Alert archive / Kentucky / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Louisville, KY

February 13, 1989Jefferson County, Shelby County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this flash flood warning at Feb 13, 1989, 10:49 PM EST for Jefferson County, Shelby County, Kentucky. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 13, 1989, 10:49 PM EST (03:49 UTC)
Expired
Feb 14, 1989, 1:45 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jefferson County, KY, Shelby 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

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 217 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1989-02-14Temperature 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 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1989-02-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 284 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
284 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 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 
TTAA00 KSDF 140349
FFWSDF
KYC029-179-093-111-211-123-140645-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1049 PM EST MON FEB 13 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 AM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF KENTUCKY
      BULLITT...NELSON...HARDIN...JEFFERSON...SHELBY...LARUE

AT 1045 PM EST WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT LOUISVILLE WAS DETECTING
HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHCENTRAL
KENTUCKY. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL DURING THE PAST
24 HOURS AND THE IMMEDIATE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL...FLASH
FLOODING IS IMMINENT. NUMEROUS HIGHWAYS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CLOSED
DUE TO HIGH WATER.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.
VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED IMMEDIATELY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOOD WATERS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...
ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

 CONGER

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, Feb 13, 6:16 PM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
615 PM EST MON FEB 13 1989

        ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF KENTUCKY THROUGH 8 PM
THIS EVENING.  ONLY THAT PART OF THE STATE IN SOUTHERN KENTUCKY...SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM BOWLING GREEN TO LONDON WILL BE SPARED THE HEAVY RAIN.

FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS WILL BE WIDESPREAD THIS
EVENING AS THE STEADY RAIN CONTINUES ON SATURATED SOIL.  THOSE DRIVING
SHOULD USE CAUTION APPROACHING HIGHWAY DIPS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS
THE THREAT OF HYDROPLANING.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS ROADWAYS COVERED WITH FAST MOVING WATER OR WATER
OF AN UNKNOWN DEPTH.  IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING...BE ON
THE ALERT FOR FAST RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO EVACUATE.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV...OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KIRKPATRICK
Special weather statement, Feb 13, 8:13 PM EST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
810 PM EST MON FEB 13 1989

        ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF KENTUCKY THROUGH 10 PM
THIS EVENING.  ONLY THAT PART OF THE STATE IN SOUTHERN KENTUCKY...SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM BOWLING GREEN TO LONDON TO JACKSON WILL BE SPARED THE
HEAVY RAIN.

FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS WILL BE WIDESPREAD THIS
EVENING AS THE STEADY RAIN RUNS OFF INTO ALREADY SWOLLEN STREAMS AND
CREEKS.  THOSE DRIVING SHOULD USE CAUTION APPROACHING HIGHWAY DIPS AND
UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS THE THREAT OF HYDROPLANING.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS ROADWAYS COVERED WITH FAST MOVING WATER OR WATER
OF AN UNKNOWN DEPTH.  IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING...BE ON
THE ALERT FOR FAST RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO EVACUATE.
>
LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV...OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.s

KIRKPATRICK
Special weather statement, Feb 13, 9:10 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
910 PM EST MON FEB 13 1989

        ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF KENTUCKY THROUGH 11 PM
THIS EVENING.  ONLY THAT PART OF THE STATE IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM LONDON TO JACKSON WILL BE SPARED THE HEAVY RAIN.

THIS IS BECOMING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE
PAST 18 HOURS HAVE RANGED FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES IN PARTS OF WEST KENTUCKY
...WITH 2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS COMMON OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PARTS.

FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS WILL BE WIDESPREAD THIS
EVENING AS THE STEADY RAIN RUNS OFF INTO ALREADY SWOLLEN STREAMS AND
CREEKS.  THOSE DRIVING SHOULD USE CAUTION APPROACHING HIGHWAY DIPS AND
UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS THE THREAT OF HYDROPLANING.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS ROADWAYS COVERED WITH FAST MOVING WATER OR WATER OF AN UNKNOWN
DEPTH.
>
IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING...BE ON THE ALERT FOR FAST
RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO EVACUATE.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV...OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KIRKPATRICK
Special weather statement, Feb 13, 10:13 PM EST, 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1010 PM EST MON FEB 13 1989

        ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER MOST OF KENTUCKY THROUGH
MIDNIGHT EST.  IN NORTH AND WEST KENTUCKY A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS WILL BE
EMBEDDED WITHIN THE RAIN.  ONLY THAT PART OF THE STATE IN SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LONDON TO JACKSON WILL BE SPARED THE
HEAVY RAIN.

THIS IS BECOMING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE
PAST 18 HOURS HAVE RANGED FROM 5 TO 7 INCHES IN PARTS OF WEST KENTUCKY
...WITH 2 TO 4 INCH AMOUNTS COMMON OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PARTS.

FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS WILL BE WIDESPREAD THIS
EVENING AS THE STEADY RAIN RUNS OFF INTO ALREADY SWOLLEN STREAMS AND
CREEKS.  THOSE DRIVING SHOULD USE CAUTION APPROACHING HIGHWAY DIPS AND
UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS THE THREAT OF HYDROPLANING.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS ROADWAYS COVERED WITH FAST MOVING WATER OR WATER OF AN UNKNOWN
DEPTH.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA PRONE TO FLOODING...BE ON THE ALERT FOR FAST
RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO EVACUATE.

LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL RADIO...TV...OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KIRKPATRICK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 13, 10:49 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningLMKHardin, Larue, Nelson3 hr
Feb 13, 10:49 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningLMKBullitt3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kentucky, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.