1 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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 5, 2:00 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 300 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003 SHORT TERM... DIFFICULT FCST TO SAY THE LEAST...TRYING TO PIN DOWN EXACT TIMING AND COVERAGE OF TSTMS NEXT FEW DAYS...ALL IS PREDICATED ON LOCATION OF EFFECTIVE BOUNDARIES INCLUDING OUTFLOWS FROM PREVIOUS STORMS AND TENUOUS LOCATION OF SYNOPTIC FRONT/QUASI-DRYLINE. THUS...A CHC OF TSTMS HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN MUCH OF FCST NEXT FEW DAYS WITH HIGHEST CHCS AND LOCATIONS INDICATED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN IMMEDIATE TERM...LOW LVL BOUNDARIES OVR CENTRAL KY AIDING DVLPMT OF SCT SUPERCELLS THIS AFTN IN AXIS OF LAPS-INDICATED SFC-BASED LI VALUES -7 TO -9 AND CAPES AOA 3000 J/KG. AS ACTIVITY CONTS TO DVLP LATE THIS AFTN...ACTIVITY SHLD SLIDE SLOWLY ESEWD AND PERHAPS ORGANIZE INTO A MORE LINEAR MCS. THUS HAVE PLACED HIGHEST TSTM THREAT ACRS SRN/SERN THIRD OF FCST AREA. OVER S-CNTRL IN AND N-CNTRL KY...AIRMASS IS RECOVERING/DESTABILIZING FROM MRNG CNVCTN ALTHO CELLS HAVING A HARD TIME FORMING SO FAR. THIS MAY BE DUE TO DRY AIR ALOFT AND WIND SHEAR VENTILATING/MIXING OUT UPDRAFT PREVENTING DEEP CNVCTN. NEVERTHELESS...VIS IMAGERY STARTING TO SHOW SOME TCU DVLPMT IN SRN IN...SO AT LEAST A CHC OF TSTMS WARRANTED LATE AFTN AND INTO EVNG IN THIS AREA AS WELL. OVERNIGHT...ETA SUGGESTS THAT S/WV MOVING ENEWD OVR SRN PLNS/LWR MS VLY WL ALLOW MSTR TO BACK NWD ACRS CNTRL KY AND SRN IN. GFS SUGGESTS ACTIVITY WL BE HELD IN BAY OVR SRN KY ON SWD GIVEN LACK OF BACKING IN LOW AND MID LVL WIND FIELDS. GFS SCENERIO SEEMS REASONABLE AS H85 AND H70 WINDS EVEN IN ETA DO NOT SHOW ENOUGH BACKING TO WARRANT A SIGNIFICANT NWD PUSH OVRNGT. THUS WL MAINTAIN HIGHEST CHC IN SRN KY...WITH A LWR CHC OVR N-CNTRL KY AT THIS TIME. NEVERTHELESS...PCPN TRENDS OVERNIGHT WL NEED TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY. IF ADDITIONAL TSTM ACTIVITY OCRS OVERNIGHT...THEN HEAVY RAIN AND A FLOOD THREAT COULD ENSUE. ON TUES...EXPECT AT LEAST DIURNAL CELLS...CONTD RICH LO-LVL MSTR FIELD WL SUPPORT SCT TSTM DVLPMT ALG REMNANT BNDRIES. ALTHO SHEAR VALUES WL DIMINISH SLIGHTLY...CONDITIONS STILL FAVORABLE FOR AT LEAST PULSE SVR STORMS AND PSBLY SUPERCELL GROWTH. THUS...SPC NOW INDICATES SLGT RISK OVR ALL OF FCST AREA TUES AFTN AND EVNG. FOR TUES NGT INTO WED MRNG...ALL SHORT TERM MODELS INDICATE A S/WV OR SERIES OF WEAK S/WVS MOVG NEWD IN PERSISTENT SWLY MID-LVL FLOW. HARD TO SUBSTANTIATE THIS FEATURE...BUT THIS COULD LEAD TO BETTER SHWR/TSTM COVERAGE DURING THIS PD. LONG TERM... FOR LATE WEEK...GFS SHOWS ANOTHER STG SYSTEM MOVG ACRS CNTRL U.S. WHICH WL KEEP PERIODIC TSTM THREAT OVR OH VLY THURS AND/OR FRI. .LMK...NONE. FUNK
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-061000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 425 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE STORMS OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA TONIGHT. THE GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY...GENERALLY SOUTH OF MORGANTOWN TO DANVILLE TO RICHMOND. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...HOWEVER CONDITIONS ARE ALSO FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES. A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH STRONG LOW PRESSURE IN THE MID MISSOURI VALLEY HAS MOVED NORTH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. A SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL KEEP MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR TO REMAIN OVER THE REGION. THERE IS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH THESE STORMS WITH TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES LIKELY ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND FROM NOAA WEATHER RADIO, WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET, AND FROM YOUR LOCAL MEDIA SOURCE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. THE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH A STALLED OUT FRONTAL BOUNDARY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THIS EVENING. SCHOLZ
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
354 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0330 PM BRADFORDSVILLE KY .75 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 MARION REPORTED BY NWS
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER.
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
435 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0407 PM 4 NW LIBERTY KY 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 CASEY GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
REPORTED BY TRAINED
SPOTTER.
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
534 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0407 PM ATTERSON KY .75 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 CASEY REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
0438 PM 4 N ELLISBURG KY WIND DAMAGE
05/05/03 CASEY TREES WERE DOWNED.
REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMNT.
0438 PM LIBERTY KY .75 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 CASEY DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
OVER MUCH OF EASTEREN CASEY
COUNTY. ALSO...TREES WERE
DOWNED IN THE LIBERTY AREA.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
626 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0620 PM CANEYVILLE KY 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 GRAYSON REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
636 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0633 PM 3 E CANEYVILLE KY 2.00 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 GRAYSON REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
639 PM EDT MON MAY 5 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0630 PM BERRY KY .88 INCH HAIL
05/05/03 HARRISON REPORTED BY FIRE AND
RESCUE.
MRCThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Licking River at Blue Licks Spring crested at 37.0 feet at 0900 EST on May 6. Flood stage Blue Licks Spring is 25 feet. At this level cultivated cropland in the area is flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 2003
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: 5355553.