Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 23, 1998

Name: Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 23, 1998
Start: 1998-05-23T21:10
End: 1998-05-23T22:10
Location: Kentucky

May 23, 1998 · NWS PAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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.

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: 1
Property damage: $50,000
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.

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, Henderson

When: May 23, 9:10 PM CST to 10:10 PM CST
Where: Henderson County, Henderson
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

About 2.2 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes during a thunderstorm. There were about a dozen reports of motorists stranded in floodwaters. One motorist was injured while submerged in floodwaters on U.S. Route 41. Part of U.S. 60 was under water near Starlight Drive-In. Henderson Police reported most of the city was flooded, and there was three feet of water in front of the police station.

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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, May 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: 5644384.