Alert archive / Kentucky / Flash Flood Warnings in 2025

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Louisville, KY

May 20, 2025Warren County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this flash flood warning at May 20, 2025, 6:12 PM CDT for Warren County, Kentucky. It was in force for 110 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 20, 2025, 6:12 PM CDT (23:12 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2025, 8:02 PM CDT
In force: 110 min
Issued by: NWS Louisville, KY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Warren County, KY

The radar

The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:12 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 97 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: 1162 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 904 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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.

NWS Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 20, 4:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 4:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 3:46 PM CDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 20, 1:04 PM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Louisville KY
Issued by National Weather Service Paducah KY
204 PM EDT Tue May 20 2025

KYZ055-056-067-201830-
Boyle KY-Lincoln KY-Garrard KY-
204 PM EDT Tue May 20 2025

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT LINCOLN...SOUTHEASTERN GARRARD
AND SOUTHEASTERN BOYLE COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT...

At 204 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Stanford, or 17 miles west of Mount Vernon, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Stanford, Lancaster, Junction City, Crab Orchard, Boneyville,
Ottenheim, Gilbert, Broughtentown, Geneva, Rowland, Hackley, Maywood,
Stuart Powell Field Airport, Point Leavell, Mckinney, Hubble,
Highland, South Fork, Kings Mountain, and Jumbo.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for central
Kentucky.

&&

LAT...LON 3748 8445 3738 8449 3736 8473 3737 8475
      3759 8480 3768 8446 3748 8440
TIME...MOT...LOC 1804Z 268DEG 38KT 3746 8464

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

SP

Special weather statement, May 20, 1:22 PM CDT, 4 hours 50 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Louisville KY
Issued by National Weather Service Paducah KY
222 PM EDT Tue May 20 2025

KYZ048-049-056-057-201900-
Jessamine KY-Clark KY-Madison KY-Garrard KY-
222 PM EDT Tue May 20 2025

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT EASTERN GARRARD...SOUTHEASTERN
CLARK...SOUTHEASTERN JESSAMINE AND MADISON COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM
EDT...

At 222 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 8 miles southeast of Nicholasville to 6 miles
east of Lancaster to 7 miles north of Gum Sulphur. Movement was
northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Richmond, Harris Ferry, Berea, Peytontown, Jackson Ferry, Panola,
Buggytown, Hunt, Buckeye, Pollard, Teatersville, Cotton Branch,
Trapp, Log Lick, Combs, Doylesville, Terrill, Dreyfus, Reeds
Crossing, and Rabbit Town.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for central
Kentucky.

&&

LAT...LON 3787 8403 3783 8400 3785 8406 3782 8407
      3785 8408 3782 8412 3781 8408 3778 8411
      3777 8408 3767 8409 3765 8413 3757 8409
      3752 8426 3754 8435 3749 8436 3748 8441
      3749 8445 3780 8456 3796 8404 3789 8399
TIME...MOT...LOC 1822Z 241DEG 36KT 3778 8449 3764 8446 3754 8446

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

SP

Local storm report, May 20, 2:09 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 20, 5:31 PM CDT, 41 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 6:01 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 11:37 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	LMK	Allen, Barren, Monroe	3 hr
May 20, 11:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Cumberland, Metcalfe, Monroe	34 min
May 20, 1:04 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LMK	Garrard, Lincoln	26 min
May 20, 1:22 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LMK	Madison	38 min
May 20, 1:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Garrard, Madison	29 min
May 20, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Butler, Ohio	40 min
May 20, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Logan, Simpson, Warren	39 min
May 20, 5:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Butler, Logan	34 min
May 20, 5:36 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	LMK	Ohio	83 min
May 20, 5:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Breckinridge, Butler, Grayson, Ohio	14 min
May 20, 6:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LMK	Barren, Metcalfe	44 min
May 20, 6:15 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	LMK	Allen, Barren, Edmonson, Simpson, Warren	45 min
May 20, 6:32 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	LMK	Allen, Barren	90 min
May 20, 6:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Allen, Barren, Monroe	30 min
May 20, 6:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LMK	Hardin, Hart, Larue, Nelson	38 min
May 20, 6:45 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	LMK	Allen, Simpson	77 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kentucky, 2025 Every flash flood warning in 2025

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.