Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 335
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 30, 2004, 1:40 PM CDT for 73 counties in Kentucky; Lawrence County, Ohio; Lee County, Virginia. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 30, 2004, 1:40 PM CDT (18:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 30, 2004, 9:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 75 counties
Adair County, KY, Anderson County, KY, Barren County, KY, Bath County, KY, Bell County, KY, Bourbon County, KY, Boyd County, KY, Boyle County, KY, Breathitt County, KY, Carter County, KY, Casey County, KY, Clark County, KY, Clay County, KY, Clinton County, KY, Cumberland County, KY, Elliott County, KY, Estill County, KY, Fayette County, KY, Fleming County, KY, Floyd County, KY, Franklin County, KY, Garrard County, KY, Green County, KY, Greenup County, KY, Harlan County, KY, Harrison County, KY, Hart County, KY, Henry County, KY, Jackson County, KY, Jessamine County, KY, Johnson County, KY, Knott County, KY, Knox County, KY, Larue County, KY, Laurel County, KY, Lawrence County, KY, Lee County, KY, Leslie County, KY, Lewis County, KY, Lincoln County, KY, Madison County, KY, Magoffin County, KY, Marion County, KY, Mason County, KY, McCreary County, KY, Menifee County, KY, Mercer County, KY, Metcalfe County, KY, Monroe County, KY, Montgomery County, KY, Morgan County, KY, Nelson County, KY, Nicholas County, KY, Oldham County, KY, Owen County, KY, Owsley County, KY, Perry County, KY, Powell County, KY, Pulaski County, KY, Robertson County, KY, Rockcastle County, KY, Rowan County, KY, Russell County, KY, Scott County, KY, Shelby County, KY, Spencer County, KY, Taylor County, KY, Trimble County, KY, Washington County, KY, Wayne County, KY, Whitley County, KY, Wolfe County, KY, Woodford County, KY, Lawrence County, OH, Lee County, VA
The radar
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:40 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
Warnings issued inside it
75 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Harlan | 49 min |
| May 30, 1:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Jackson | 47 min |
| May 30, 2:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Leslie, Letcher | 3 hr |
| May 30, 2:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Jackson | 31 min |
| May 30, 2:21 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Harlan | 4 hr |
| May 30, 2:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Lee, Wise, City of Norton | 38 min |
| May 30, 2:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Clay | 36 min |
| May 30, 2:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Oldham | 33 min |
| May 30, 2:59 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Clay | 4 hr |
| May 30, 3:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Clay | 25 min |
| May 30, 3:27 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Knott, Perry | 4 hr |
| May 30, 3:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Henry, Oldham | 47 min |
| May 30, 3:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Garrard, Madison | 60 min |
| May 30, 3:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Anderson | 23 min |
| May 30, 3:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Leslie | 37 min |
| May 30, 3:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Harlan | 41 min |
| May 30, 3:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Woodford | 38 min |
| May 30, 3:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Shelby | 39 min |
| May 30, 4:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Fayette, Jessamine | 60 min |
| May 30, 4:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Henry, Oldham | 44 min |
| May 30, 4:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MRX | Lee | 58 min |
| May 30, 4:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Henry, Oldham | 113 min |
| May 30, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Harlan | 17 min |
| May 30, 4:30 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILN | Owen | 3 hr |
| May 30, 4:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILN | Owen | 58 min |
| May 30, 4:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Shelby, Spencer | 40 min |
| May 30, 4:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Franklin | 48 min |
| May 30, 4:47 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Madison | 28 min |
| May 30, 5:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Estill | 41 min |
| May 30, 5:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Woodford | 24 min |
| May 30, 5:18 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Woodford | 3 hr |
| May 30, 5:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Madison | 27 min |
| May 30, 5:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Leslie | 23 min |
| May 30, 5:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Jackson | 49 min |
| May 30, 5:30 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Madison | 3 hr |
| May 30, 5:30 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Franklin | 3 hr |
| May 30, 5:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Fayette | 30 min |
| May 30, 5:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Powell | 42 min |
| May 30, 5:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Estill, Powell | 51 min |
| May 30, 5:41 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Estill, Montgomery, Powell | 4 hr |
| May 30, 6:07 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Scott | 3 hr |
| May 30, 6:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Clark | 38 min |
| May 30, 6:30 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Clark | 3 hr |
| May 30, 6:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Powell | 44 min |
| May 30, 6:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Montgomery | 51 min |
| May 30, 6:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Estill | 41 min |
| May 30, 6:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Henry, Oldham | 51 min |
| May 30, 6:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Garrard | 26 min |
| May 30, 6:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Wolfe | 34 min |
| May 30, 7:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Morgan | 45 min |
| May 30, 7:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Powell | 36 min |
| May 30, 7:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Madison | 33 min |
| May 30, 7:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Magoffin | 44 min |
| May 30, 7:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Lee | 42 min |
| May 30, 7:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Menifee, Morgan | 4 hr |
| May 30, 7:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Wolfe | 38 min |
| May 30, 7:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Breathitt | 50 min |
| May 30, 7:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Estill | 38 min |
| May 30, 7:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd | 48 min |
| May 30, 7:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Johnson | 39 min |
| May 30, 7:56 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Breathitt, Magoffin, Wolfe | 4 hr |
| May 30, 7:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Lee | 47 min |
| May 30, 8:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Breathitt | 50 min |
| May 30, 8:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Magoffin | 48 min |
| May 30, 8:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Estill | 43 min |
| May 30, 8:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Powell, Wolfe | 40 min |
| May 30, 8:20 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Bourbon | 3 hr |
| May 30, 8:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Johnson | 83 min |
| May 30, 8:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Johnson | 6 hr |
| May 30, 8:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Floyd, Johnson | 51 min |
| May 30, 8:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Breathitt | 24 min |
| May 30, 8:39 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Madison | 3 hr |
| May 30, 8:49 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | JKL | Floyd | 6 hr |
| May 30, 8:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JKL | Breathitt, Knott | 48 min |
| May 30, 8:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JKL | Powell | 47 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 228 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1413 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 702 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 210 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 176 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 301840
SEL5
SPC WW 301840
KYZ000-310200-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 335
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
240 PM EDT SUN MAY 30 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN KENTUCKY
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 240 PM UNTIL 1000
PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON KENTUCKY TO 45
MILES SOUTHWEST OF LONDON KENTUCKY.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 330...WW 331...WW 332...WW
333...WW 334...
DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS/SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE
NUMEROUS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN ZONE OF LOW LEVEL WARM
ADVECTION AND INCREASING DEEP SHEAR DOWNSTREAM FROM APPROACHING
WSWLY SPEED MAX. GIVEN ABSENCE OF STRONG LINEAR FORCING AND RICH
MOISTURE INFLOW... POTENTIAL WILL EXIST FOR TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY
INVOF DIFFUSE NW/SE WARM FRONT IN ERN KY.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27025.
...CORFIDI
383,0821 363,0830 363,0861 383,0852SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 10:04 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Ballard, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian and 18 more | 2 hr |
| May 30, 11:50 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyle, Bracken and 54 more | 115 min |
| May 30, 11:50 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Allen, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Carlisle and 29 more | 7 hr |
| May 30, 1:05 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ballard, Fulton | 6 hr |
| May 30, 3:05 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Anderson, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd and 77 more | 115 min |
| May 30, 3:20 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Calloway, Fulton | 8 hr |
| May 30, 3:55 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton and 1 more | 5 hr |
| May 30, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, McCracken | 6 hr |
| May 30, 6:55 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Allen, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway and 27 more | 8 hr |
| May 30, 4:35 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Scott, Washington, Wise, City of Bristol, City of Norton | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2004Tornado Watches in Ohio, 2004Tornado Watches in Virginia, 2004Every tornado watch in 2004
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.