Kentucky, 2002

Flash 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.

Where it happened

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

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The toll

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

The radar

The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

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.

What these are

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.

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: 5297286.