1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 1:45 AM EST, 16 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 145 AM EST TUE MAR 19 2002 THE SYNOPTIC SITUATION REMAINS SERIOUS. A TAP OF TROPICAL MOISTURE CONTINUES FROM MEXICO INTO THE EASTERN CONUS...AHEAD OF A CUTOFF UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST STATES. AT THE SURFACE...AN INVERTED TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO KY. THIS REMAINS A FOCUS FOR PRECIPITATION AS A TRAIN OF VORTICITY MAXES MOVES OVER IT. THE NEXT SURGE OF PRECIP WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF EASTERN KY BEFORE DAYBREAK TODAY. THAT PATTERN PERSISTS IN THE MODELS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THEN THE SYSTEM IS SHOWN TO FINALLY MOVE OFF TO THE EAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE LATEST QPF FROM THE HPC SHOWS AN AREAL AVERAGE OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAIN OVER MOST OF EASTERN KY BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL WORSEN THE FLOOD CONDITIONS THAT ALREADY EXIST IN PARTS OF THE AREA. WITH CLOUDY SKIES THROUGH WEDNESDAY...TEMPERATURES WILL VARY LITTLE. THE NGM MOS LOOKS GOOD COMPARED TO PERSISTENCE...EXCEPT A LITTLE TOO WARM FOR HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY. THE ONLY CHANGE TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST WILL BE TO INTRODUCE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS MONDAY. THE LATEST MRF MODEL RUN SHOWS THAT ANOTHER CUTOFF LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHWEST STATES SUNDAY AND DRIFTS EAST. IFPS/GFE...ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO THE EXISTING DATABASE. PRELIMINARY CCF... JKL 57/52 59/48 +++8 LOZ 59/52 61/49 99+8 .JKL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MOST OF EASTERN KENTUCKY TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. SCHAUB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Prolonged rains caused streams and creeks to rise out of their banks. Several roads were flooded.
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, March 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: 5286663.