Kentucky, 1997

Flash Flood in Kentucky, March 1 to 2, 1997

March 1 to 2, 1997 · NWS LMK · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Over 2 inches of rain fell on top of 4 to 8 inch 24 hour totals resulting in widespread flash flooding with many roads water covered and closed. A 33 year old woman drowned as her minivan was swept into the Barren River.

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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  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

Over 2 inches of rain fell on top of 4 to 8 inch 24 hour totals resulting in widespread flash flooding with many roads water covered and closed. A 33 year old woman drowned as her minivan was swept into the Barren River. Several rescues were also made from cars trying to navigate flooded roadways.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Warren

When
March 1, 9:00 PM EST to March 2, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Warren County, Countywide
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
36.994, -86.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flash Flood, Warren1997-03-0133FemaleIn WaterDirect

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

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, March 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: 5597015.