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 9, 1:50 PM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 250 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 .SHORT TERM... THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP IN THE MUGGY AIRMASS SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS ARE ON THE NORTHERN AXIS OF DEEPER MID LEVEL MOISTURE AND WE EXPECT THESE STORMS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING. THE MODELS BRING ANOTHER SHOT OF S/W ENERGY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AROUND 12Z SATURDAY. WE WILL NEED TO KEEP A MENTION OF STORMS IN THE FORECAST OVERNIGHT ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. MAJOR CHANGES ARE IN STORE THIS FORECAST PACKAGE AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES PROPAGATES TO THE EAST. THE MODELS ARE A LITTLE SLOWER THAN PREVIOUS RUNS BUT WE STILL EXPECT TO SEE A COLD FRONT SWEEP ACROSS THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY AROUND 12Z SUNDAY. THE DYNAMICS WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE MOST IMPRESSIVE JUST TO THE NORTH EAST OF THE CFA BUT WE EXPECT A LINE OF STORMS TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MOVE ACROSS THE CFA OVERNIGHT. BOWING SEGMENTS AND WIND DAMAGE WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS. THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL PUT AN END TO THE THUNDERSTORMS AS ME MOVE INTO A DRIER AND MORE STABLE NORTHWEST FLOW. MAV TEMPERATURES LOOK A LITTLE WARM SATURDAY AND WE WILL GO WITH THE LOWER FWC GUIDANCE VALUES BUT WE DO LIKE THE COOLER MAV TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY. .EXTENDED NOTES... GENERAL MID-LEVEL TROFINESS OVER THE NERN QUADRANT OF THE CONUS LOOKS TO KEEP TEMPS ACROSS LMK FA SLIGHTLY BELOW MID MAY CLIMATOLOGIES FOR A GOOD PART OF NEXT WEEK. PER 6/12Z GFS RUNS, LATE WED INTO THU A SIG 500MB WAVE DROPS SEWD INTO FA, GENERATING SCT PCPN POLEWARD OF SFC LOW. HWVR, THERE IS QUITE THE DISCREPANCY IN HOW THE GFS HANDLES THIS FEATURE COMPARED TO THE LATEST ECMWF RUN, WHICH TAKES MOST OF THE ENERGY NOW OVER GULF OF ALASKA AND DROPS THAT INTO A STG EWD PROPAGATING WAVE OVER SWRN CONUS BY 12Z/WED. THIS RESULTS IN A MUCH WEAKER WAVE DROPPING INTO OHIO RIVER VALLEY. LATEST GFS ENSEMBLE SERIES ALSO INDICATES A WIDE RANGE OF SOLUTIONS WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE MEANS ARE PERHAPS LEANING SLIGHTLY TOWARDS ECMWF SOLN. OVERALL WILL JUST GO WITH A LOW CHC OF -TSRA WED AND THU. LOW CONFIDENCE IN TS CHCS GIVEN FCST RAOBS FROM 12Z GFS, BUT GIVEN TIME OF YEAR KEPT CHC TS IN FCST. .LMK...NONE. XXV/XVI
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-101100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 1230 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A VERY WARM, MOIST, AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL REMAINS OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, SOUTH OF A WARM FRONT OVER INDIANA AND OHIO. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEREFORE BE POSSIBLE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH LARGE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. ALSO, DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ANY STORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY INTENSE RAINFALLS, ALONG WITH DEADLY LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THIS AIRMASS WILL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY, WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS POSSIBLE. INTO SATURDAY NIGHT, A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION. A COMPLEX OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT, AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE OUTLOOK AREA. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT FOR THE AREA. A SLIGHT TO MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST SATURDAY NIGHT, WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER ALONG AND NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND POSSIBLY A FEW TORNADOES MAY ACCOMPANY THIS THUNDERSTORM CLUSTER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE. SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND AMATEUR RADIO NETWORKS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION, PARTICULARLY SATURDAY NIGHT. SMALLCOMB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
522 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0510 PM WESTERN HARRISON IN FUNNEL CLOUD
05/09/03 HARRISON FUNNEL CLOUD JUST NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 64.
RESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
532 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0422 PM LOCKPORT KY 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 HENRY REPORTED BY SPOTTER.
RESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
539 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0525 PM NORTHERN HARRISON COUNTY IN 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 HARRISON
RESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
543 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0543 PM BAGDAD KY 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 SHELBY REPORTED BY SPOTTER.
RESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
547 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0530 PM WEST OF SADIEVILLE KY .88 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 SCOTT REPORTED BY EMS.
0543 PM PEAKS MILL KY .75 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 FRANKLIN REPORTED BY SPOTTER.
RESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE, KY
559 PM EDT FRI MAY 9 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0557 PM LOUISVILLE KY .75 INCH HAIL
05/09/03 JEFFERSON REPORTED AT LOUISVILLE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY
ASOS OBSERVER.
RESThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Green River at Rochester crested at 17.1 feet at 1900 EST on May 9. Flood stage at Rochester is 17 feet. At this level, ferry operations are shut down and minor flooding occurs.
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: 5355555.