Kentucky, 1997

Heat in Kentucky, July 25 to 28, 1997

July 25 to 28, 1997 · NWS PAH · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

High temperatures were in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees. At the National Weather Service office in Paducah, the high reached 100 degrees, the warmest reading in a couple of years.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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 PAH wrote it up.

High temperatures were in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees. At the National Weather Service office in Paducah, the high reached 100 degrees, the warmest reading in a couple of years. High humidity raised the heat index to between 105 and 115 degrees. A heat advisory was issued due to the potentially hazardous conditions.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Graves

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Graves forecast zone
Coordinates
36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High temperatures ranged from 95 to 100 degrees for three consecutive days. The high temperatures, combined with high humidity, resulted in heat index values in the 105 to 115 degree range. A heat advisory was issued during the heat wave.

Heat, Ballard

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Ballard forecast zone
Coordinates
37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Caldwell

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Caldwell forecast zone
Coordinates
37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Calloway

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Calloway forecast zone
Coordinates
36.621, -88.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Carlisle

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Carlisle forecast zone
Coordinates
36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Christian

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Christian forecast zone
Coordinates
36.894, -87.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Crittenden

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Crittenden forecast zone
Coordinates
37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Daviess

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Daviess forecast zone
Coordinates
37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Fulton

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Coordinates
36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Henderson

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Coordinates
37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Hickman

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Hickman forecast zone
Coordinates
36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Hopkins

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Hopkins forecast zone
Coordinates
37.309, -87.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Livingston

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Coordinates
37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lyon

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Coordinates
37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Marshall

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates
36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, McCracken

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
McCracken forecast zone
Coordinates
37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, McLean

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
McLean forecast zone
Coordinates
37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Muhlenberg

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Muhlenberg forecast zone
Coordinates
37.216, -87.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Todd

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Todd forecast zone
Coordinates
36.836, -87.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Trigg

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Trigg forecast zone
Coordinates
36.806, -87.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Union

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Coordinates
37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Webster

When
July 25, 11:00 AM CST to July 28, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Coordinates
37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, July 1997

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: 5609851, 5609852, 5609853, 5609854, 5609855, 5609856, 5609962, 5609963, 5609964, 5609965, 5609966, 5609967, 5609968, 5609969, 5609970, 5609971, 5609972, 5609973, 5609974, 5609975, 5609976, 5609977.