Flooding in Kentucky, February 16 to 19, 2001

Name: Flooding in Kentucky, February 16 to 19, 2001
Start: 2001-02-16T15:00
End: 2001-02-19T01:00
Location: Kentucky

February 16 to 19, 2001 · NWS LMK · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A slow moving cold front dropped heavy rain over Central Kentucky, with the heaviest rainfall amounts over South Central Kentucky. 6 feet at 730 AM on February 17, then fell below flood stage at 8 PM on February 17.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 LMK wrote it up.

A slow moving cold front dropped heavy rain over Central Kentucky, with the heaviest rainfall amounts over South Central Kentucky. The Rough River at Dundee in Ohio County rose above its 25 foot flood stage at 3 PM on February 16, crested at 25.6 feet at 730 AM on February 17, then fell below flood stage at 8 PM on February 17. The Green River at Rochester in Butler County rose above its 17 foot flood stage at 1 AM on February 18, crested at 17.1 feet at 7 AM on February 18, then fell below flood stage at 1 AM on February 19. Minor flooding of low lying roads occurred at these flood levels. In addition, the river ferry at Rochester is closed at the 17 foot stage.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 2:40 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 2:40 PM EST, 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
240 PM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

MODELS IN BASIC AGREEMENT

WILL FINALLY SHUTOFF WATER AS COLDER AND DRIER AIR SLOWLY PRESSES
INTO LOWER OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT. WILL CANCEL FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVER
SOUTHCENTRAL PTN OF STATE AND POSSIBLY CONTINUE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN
ACROSS THE SE. (SEE FCST DISCUSSION FOR THINKING ON THIS)

STRONG CAA ACROSS THE REGION XPCTD ON SAT AND BOTH AVN MOS AND NGM
MOS TEMP FCSTS PROBABLY A TAD TO LOW.

.SDF...NONE.

CONGER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Ohio

When: February 16, 3:00 PM EST to February 17, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Ohio forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.478, -86.849 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Butler

When: February 18, 1:00 AM EST to February 19, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.207, -86.682 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, February 2001

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: 5229835, 5229836.