Hail in Kentucky, March 20, 2004

Name: Hail in Kentucky, March 20, 2004
Start: 2004-03-20T10:38
End: 2004-03-20T10:53
Location: Kentucky

March 20, 2004 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm tracked east across the Henderson and Owensboro areas. There were numerous reports of marble size hail in Henderson County, enough to cover the ground in some places.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 happened

The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm tracked east across the Henderson and Owensboro areas. There were numerous reports of marble size hail in Henderson County, enough to cover the ground in some places. One report of golf ball size hail was received from Henderson. In Owensboro, many reports of dime size hail were received, and there was a report of nickel size hail.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 20, 8:57 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 8:57 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...DELAYED TRANSMISSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
857 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT RADAR SHOWING WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH POTENTIAL
FOR UP TO DIME SIZE HAIL POSSIBLE THIS MORNING OVER SRN ILLINOIS.

CURRENT CONVECTION FIRING IN VICINITY OF SURFACE CONVERGENCE
BOUNDARY..POOLING UPPER 50/LOWER 60 DEWPOINTS ACROSS SWRN IL/SERN MO
THIS AM. GOES SOUNDER IMAGES ALSO HINTING THAT THIS AREA HAS LIFTED
INDEXES OF -2 TO -3...AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 1 TO 1.2
INCHES. THUS...SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN A POSSIBILITY.

00Z UPPER AIR CHARTS SHOWED MINOR SW-NE ORIENTED MOISTURE AXIS AT
925 MB. A WEAK VORT CENTER DEPICTED ON 50H CHART OF CENTRAL MO
HELPED TO ISENTROPICALLY LIFT HIGH STRATUS DECK OVER SERN MO/WRN
IL/WRN KY THIS MORNING AND AIDED IN DEVELOPING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND ELEVATED WARM FRONT ALONG THE EASTERN END OF
OUR CWA. CONVECTION FIRED TO THE EAST AROUND 8Z AND WEAKENED AS IT
MOVED EAST.

THE EASTERN LIMB OF DEEPER/LONGER AXIS OF MOISTURE WAS NOTED FROM
WRN MO TO MI OVERNIGHT...AND WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE EWD TODAY.
RUC/AVN GUIDANCE APPEARS TO BE DOING FAIRLY WELL WITH TIMING OF
PRE-FRONTAL CONVECTION...AND HIGHER MOISTURE INFLUX INTO SERN
MO/SERN IL. KEPT GENERAL TRANSITION OF CONVECTION FROM NW TO SE
TODAY PER YESTERDAYS GRIDDED FORECAST...CLEARING OUT ANY PCPN OVER
MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THIS EVENING.

MINOR TIMING CHANGES WERE MADE TO HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK TO
ACCOMODATE FOR EARLIER ONSET OF SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL TODAY.

OTHERWISE...LITTLE CHANGE TO TEMPERATURE FORECAST TODAY THROUGH
MONDAY...EXCEPT FOR TIMING OF MAX TEMPS TODAY.

ENSEMBLE MEAN HEIGHTS/QPF/RH STILL SUGGEST A SMALL CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ON THU AS SURFACE RIDGE MOVES EAST
OF THE FORECAST AREA. ALTHOUGH LOWERED DURING FRIDAYS
FORECAST...KEPT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN PLACE FOR WESTERN TWO-THIRDS
OF THE REGION.

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.

&&

SMITH

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 4:53 AM CST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
453 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-211100-
ALEXANDER IL-BALLARD KY-BOLLINGER MO-BUTLER MO-CALDWELL KY-
CALLOWAY KY-CAPE GIRARDEAU MO-CARLISLE KY-CARTER MO-CHRISTIAN KY-
CRITTENDEN KY-DAVIESS KY-EDWARDS IL-FRANKLIN IL-FULTON KY-
GALLATIN IL-GIBSON IN-GRAVES KY-HAMILTON IL-HARDIN IL-HENDERSON KY-
HICKMAN KY-HOPKINS KY-JACKSON IL-JEFFERSON IL-JOHNSON IL-
LIVINGSTON KY-LYON KY-MARSHALL KY-MASSAC IL-MCCRACKEN KY-MCLEAN KY-
MISSISSIPPI MO-MUHLENBERG KY-NEW MADRID MO-PERRY MO-PERRY IL-PIKE IN-
POPE IL-POSEY IN-PULASKI IL-RIPLEY MO-SALINE IL-SCOTT MO-SPENCER IN-
STODDARD MO-TODD KY-TRIGG KY-UNION KY-UNION IL-VANDERBURGH IN-
WABASH IL-WARRICK IN-WAYNE MO-WAYNE IL-WEBSTER KY-WHITE IL-
WILLIAMSON IL-
453 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS
MORNING...NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEW MADRID MISSOURI TO EVANSVILLE
INDIANA. THE CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL SHIFT SOUTH OF THIS LINE
DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AND MOVE TOWARD
SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI BETWEEN 8 AND 10
AM...STRETCHING ALONG THE OHIO RIVER AROUND THE NOON HOUR. A FEW OF
THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

NEARLY ALL OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD EXIT THE QUAD STATE
REGION BETWEEN 5 PM AND 9 PM...ENDING ANY FURTHER THREAT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THROUGHOUT THE QUAD STATE AREA
LATE THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 20, 9:10 AM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
910 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0906 AM     HAIL             GRAND TOWER             37.64N 89.50W
03/20/2004  0.25 INCH        JACKSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0907 AM     HAIL             GRAND TOWER             37.64N 89.50W
03/20/2004  0.25 INCH        JACKSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

WIELGOS

Local storm report, Mar 20, 9:18 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
918 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0904 AM     HAIL             WEST FRANKFORT          37.90N 88.93W
03/20/2004  0.75 INCH        FRANKLIN           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL REPORTED 1.5 MILES EAST OF MILE MARKER 65 OFF OF
            I-57.

&&

WIELGOS

Local storm report, Mar 20, 9:40 AM CST, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
940 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0938 AM     HAIL             VIENNA                  37.41N 88.89W
03/20/2004  0.75 INCH        JOHNSON            IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

WIELGOS

Local storm report, Mar 20, 9:48 AM CST, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
948 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0946 AM     HAIL             VIENNA                  37.41N 88.89W
03/20/2004  0.75 INCH        JOHNSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

WIELGOS

Local storm report, Mar 20, 10:13 AM CST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1013 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1003 AM     HAIL             HANDY                   36.79N 91.08W
03/20/2004  0.75 INCH        RIPLEY             MO   PUBLIC

1003 AM     HAIL             18 NW DONIPHAN          36.81N 91.05W
03/20/2004  1.75 INCH        RIPLEY             MO   PUBLIC

            REPORTED ON HWY J.

&&

WIELGOS

Local storm report, Mar 20, 10:31 AM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1031 AM CST SAT MAR 20 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1025 AM     HAIL             8 E DONIPHAN            36.62N 90.68W
03/20/2004  1.25 INCH        RIPLEY             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

WIELGOS

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Henderson

When: March 20, 10:38 AM CST
Where: Henderson County, Henderson
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.833, -87.583

Hail, Daviess

When: March 20, 10:53 AM CST
Where: Daviess County, Owensboro
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.767, -87.117

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, March 2004

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: 5386973, 5386974.