8 flash flood, 4 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 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 Dec 19, 2:45 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 245 PM EST THU DEC 19 2002 WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WAS OCCURRING ACROSS THE COUNTY FORECAST AREA AT 19Z. A FEW LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED BETWEEN 1 AND 1.5 INCHES SINCE 12Z THIS MORNING BUT NO FLOODING PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON OTHER THAN PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS. THE MESO-ETA HAS DONE A VERY GOOD JOB WITH THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF HEAVY RAIN TODAY AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO USE THIS MODEL TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST RAIN DOES NOT EXIT THE EASTERN CFA UNTIL AROUND 06Z. WITH THIS IN MIND WE WILL NEED TO EXTEND THE THE FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 4AM EASTERN TIME FRIDAY MORNING. AFTER THIS SYSTEM MOVES OUT WE WILL SEE A COUPLE OF DRY DAYS WITH LOWS IN THE LOWER 30S AND HIGHS IN THE MID AND UPPER 40S. A FAST MOVING S/W WILL CROSS THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY SUNDAY WITH SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE. AT THIS POINT THE PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN. A MORE SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM WILL COME OUT OF THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO TUESDAY AND MOVE ACROSS THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY CHRISTMAS DAY AND THURSDAY. IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM BUT SNOW IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION, ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. .SDF...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 09Z FRIDAY FOR ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA. JA
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-201200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 345 PM EST THU DEC 19 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THE FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 4 AM EST FRIDAY. MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN SOME LOCATIONS. THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN FALLING ON ALREADY SATURATED GROUND MAY CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY IN LOW AREAS AND AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND REDUCE VISIBILITIES. REMEMBER DO NOT DRIVE ON ROADS COVERED WITH WATER. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO TUESDAY AND MOVE ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES CHRISTMAS. IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR BUT SOME SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE. JA
The Louisville radar (KLVX), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:44 UTC.
8 flash flood, 4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was reported in basements in the 1500 block of Mercer Avenue in Louisville. In the Lyndon area, a car was trapped in high water at an intersection. A woman and two children were rescued. Chenoweth Run Creek near Jeffersontown was out of its banks.
Several county roads were closed. Barricades were erected on Highway 62 near Beaver Dam.
Four to eight inches of water were flowing over Middle Knoxville Road.
A bridge was covered by water on Highway 690.
Highway 448 was covered by water.
Moody Lane was closed due to high water. Highway 42 was closed in spots. Ash Avenue was closed.
High water covered Millsbury Road and US Highway 68. Water was reported on several county roads. Some were nearly impassable.
Up to three feet of water covered roads in the eastern part of the county. Rocky Spring Road 5 miles west of Cynthiana was impassable.
Numerous roads remained closed countywide due to standing or flowing water.
Numerous roads remained closed countywide due to standing or flowing water.
Excessive rainfall continued to cause flooding of small creeks, streams, roadways, underpasses and low lying areas.
Excessive rainfall continued to cause flooding of small creeks, streams, roadways, underpasses and low lying areas.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 2002
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: 5325144, 5324531, 5325140, 5325141, 5325143, 5325146, 5325246, 5324008, 5324532, 5325142, 5325145, 5325147.