Kentucky, 2002

Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 13, 2002

May 13, 2002 · NWS LMK · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 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
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 5:40 AM EST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 5:40 AM EST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...DELAYED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
640 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

HAD A POWER FAILURE THIS MORNING AND PAH DID ZONES.

LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER SOUTHERN
INDIANA ZONES AND SPREAD OVER REST OF FA DURING THE NIGHT. HEAVIEST
RAIN WAS ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA WHERE MOST RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER
LAST SEVERAL DAYS.  FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH THE
MORNING.

MODELS SHOW SIMILAR TIMING TO PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS DIMINISHING DURING THIS MORNING. THEN DRYING FOR NEXT
DAY OR TWO.

NCEP PREFERS DEEPER AND STRONGER AVN. BUT INSPITE OF THE DIFFERENCES
IN STRENGTH OF SYSTEMS RESULTING WEATHER IS SIMILAR. STRONG UPPER
JET WILL MOVE EAST OF AREA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE MOVING TO THE EAST AND CUTTING OFF UPPER VERTICAL
VELOCITY.

AS COLD FRONT DROPS SLOWLY ACROSS FA TODAY...DRIER AIR SPREADS INTO
FA. CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE TONIGHT WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES
ON TUESDAY. DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THURSDAY.

.SDF...FLOOD WATCH ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA
THIS MORNING.

SCHOLZ

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grayson

When
May 13, 9:45 AM EST
Where
Grayson County, Yeaman
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.517, -86.583

Trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When
May 13, 11:20 AM EST
Where
Monroe County, Countywide
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.717, -85.733

Trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allen

When
May 13, 11:45 AM EST
Where
Allen County, Scottsville
Measured
80 kt (92 mph)
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.750, -86.183

A radio station antenna was blown down, trees were downed, and windows were blown out.

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

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 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: 5300032, 5300033, 5300034.