Kentucky, 2002Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 2, 2002
May 2, 2002 · NWS JKL · 1 event in 1 county or zone
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.
- 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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 2, 7:40 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 2, 7:40 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
840 PM EDT THU MAY 2 2002
WILL UPDATE TO DROP SVR THUNDERSTORM WATCH FROM THE FORECAST. WILL
ALSO REDUCE CLOUD COVER A BIT OVERNIGHT...MAINLY IN THE NORTH. THERE
ARE STILL SOME LINGERING SHOWERS IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE
AREA...SO WILL STILL NEED TO INCLUDE CHANCE POPS THERE FOR THE
EVENING...OTHERWISE DRY TONIGHT. PERTINENT PORTION OF PREVIOUS
DISCUSSION FOLLOWS.
DRY AND COOLER WEATHER FOR FRIDAY. FRONT WILL STALL OUT TO OUR SOUTH
AND SHORT WAVE MOVING EAST OUT OF MS VALLEY WILL INDUCE SFC WAVE
ALONG FRONT. OVERRUNNING PCPN ON TAP FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY
SATURDAY WITH BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN OVER SRN PART OF CWFA. THE SHORT
WAVE MOVES RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ON SATURDAY WITH DRY WEATHER BRIEFLY
RETURNING FOR SUNDAY. CHC OF TSTMS FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.
.JKL...NONE.
HAL/SBH
Flash Flood, Letcher
- When
- May 2, 8:45 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
- Where
- Letcher County, Whitesburg
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.121, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy rains caused water to flow over Circle Road and Jenkins Road.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, May 2 to 4, 20022 deaths · $90 million · 1.5 in hail · 8 events
- Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, May 2 to 3, 20022 deaths · $25 million · 1 in hail · 4 events
- Rip Currents in Florida, May 2 to 3, 20022 deaths · 2 events
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 2 to 4, 20021 death · $6.3 million · 4 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, May 2, 20021 injured · $1.1 million · 3 in hail · 78 events
- Tornado in Maryland, May 2, 2002$330,000 · F2 · 1 event
- Flood in Pennsylvania, May 2, 20021 death · 1 event
- Hail in Illinois, May 2, 2002$3.1 million · 2 in hail · 3 events
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 2, 2002$1.0 million · 6 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, May 2, 20021 injured · $124,000 · F0 · 40 events
- Flooding and Hail in Georgia, May 2 to 3, 2002$22,000 · 1.75 in hail · 40 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 2, 2002$107,000 · 2.75 in hail · 6 events
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: 5297286.