away."

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer warned motorists not to drive into standing water or attempt to go around barricades.

Besides the sunken car, the storm also caused a tree to fall on a tent at a campground and killed 45-year-old Catherine Carlson, reports WLEX, a station of NBC.

On top of the heavy rains, a six-alarm fire broke at a Louisville manufacturing plant which could have been sparked by lightning. The blaze started in the morning, and by night, fire crews finally contained the fire.

Authorities also held tornado watches in parts of central Kentucky. Up to 12 tornadoes were reported in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, but Weather.com said there were no immediate report of damages.

A big part of Kentucky was still under flood warning on Friday night, while many residents of Missouri had to stay in shelter the night due to tornado warnings remaining as of 4:30 a.m. ET.

TagsKentucky, flood