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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 27, 11:22 AM EST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1222 PM EDT THU MAY 27 2004 .DISCUSSION... 12Z SOUNDINGS SUGGESTED VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS FOR THIS AFTERNOON...WITH CAPE VALUES ABOVE 3000 J/KG AFTER 18Z. ABUNDANT SURFACE MOISTURE...ALONG WITH INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH BRIEF CLEARING PERIODS THROUGH LATE MORNING...PROMPTED LEAVING LIKLEY POPS IN FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. CONSIDERING THAT TODAYS CONDITIONS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO SAME TIME FRAME YESTERDAY...FURTHER REINFORCES IDEA OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. BEST CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAIN LOOKS TO BE LATE TONIGHT AS A JET STREAK MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA...PUTTING CENTRAL AND EASTERN KENTUCKY IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE ENTRANCE REGION OF JET...SUGGESTING STRONGEST VERTICAL MOTION WILL BE OCCURRING SOMETIME AFTER 6Z FRIDAY. STRONG LLJ WILL PROVIDE AMPLE MOISTURE TO FEED STORMS ONCE THEY FORM. SOUNDINGS BECOME VERY MOIST THROUGHOUT ENTIRE ATMOSPHERE LATER TONIGHT BASED ON LATEST SOUNDINGS. THIS ALONG WITH ABSENCE OF ANY SIGNIFICANT CAPPING...SUGGEST LIKLIEHOOD FOR OCCURRENCE OF WIDESPREAD...PRECIPITATION EFFICIENT STORMS OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. NO CHANGES WERE MADE OUTSIDE OF THE FIRST PERIOD OF FORECAST. .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... 09Z SFC ANALYSIS LOOKS SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT/S WITH THE WAVY SYNOPTIC FRONT RUNNING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY JUST NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. THIS IS WASHED OUT SOMEWHAT BY THE CONVECTION OVERNIGHT AND THE MESO HIGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD POOL. ON SATELLITE...THE CLOUD TOPS HAVE WARMED...TEMPORARILY...THROUGH THE AREA WITH THE EARLIER STORMS RUNNING EAST OF THE STATE AND WEAKENING. ON RADAR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION...THOUGH MOSTLY JUST LIGHT SHOWERS...CONTINUES THROUGH NORTHEAST KENTUCKY. ANOTHER SMALL CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IS TRACKING THROUGH SOUTHERN INDIANA AND COULD AFFECT EAST KENTUCKY EARLY THIS MORNING. THE MODELS ARE IN DECENT ENOUGH AGREEMENT WITH THE LONGWAVE PATTERN OF FAST FLOW CHANNELLING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY BETWEEN A DEEP HUDSON BAY LOW AND A RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS PERTAIN TO THE HANDLING OF A SHORTWAVE TRACKING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. THE GFS IS MUCH QUICKER AND WEAKER WITH THIS FEATURE THAN THE ETA...WILL GO WITH A BLEND OF THE TWO HERE. BY THE WEEKEND...THOUGH...RIDGING WILL BUILD INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST AND ENTER THE OHIO VALLEY IN RESPONSE TO A DEEP TROUGH MOVING THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN CANADA. THIS TROUGH WILL MOVE CLOSE ENOUGH TO AFFECT KENTUCKY FOR MEMORIAL DAY RETURNING US TO FAST FLOW AT THE BASE OF AN IMPRESSIVE TROUGH...FOR MIDWEEK. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE ONE MORE FULL DAY OF ACTIVE WEATHER AS THE FRONT LINGERS NEARBY WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE POOLING THROUGH THE AREA. WEAK SHORTWAVES WILL MOVE THROUGH EVERY SO OFTEN WITH STRONG JET STREAKS ACCOMPANYING THESE PROVIDING PLENTY OF UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE. MOST OF EAST KENTUCKY HAS RECEIVED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS THAT HAVE LEFT THE GROUND QUITE SATURATED. ACCORDINGLY...AS NEW STORM CLUSTERS DEVELOP AND MOVE THROUGH FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A DEFINITE THREAT...VALIDATING THE FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 PM EDT. AGAIN DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT DUE TO THE WIND PROFILE... EXPECTED COLD POOLS PUSHING THE STORMS AND HIGH WET BULB ZERO VALUES. ISOLATED TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT AS WELL. FOR TONIGHT ...EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF ORGANIZED STORMS...AFFECTING MAINLY SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY AS THE JET STREAK MOVES BY ALOFT. THIS FRONT WILL SLOWLY SINK SOUTH DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...ALLOWING US TO FINALLY FORECAST A DRY PERIOD FROM FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THIS FRONT THEN DRIFTS BACK NORTH TO START THE NEW WORK WEEK WITH MORE STORMS POSSIBLE INTO MONDAY AS LOW PRESSURE RIDES INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY ACCOMPANIED BY A SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT. MOS TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD WERE SIMILAR...BUT DID NOT ALLOW FOR LOWS TO DROP ENOUGH IN THE COLD POOL RAINS LIKELY TO FORM BEHIND ANY ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. ALSO WENT WITH A COOLER BLEND OF THE MET AND MAV NUMBERS FOR HIGHS FRIDAY. FOR POPS...DID NOT DEVIATE TOO FAR FROM THE MODERATELY HIGH GFS MAV NUMBERS. AS FOR IFPS/GRIDS...PERFORMED MY USUAL POPULATION FROM THE MESOETA FOR TEMPS...WINDS AND DEWPOINTS THROUGH 60 HOURS. HAD TO ADJUST THE MAXES A BIT TODAY AS THE RAW MET NUMBERS WERE A BIT TOO COOL. FOR LOWS...AGAIN TOOK TEMPS DOWN TO ALLOW FOR SOME RAIN COOLED MINS TONIGHT. THE REST OF THE FORECAST WAS IN GOOD SHAPE. ASIDE FROM DRYING OUT THE FORECAST FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... JUST NUDGED THINGS ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO BETTER MATCH THE LATEST FORECAST THOUGHTS INCLUDING MODEL...HPC AND NDFD CONSENSUS. && .PREV DISCUSSIONS... 707 PM EDT WED MAY 26 2004 LARGE MCS PRESENTLY EXITING THE CWA. THE OFFICE RECEIVED SEVERAL REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE...HAIL AND 3 POSSIBLE REPORTS OF TORNADOES. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT FOR THE NEAR TERM. BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY...AND WITH THUNDERSTORMS FIRING UP AGAIN IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE AND MOST OF THE AREA SATURATED ...HAVE ELECTED TO GO WITH A FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 8 PM THURSDAY. FOR TEMPS STAYED CLOSE TO MAV NUMBERS AND PREVIOUS FORECAST. FOR THE EXTENDED...MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM AND POPS WILL BE MORE OF A DIURNAL NATURE AS AMPLIFIED PATTERN MOVES OVER THE AREA. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENS AND MOVES EAST ON LATE MONDAY...AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA. FORECAST WAS IN GOOD SHAPE ONLY MADE SOME MINOR TWEAKS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER ONCE THE FRONT PASSES. STAYED CLOSE TO MEX NUMBERS ONCE AGAIN FOR TEMPS. && 1255 PM EDT WED MAY 26 2004 ANOTHER UPDATE TO ADD RECENTLY ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. INCLUDES WESTERN HALF OF CWA. NEW BREAKUP NECESSARY TO ACCOMMODATE WATCH. NO ADDITIONAL CHANGES. && 1220 PM EDT WED MAY 26 2004 LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE SOUTH OF FRONTAL BOUNDARY DRAPED ACROSS OH RIVER IS FOCUS FOR SOME EARLY MORNING SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS FA. LARGE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX UPSTREAM IN SOUTHERN IL AND IN COVERED BY SPC WATCH LOOKS TO EVENTUALLY HAVE ITS SIGHTS ON ERN KY...IN PARTICULAR OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEFINITELY POSSIBLE. FAIRLY DEEP MOISTURE...WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER AROUND AN INCH AN A HALF THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HEAVY RAINERS ARE HIGHLY LIKELY WITH FLASH FLOODING A CONCERN FOR LATER THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY. WILL LIKELY ISSUE FLOOD WATCH BEFORE AFTERNOON PACKAGE IS OUT. UPDATE ALREADY OUT TO LOWER TEMPERATURES ALL ZONES A TAD AND REDUCE WIND SPEEDS. REST OF PACKAGE LOOKS GOOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE CWA THROUGH 8 PM TODAY. && GREIF/RICHEY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 441 AM EDT THU MAY 27 2004 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-281100- BATH KY-BELL KY-BREATHITT KY-CLAY KY-ELLIOTT KY-ESTILL KY-FLEMING KY- FLOYD KY-HARLAN KY-JACKSON KY-JOHNSON KY-KNOTT KY-KNOX KY-LAUREL KY- LEE KY-LESLIE KY-LETCHER KY-MAGOFFIN KY-MARTIN KY-MCCREARY KY- MENIFEE KY-MONTGOMERY KY-MORGAN KY-OWSLEY KY-PERRY KY-PIKE KY- POWELL KY-PULASKI KY-ROCKCASTLE KY-ROWAN KY-WAYNE KY-WHITLEY KY- WOLFE KY- 441 AM EDT THU MAY 27 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. EAST KENTUCKY WILL EXPERIENCE ANOTHER STORMY DAY AS A SERIES OF THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS DEVELOP AND MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT FROM MULTIPLE STORMS MOVING REPEATEDLY OVER THE SAME LOCATIONS. DUE TO THE ORGANIZED NATURE OF THESE STORMS...THE THREAT WILL LAST WELL INTO THE NIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ORGANIZED...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE EARLY FRIDAY AS ANOTHER GROUP OF STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO RACES ALONG A FRONT THAT WILL ONLY SLOWLY CLEAR THE FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF THE STATE. FOR THE REST OF THE FORECAST...THERE WILL BE A SMALL CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN STORM REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. GREIF
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1111 AM EDT THU MAY 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 AM FLOOD 1 S WOOTON 37.16N 83.30W
05/27/2004 LESLIE KY LAW ENFORCEMENT
COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED HIGHWAY 699 AT SAW BRANCH
REMAINED CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.
&&
HALPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1114 AM EDT THU MAY 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 AM FLOOD HYDEN 37.16N 83.37W
05/27/2004 LESLIE KY LAW ENFORCEMENT
COUNTY DISPATCH REPORTED HIGHWAY 257 REMAINED CLOSED NEAR
THE HYDEN SEWER PLANT DUE TO FLOODING.
&&
HALPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
414 PM EDT THU MAY 27 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 AM TORNADO 8 N SOMERSET 37.20N 84.61W
05/27/2004 F1 PULASKI KY NWS STORM SURVEY
*** 4 INJ *** NWS STORM SURVEY TEAM CONFIRMS A STRONG F1
TONADO HIT THE TOWN OF WHITE OAK GAP.
&&
RAYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The South Fork of the Kentucky River at Booneville rose to 30.11 feet, which was 3.11 feet above flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 2004
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: 5404454.