Kentucky, 1998

Flash Flooding in Kentucky, July 15, 1998

July 15, 1998 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Slow-moving thunderstorms dumped about one inch of rain per hour, and isolated locations received 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes. In Graves County, four families were evacuated from their homes in Mayfield.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
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  • Floods
  • Wind
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Slow-moving thunderstorms dumped about one inch of rain per hour, and isolated locations received 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes. In Graves County, four families were evacuated from their homes in Mayfield. Two streets in Mayfield were closed for about two hours because they became impassable. Extensive flooding took place around bridges on Tenth and 12th Streets in Mayfield. At the Sedalia Y near Mayfield, three families were evacuated due to rapidly rising water. In the Symsonia area of Graves County, 3 to 4 feet of water was over State Route 534. Rainfall totals ranged from 4 to 4.5 inches in many areas of Mayfield. In Marshall County, street flooding occurred in Calvert City.

The radar

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

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Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Graves

When
July 15, 6:30 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Graves County, Mayfield
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Marshall

When
July 15, 6:30 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall County, Calvert City
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.884, -88.329 (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

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, July 1998

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: 5661739, 5661740.