1 flash 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 May 18, 1:15 AM EST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 215 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2002 COLD FRONT HAS PASSED THROUGH AND REMAINING RAIN BANDS IN THE PROCESS OF SCOOTING OUT OF AREA. SHOULD BE A COOL DAY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF COLD UPPER TROUGH. CHARTS REVEAL MINUS ZERO TEMPS AT 850 MB SWINGING TOWARD OUR CWA AND GENERALLY QUITE SATURATED WITH LOW DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS UPSTREAM. MODELS SEEM FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER WITH CURRENT AND PREVIOUS RUNS. ETA KEEPING SOME LIGHT QPF OVER SOUTHEAST OF CWA THIS MORNING WHILE THE OTHER MODELS COMPLETELY PUSHING OUT PRECIP. PROJECTED SOUNDINGS INDICATE A GOOD CHANCE FOR DRIZZLE ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING WITH DECENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND AT LEAST SOMEWHAT OF AN UPSLOPE COMPONENT...LEANING TOWARD NORTH COMPONENT A BIT. SO THINK THAT ETA PRODUCTS ON THE RIGHT TRACK AND WILL PROBABLY GO WITH SOME SORT OF DRIZZLE WORDING FOR THIS MORNING. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. LOOKS LIKE LOWS MAY STAY JUST WARM ENOUGH TO NOT GO WITH A FROST ADVISORY TONIGHT...BUT MAY CHANGE MY MIND LATER ON CONSIDERING CLOUD COVER OR LACKTHEROF AND AMOUNT OF DECOUPLING AND STRENGTH OF INVERSION IF THERE IS MUCH OF ONE. REST OF FORECAST LOOKS PRETTY GOOD IN GRIDS. WILL GO CLOSE TO GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS AND PRECIP. .JKL...NONE. HEINLEIN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON, KY
141 AM EDT SAT MAY 18 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1035 PM BRODHEAD KY FLASH FLOODS
05/17/02 ROCKCASTLE UP TO 12 INCHES OF WATER
FLOWING OVER AREA
ROADS.REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
1130 PM SCIENCE HILL KY FLASH FLOODS
05/17/02 PULASKI HWY 635 CLOSED NEAR
SCIENCE HILL WITH AT LEAST
6 INCHES OF WATER FLOWING
OVER THE ROAD. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
1140 PM SANDGAP KY FLASH FLOODS
05/17/02 JACKSON 6 INCHES OF WATER FLOWING
OVER MANY ROADS IN COUNTY.
WORST FLOODING AT SANDGAP.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
1200 AM IRVINE KY FLASH FLOODS
05/18/02 ESTILL DARK HOLLOW ROAD
IMPASSIBLE DUE TO MORE THAT
6 INCHES OF FLOWING WATER.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
1250 AM IRVINE KY FLASH FLOODS
05/18/02 ESTILL MAGGIE LANE AND EADS
DRIVE. 8 INCHES OF FLOWING
WATER. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
1250 AM WISEMANTOWN KY FLASH FLOODS
05/18/02 ESTILL RED LICK BRIDGE WASHED OUT
ALONG WITH 10 FEET OF ROAD.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
KOThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:21 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Buck Fork Road was impassable due to flooding from heavy rains.
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, May 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: 5298577.