Flash Flood in Kentucky, July 19, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Kentucky, July 19, 1996
Start: 1996-07-19T19:10
End: 1996-07-19T23:00
Location: Kentucky

July 19, 1996 · NWS LMK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

7 to 9 inches of rain fell over about a 6 hour period across mainly the western half of the county through the late afternoon and evening. 5% of the total tobacco crop or 300 acres was destroyed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Floods
Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.1 million
Crop damage: $1.2 million
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LMK wrote it up.

7 to 9 inches of rain fell over about a 6 hour period across mainly the western half of the county through the late afternoon and evening. 8.5% of the total tobacco crop or 300 acres was destroyed. Also, many cars were swept away, and many homes were severely damaged. County officials estimated 1.07 million dollars of property damage, 420 thousand dollars of road damage and 1.2 million dollars of crop damage. The county judge executive declared a disaster emergency for Garrard county.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Garrard

When: July 19, 7:10 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Garrard County, Western Half
Property damage: $1.1 million
Crop damage: $1.2 million
Coordinates: 37.640, -84.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5550427.