19 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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 Mar 20, 2:29 AM EST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 229 AM EST WED MAR 20 2002 QUASI STATIONARY FRONT LOCATED DIAGONALLY ACROSS CENTRAL KY... ROUGHLY FROM MEMPHIS TO HUNTINGBURG WV. SOME CONVECTION FIRING UP NEAR AND ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...WITH NUMEROUS CG LIGHTNING STRIKES SHOWING UP NOW IN WRN TN. JUST NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY WIDESPREAD RAINS REDEVELOPING IN WRN KY...AND MOVING INTO N CTRL KY ATTM. MSAS ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRES WAVE MOVING INTO NRN TN AT 07Z WITH PRES FALLS ALL THROUGH CTRL KY AND MID OHIO VALLEY REGION. AS H5 LOW IN TEXAS SWINGS EAST...AND UPPER TROF ACCELERATES TOWARDS THE OHIO VALLEY...SFC BOUNDARY WILL BEGIN TO SAG BACK TO THE SOUTH. ALL MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS BNDRY WILL BEGIN TO MOVE BACK SOUTH THIS AFTN. AS THIS OCCURS...RAINS WILL RAPIDLY DISSIPATE. EVENTUALLY THIS BNDRY WILL BECOME A COLD FRONT THAT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE SE STATES TONIGHT. IT APPEARS THAT FLASH FLOODING LIKELY TO OCCUR THIS MORNING IN CTRL AND SRN PARTS OF FA AS BAND OF HVY CONVECTIVE RAINS CONTINUES TO SET UP IN SW KY AND NW TN. PAH RADAR SHOWS 1 HR ACCUMULATIONS OF OVER 1 INCH WITH THIS ACVTY. CURRENT 1 HR FFG AROUND 0.5 INCH PRETTY MUCH FOR ENTIRE CWA. BASED ON ABOVE THOUGHTS WILL ARRANGE FLOOD WATCH GENERALLY SOUTH OF OHIO RIVER...BUT INCLUDE LOUS METRO COUNTIES OF SRN IN...AND THEN SOUTH TO THE TN BORDER. THIS WILL RUN THROUGH 18Z...EXCEPT FOR THE SE CWA THROUGH 21Z. CLEARING CONDS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT GENERALLY FROM NW TO SE. ETA A BIT FASTER IN CLEARING TREND THAN AVN. COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE TWO AND WILL NEED NO MORE THAN CHANCE POP OVER THE SE FOR EARLY TNGT. SUNNY SKIES THU...HWVR INCREASING LOW CLOUDS FROM THE NORTH IN THE AFTN AS ARCTIC COLD FRONT APPROACHES. H85 TEMPS FALL RAPIDLY AND EVEN A FEW FLURRIES POSSIBLE LATE THU/THU NIGHT OVER THE ERN PORTION FA...HWVR HARDLY ENOUGH TO WARRANT A MENTION IN THE ZONES. ARCTIC AIRMASS MAKES A BRIEF VISIT TO THE REGION...AS MODERATING TREND WILL QUICKLY SET IN THIS WKEND. SHOT OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK AS LOW DVLPS IN MID PLAINS. MAV TEMPS GNRLY GOOD IN SHORT TERM. .SDF...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE CWA SOUTH OF OHIO RIVER...PLUS HARRISON FLOYD AND CLARK COUNTIES INDIANA...THROUGH 18Z TODAY. FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 21Z FOR THE SE QUAD OF CWA. JMB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous roads were impassable. Creeks and streams were out of their banks.
Widespread flooding was reported with numerous small streams and creeks out of their banks and some roads were closed.
Widespread flooding was reported with numerous small streams and creeks out of their banks and some roads were closed.
Widespread flooding was reported with numerous small streams and creeks out of their banks and some roads were closed.
Most county roads were flooded. Some primary roads were impassable in places, including Highways 127 and 68.
Widespread flooding was reported with numerous small streams and creeks out of their banks and some roads were closed. Highway 470 was flooded. Phillips Lane was flooded.
Six to eight streets in the city of Paris were closes by high water. Low lying areas were flooded and Highway 460E was closed.
Numerous roads and city streets were closed due to high water. Low lying areas were under water.
Numerous roads and city streets were closed due to high water. Low lying areas were under water.
A couple of county roads were closed and mud slides were reported.
The intersection of New Circle Road and Richmond Road was closed by high water. The Winchester Road exit from Interstate 64 was closed.
Major roads were closed by high water, including a portion of Highway 68. A female was rescued from a vehicle trapped by rising water. Numerous roads and bridges were closed or impassable.
Several roadways were closed by high water.
Several roadways were closed by high water.
Several roadways were closed by high water. There were mud slides east of Winchester. Motorists had to be rescued from vehicles in Winchester.
One road was closed by high water. Numerous roads were covered with water.
Several roadways were closed by high water.
Several roadways were closed by high water.
Two county roads were closed by high water.
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: 5285675, 5285676, 5285677, 5285678, 5285679, 5285680, 5285683, 5285681, 5285682, 5285748, 5285749, 5285750, 5285751, 5285752, 5285753, 5285975, 5285976, 5285977, 5285978.