Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 64, NWS Paducah, KY

July 4, 2009Christian County, Trigg County, Kentucky

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Jul 4, 2009, 6:40 PM CDT for Christian County, Trigg County, Kentucky. It was in force for 50 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 4, 2009, 6:40 PM CDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2009, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Christian County, KY, Trigg County, KY

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 4, 7:08 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	6 W Herndon, KY	TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ON THE 2000 BLOCK OF ROARING SPRINGS RD.
Jul 4, 7:10 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 W Herndon, KY	METAL STORAGE BUILDING BLOWN ACROSS SIMMONS CEMETERY RD.
Jul 4, 7:12 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	Herndon, KY	OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE ESTIMATES 60 MPH WINDS IN HERNDON KY.
Jul 4, 7:13 PM CDT	TORNADO	1 Se Herndon, KY	EF1 TORNADO WAS NOTED 1.25 MILES SE OF HERNDON OR 11 MILES SSW OF HOPKINSVILLE TO 1.75 MILES SE HERNDON OR 11 MILES S OF HOPKINSVILLE. PEAK WIND WAS ESTIMATED AT 95 MPH. AVERAGE PATH WIDTH WAS 110 YARDS AND PATH LENGTH WAS 1/2 MILE. THE TORNADO CAUSED A FEW DO

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this tornado warning; the first came 33 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 4, 2:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 119 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1303 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 103 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 
WFUS53 KPAH 042340
TORPAH
KYC047-221-050030-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0064.090704T2340Z-090705T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
640 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...
  EAST CENTRAL TRIGG COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT.

* AT 639 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 23 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF FORT CAMPBELL NORTH...OR 6 MILES SOUTH OF CADIZ....
  MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  FORT CAMPBELL NORTH...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING  
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 70 MPH.

&&

LAT...LON 3678 8789 3687 8785 3682 8738 3664 8744
      3664 8760
TIME...MOT...LOC 2340Z 283DEG 21KT 3679 8784

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KPAH 042357
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
657 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

KYC047-221-050030-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0064.000000T0000Z-090705T0030Z/
CHRISTIAN KY-TRIGG KY-
657 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
CHRISTIAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...AND EAST CENTRAL TRIGG
COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY...

AT 653 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF
HERNDON...OR 8 MILES SOUTH OF CADIZ....MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 70 MPH.

&&

LAT...LON 3678 8786 3681 8779 3682 8738 3664 8744
      3664 8760
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 269DEG 39KT 3676 8774

$$

000 
WWUS53 KPAH 050010
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
710 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

KYC221-050020-
/O.CAN.KPAH.TO.W.0064.000000T0000Z-090705T0030Z/
TRIGG KY-
710 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL TRIGG COUNTY IN WESTERN
KENTUCKY IS CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3665 8761 3665 8762 3677 8764 3681 8763
      3682 8738 3664 8744
TIME...MOT...LOC 0010Z 269DEG 39KT 3676 8755

$$

KYC047-050030-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0064.000000T0000Z-090705T0030Z/
CHRISTIAN KY-
710 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
CHRISTIAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...

AT 710 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HERNDON...OR 7
MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOPKINSVILLE....MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 70 MPH.

&&

LAT...LON 3665 8761 3665 8762 3677 8764 3681 8763
      3682 8738 3664 8744
TIME...MOT...LOC 0010Z 269DEG 39KT 3676 8755

$$

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 4, 3:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 3:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
315 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

.DISCUSSION...
ONGOING SVR RISK CONTINUES LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING.
SFC WARM FRONT HAS DRAPED ITSELF RIGHT ALONG THE MS RVR DOWN INTO
THE PAH AREA. SFC BASED CAPES RUNNING 1500-2500 WEST OF THIS
BOUNDARY INTO SE MO. LINE OF CONVECTION SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP
TO THE NW OF THE OH RVR THIS AFTERNOON...THEN TRAVERSE WRN KY/FAR SE
MO THUS EVENING. MAIN HAZARD SHOULD BE WITH SOME DAMAGING WIND GUSTS
AND HAIL...BUT ANY CELL THAT TRY TO DEVIATE FROM THE MEAN FLOW AND
TRAVERSE THE WARM FRONT (IE MOVE SE AS OPPOSED TO E) COULD SPIN UP
AN ISOLATED TORNADO. SFC LOW SHOULD DEVELOP AND MOVE INTO THE MS/OH
RIVER CONFLUENCE AREA BY SUNSET. THIS LOW WILL MOVE ESE
OVERNIGHT...DRAGGING SFC COLD FRONT THROUGH WITH IT.

WILL DECREASE RAIN CHANCES BEHIND THE LINE OF STORMS AFTER
MIDNIGHT...AS SFC LOW/COLD FRONT MOVES SE OF THE REGION. COULD BE A
FEW LEFTOVER SHOWERS BEHIND THE FRONT SUNDAY...BUT SHOULD BE NO
MAJOR CONCERN. CLOUDS AND NLY WINDS WILL LIKELY HOLD TEMPS DOWN IN
THE 70S TO NEAR 80.

NUMERICAL MODELS IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT MID LEVEL NWLY FLOW
WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE SURFACE COLD FRONT SOUTH TO THE GULF
COAST STATES BY MONDAY MORNING...ALLOWING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO
BUILD INTO THE REGION MON/TUE. THIS WILL KEEP THINGS DRY...WITH
TEMPS AT OR A BIT BELOW NORMAL...ESP AT NIGHT. MID LEVEL HIGH OUT
OVER THE PLAINS WILL THEN GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST TOWARD THE REGION
MID/LATE WEEK. THIS WILL LEAD TO A GRADUAL RETURN TO DAY TIME
HEAT...WITH MAX TEMPS EXPECTED INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S BY
THU/FRI. WITH THE MID RIDGE IN CONTROL...WILL LIKELY SEE THERMAL
CAPPING ALOFT AND LITTLE OVERALL MOISTURE. THUS...PRECIP CHANCES
LOOK NIL THROUGH FRI.

THERE IS SOME SUGGESTION BY LATEST MEDIUM RANGE MODELS THAT THE MID
LVL RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO RETREAT BACK TO THE WEST BY NEXT WEEKEND...
RESULTING IN A RETURN TO NW FLOW ALOFT. THIS COULD BRING A COLD
FRONT SOUTH THROUGH THE PLAINS AND CLOSE TO THE FORECAST AREA BY
SAT...SO INTRODUCED A SLIGHT CHC FOR SHOWERS/STORMS AT THAT TIME.

&&

.AVIATION...
WIDESPREAD CONVECTION OCCURRING OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN IL/SOUTHWEST
IN WITH SCATTERED ACTIVITY OVER KY. PRECIP WILL CONTINUE ON AND OFF
AT KEVV/KOWB THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AT KPAH/KCGI...ACTIVITY WILL BE
MORE ISLD...UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON WHEN ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS
LIKELY...THAT WILL CONTINUE INTO EVENING HRS. MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS
POSSIBLE WITH THE HEAVIER TSRA...WITH POSSIBLY GUSTY WINDS. AFTER
THE CONVECTION...COULD SEE SOME -RA THROUGH ABOUT 06Z...AFTER WHICH
CIGS COULD GRADUALLY LOWER TO BLO 1000 FT. SHOULD BEGIN TO SEE
IMPROVING CONDITIONS BY LATE SUNDAY MORNING.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
&&

DISCUSSION...MEFFERT
AVIATION...CW

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 4, 1:32 PM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
132 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-051000-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
132 PM CDT SAT JUL 4 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
AREA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF THE AREA EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY BELOW SEVERE LEVELS...BUT THE
STRONGER STORMS WILL PRODUCE SOME VERY HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES...AS
WELL AS FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

HOWEVER...AS WE HEAD INTO THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NORTHWEST OF THE REGION AND
MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS DURING
THIS TIME MAY BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE
HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY HAZARDS...IN ADDITION TO FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING. A BRIEF TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE HIGHEST
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER NOW APPEARS TO BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI...WEST KENTUCKY AND FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...WHERE THE
INSTABILITY WILL BE MAXIMIZED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

LATE NEXT WEEK...HUMIDITY LEVELS MAY INCREASE ENOUGH TO BRING HEAT
INDICES AT OR ABOVE 100 TO THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL PROBABLY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...WEST KENTUCKY AND
FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 4, 5:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
521 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0515 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     CHARLESTON              36.92N 89.34W
07/04/2009                   MISSISSIPPI        MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            REPORTS OF A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD...DOWNED TREES AND
            POWER OUTAGES.

&&

JAYSONW

Local storm report, Jul 4, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
535 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0525 PM     TSTM WND GST     BERKLEY                 36.81N 89.12W
07/04/2009  M70 MPH          CARLISLE           KY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            A REPORT OF 70 TO 80 MPH WINDS MEASURED OUT OF CARLISE
            COUNTY BY 911 OFFICIALS

&&

JAYSONW

Local storm report, Jul 4, 5:43 PM CDT, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
543 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0541 PM     TSTM WND DMG     DEXTER                  36.79N 89.96W
07/04/2009                   STODDARD           MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ABOUT HALF DOZEN UTILITY POLES BROKEN BY STRAIGHT LINE
            WINDS AND SEVERAL BROKEN TREE LIMBS UP TO 6 INCHES IN
            DIAMETER ACCROSS STODDARD COUNTY.

&&

JAYSONW

Local storm report, Jul 4, 6:07 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
607 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0541 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BERKLEY                 36.81N 89.12W
07/04/2009                   CARLISLE           KY   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            CARLISLE COUNTY 911 RECEIVED REPORTS OF A CARPORT BLOWN
            INTO THE STREET AND A CAMPER/RV BLOWN OVER AT 4145 STATE
            RD 123.

&&

JAYSONW

Local storm report, Jul 4, 6:29 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
629 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0615 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MAYFIELD                36.74N 88.65W
07/04/2009                   GRAVES             KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ELECTRICAL LINES DOWN

&&

JAYSONW

Local storm report, Jul 4, 6:31 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
631 PM CDT SAT JUL 04 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0627 PM     TSTM WND GST     MURRAY                  36.61N 88.32W
07/04/2009  M70 MPH          CALLOWAY           KY   EMERGENCY MNGR

            70 MPH WINDS IN MURRAY...REPORTS OF A ROOF BLOWN OFF A
            BULDING.

&&

JAYSONW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 5:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Carlisle	29 min
Jul 4, 5:22 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman	38 min
Jul 4, 5:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Carlisle, Graves, Hickman	36 min
Jul 4, 5:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Fulton, Graves, Hickman	55 min
Jul 4, 5:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Lyon, Marshall, Trigg	50 min
Jul 4, 6:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Calloway, Marshall	32 min
Jul 4, 6:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Calloway, Trigg	33 min
Jul 4, 6:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Christian, Todd	37 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

Sources

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