Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 29, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Kentucky, July 29, 2002
Start: 2002-07-29T17:30
End: 2002-07-29T20:35
Location: Kentucky

July 29, 2002 · NWS ILN · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $24,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 2:12 PM EST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 2:12 PM EST, 3 hours 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
312 PM EDT MON JUL 29 2002

TSTMS CONTINUE TO QUICKLY DVLP/BECOME SEVERE ACRS LOWER MI AND
INDIANA ALONG PREFRNTL TROF ACRS WESTERN INDIANA.  SVR TSTM WATCH BOXES
JUST TICKLE THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...AND
EXPECT TSTM WATCHES WILL BE ISSUED FURTHER EAST INTO OH LATER THIS
AFTN.

AS PREFRNTL TROF MOVES EAST INTO VERY UNSTABLE AIR (CAPES 2000-3000
J/KG) OVER OH VALLEY...WILL SEE TSTMS CONTINUE TO DVLP INTO THIS
EVNG.  75+ DEWPT AIR JUST AHEAD OF TROF AND EXPECT AIR TO ADVECT
INTO REGION THIS EVNG ALONG LO LVL JET...FUELING TSTMS.  STRONG LO
LVL CONVERGENCE COINCIDING WITH UPR DIV ACRS ENTIRE CWA INTO ERLY
MRNG HRS.  PRIMARY SVR THREAT WILL BE DMG WINDS WITH FAVORABLE
LO/MID LVL WIND PROFILE. CONCERN FOR TORRENTIAL RAINS WITH HI PWATS
OVER 2 INCHES...BUT PROGRESSIVE MOVMNT OF STORMS SHOULD LIMIT
FLOODING PROBLEMS.

ACTUAL FRONT BACK TO W OF CHICAGO CURRENTLY AND WILL NOT MOVE ACRS
OH VALLEY UNTIL ERLY TUES MORNING.  WILL CONTINUE LKLY POPS AND
MENTION SVR WORDING OVER ENTIRE FCST AREA TONIGHT...ENDING PCPN IN W
CNTRL AND DAY ZONES AFTER MIDNIGHT AND ACRS CMH AND CVG ZONES LATE.
AM NOT GOING TO MENTION TIMING IN SE CWA AS EXPECT PCPN MAY LINGER
INTO ERLY DAYLIGHT HRS TUESDAY.  TOOK SPLIT BTWN FWC AND MAV NUMBERS
FOR TONIGHT.

DRIER AIR FILTERS INTO OH VALLEY BEHIND FRONT BUT NOT MUCH COOLER AS
TEMPS ONLY DROPPING BACK INTO M80S/U80S.  AGAIN TOOK SPLIT BTWN FWC
AND MAV NUMBERS.  ETA/AVN BOTH HINTING AT WEAK TROF DROPPING SOUTH
ACRS EASTERN CWA LATE TUESDAY INTO TUES EVNG.  SINCE MODELS SHOWING
THIS FOR FIRST TIME...WILL PLACE SILENT 20 POPS IN AT CMH AND PMH
FOR TUES NIGHT AND LET LATER SHIFTS MONITOR.

LOOKS LIKE BREAK FROM 90 DEGREE AIR IS SHORTLIVED AS SOUTHWEST FLOW
DVLPS AND UPR RIDGE BUILDS INTO OH VALLEY ON WED.  STAYED CLOSE TO
FWC/MAV NUMBERS IN LO 90S ON WED...AND EXPECT SIMILAR TEMPS ON
THURS.  12Z AVN RUN MUCH FASTER IN BRINGING WEAK FRONT ACRS OH
VALLEY THURS NIGHT.  FOR NOW...WILL ADD CHC POPS THURS NIGHT AND
CONTINUE THEM FRI.  DRY AND WARM WEATHER EXPECTED FOR WEEKEND.

.ILN...NONE.

RYAN

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When: July 29, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Boone County, Big Bone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates: 38.883, -84.733

Large limbs were blown down in Big Bone Lick State Park.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kenton

When: July 29, 6:15 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Kenton County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.933, -84.533

Trees were blown down in Covington, and large limbs were downed in Fort Mitchell. A retaining wall holding up a structure in downtown Covington was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Campbell

When: July 29, 6:25 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Campbell County, Dayton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.100, -84.433

A few trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grant

When: July 29, 6:30 PM EST to 6:40 PM EST
Where: Grant County, Crittenden
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 38.783, -84.600

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Owen

When: July 29, 6:35 PM EST to 6:45 PM EST
Where: Owen County, Monterey
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.417, -84.867

Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Owen

When: July 29, 8:30 PM EST to 8:35 PM EST
Where: Owen County, Perry Park
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.550, -85.000

A few trees were blown down on State Route 355.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, July 2002

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: 5312092, 5312091, 5312090, 5312089, 5312088, 5312087.