Alert archive / Kentucky / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Jackson, KY

November 9, 1986Knox County, Kentucky

NWS Jackson, KY issued this flash flood warning at Nov 9, 1986, 1:43 AM EST for Knox County, Kentucky. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 9, 1986, 1:43 AM EST (06:43 UTC)
Expired
Nov 9, 1986, 5:45 AM EST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Jackson, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Knox County, KY

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 203 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1986-11-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1986-11-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 139 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
636 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
210 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAAOO KJKL 090643
FFWJKL
KYC121-091045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
143 AM EST SUN NOV  9 1986
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
 
IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY
          ..KNOX

AT 145 AM HEAVY RAIN WAS OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF KNOX COUNTY.
CREEKS AND STREAMS WERE ALREADY SWOLLEN TO BANKFULL AND ANY
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS ACROSS KNOX COUNTY INCLUDING THE CITY OF
BARBOURVILLE. HEAVY RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE
NEXT FEW HOURS.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES, DIPS, OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM, EVEN A SMALL ONE,
ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER QMOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 8, 8:20 PM EST, 5 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
820 PM EST SAT NOV 8 1986

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...

AT 820 PM THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN COUNTIES OF
THE COALFIELDS. A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN WAS MOVING ACROSS THE
THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF MORGAN COUNTY. MANY OF THE SMALLER CREEKS
AND STREAMS IN MORGAN COUNTY ARE APPROACHING BANKFULL STAGE. IN
MAGOFFIN COUNTY WERE LIGHT RAIN IS CONTINUING..SOME MINOR LOWLAND
FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED.

THE WEATHER RADAR AT JACKSON SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED FROM 35
MILES NORTHWEST OF JACKSON TO JUST NORTH OF LONDON. THESE THUNDER/
STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THE HEAVY
RAIN FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FALLING ON SATURATED GROUND
RESULTING IN RAPID RUN-OFF CAUSING FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND
LOW LYING AREAS AS WELL AS PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA YOU SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS
OBSERVED OR IF WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
ADDINGTON
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 10:06 PM EST, 3 hours 37 minutes before
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1005 PM EST SAT NOV 8 1986

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MORGAN AND MAGOFFIN
COUNTIES...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINDER
OF SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...

AT 1005PM EST...A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
...WITH HEAVY RAIN FALL...WAS FROM CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH
SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY TO NEAR NASHVILLE TENNESSEE.

THE HEAVIEST RAIN FALL WAS IN MORGAN AND MAGOFFIN COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY.  FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED.  IF YOU
ARE IN THESE FLOOD AREAS YOU SHOULD MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE REST OF SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY.  YOU SHOULD TUNE FREQUENTLY TO THIS WEATHER RADIO STATION
OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

RUSSELL
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 11:08 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1105 PM EST SAT NOV 8 1986

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MORGAN...MAGOFFIN
AND FLOYD COUNTIES...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE
REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...

AT 1105 PM EST...A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
...WITH HEAVY RAIN FALL...WAS FROM CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA THROUGH
SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY TO NEAR NASHVILLE TENNESSEE.

THE HEAVIEST RAIN FALL WAS IN MORGAN...MAGOFFIN AND FLOYD COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY.  FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED.  IF YOU
ARE IN THESE FLOOD AREAS YOU SHOULD MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE REST OF SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY.  YOU SHOULD TUNE FREQUENTLY TO THIS WEATHER RADIO STATION
OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

RUSSELL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 8, 9:42 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJKLMagoffin, Morgan4 hr
Nov 8, 10:21 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJKLFloyd4 hr
Nov 9, 2:48 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJKLBreathitt, Knott, Perry4 hr
Nov 9, 3:40 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJKLBell, Leslie4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kentucky, 1986Every flash flood warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.