Flash Flood, Hickman
- When
- May 30, 8:40 PM CST to 10:45 PM CST
- Where
- Hickman County, Clinton
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Kentucky, May 30, 2004
A line of thunderstorms with torrential rain was followed by a few hours of moderate to heavy rain. 7 inches of rain in 45 minutes.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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 line of thunderstorms with torrential rain was followed by a few hours of moderate to heavy rain. In Graves County, a spotter 5 miles north of Mayfield measured .7 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Several roads were closed by flooding in Mayfield. In Marshall County, a couple of streets were flooded in Calvert City. A few inches of water was over portions of U.S. Highway 60 and Kentucky 453 in Livingston County, along with a few smaller roads. In McCracken County, water was over about 18 roads. Roads with water over them included U.S. Highway 45 in Lone Oak and U.S. Highway 62 just west of Interstate 24. In Hickman County, portions of U.S. Highway 51 and roads within Clinton were flooded. In Fulton County, a few inches of water covered portions of Kentucky 307.
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 May 30, 4:00 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 30, 4:00 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 500 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 .DISCUSSION... WITH SIGNIFICANT WAA GOING ON...SFC TEMPS ACROSS THE AREA WERE VERY WARM...ALONG WITN THE DEWPOINTS. IN FAIRFIELD AND CARBONDALE IL...TEMPS WERE AROUND 90 DEG WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 70S. SKIES HAD BECOME TEMPORARILY PARTLY CLOUDY MEANWHILE JUST AHEAD OF THE MAJOR LINE OF STORMS MOVING THRU CENTRAL MO. EARLIER SPOTTY CONVECTION PROVED TO HAVE TORNADIC CHARACTERISTICS...WITH SOME TORNADO REPORTS AND NUMEROUS FUNNEL CLOUDS. MESOETA...WHICH IS A LITTLE SLOWER THAN GFS/NGM IN THE VERY NEAR TERM...INDICATES THAT THE FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILE SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH IN THE NWRN HALF OF THE FCST AREA BY 03Z...WITH ALL BUT THE FAR SERN CORNER EXPERIENCING BACKING WITH HEIGHT/CAA BY 09Z. CAPES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO AROUND 1000 J/KG BY AROUND 03Z. WITH LINE OF STORMS NOW APPROACHING OUR PART OF SEMO...WE WILL BE ON ALERT FOR TORNADOES ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY EVENING NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS LATER IN THE EVENING SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. AS NEGATIVELY TILTED 500MB LOBE MOVES EAST...SOME SHOWERS...AND EVEN A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO...ARE POSSIBLE JUST AFTER SUNRISE FOR THE FAR SERN PART OF THE AREA. THE PARENT LOW WILL BEGIN TO MERGE WITH A CYCLONIC FEATURE OVER THE NERN U.S. BY WED. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER COLD FRONT THRU THE REGION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. NWRN MID LVL FLOW WILL CONTINUE THRU FRI /DAY5/... WITH ENUF MOISTURE IN THE COLUMN TO NOT CALL THE SKY COVER MOSTLY CLEAR. DAY6 AND DAY7...GFS INDICATES DOUBLE BARRELLED 500 MB S/WVS AND SFC LOWS TO THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH OF THE FCST AREA ARE TO MOVE EAST IN OUR VICINITY. THESE FEATURES WILL BE IMBEDDED IN A LONG WAVE TROF IN THE EAST PART OF THE COUNTRY. IT APPEARS ATTM THAT THE TWO SYSTEMS WILL MERGE INTO A SINGLE 500MB S/WV BY SUN /DAY7/ AND WILL INCLUDE A FROPA BY LATE SUN ACROSS THE FCST AREA...ENDING WHATEVER RAIN CHCS THERE ARE...WHICH ARE ONLY ABOUT ONE IN THREE ON SUN. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE MO...NONE IL...NONE IN...NONE && DB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 30, 5:48 PM CST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 648 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100- 107>112-114-311000- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SIKESTON...POPLAR BLUFF...PERRYVILLE... CAPE GIRARDEAU...PADUCAH...OWENSBORO...MURRAY...MAYFIELD... MADISONVILLE...HOPKINSVILLE...HENDERSON...EVANSVILLE...HERRIN... HARRISBURG...CARMI...CARBONDALE AND CAIRO 648 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 ...TORNADO WATCHES IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE QUAD STATE THROUGH AT LEAST 1 AM CDT MONDAY... ...HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING OVER MUCH OF THE QUAD STATE... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...AND WESTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING FOR THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE...EXCEPT FOR CARTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. A SOLID LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES...AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE LINE OF STORMS. IN ADDITION HEAVY RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS ALONG THE LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO RIVERS ARE FORECAST TO RISE OVER FLOOD STAGE AT MANY LOCATIONS. THE FLOODING IS FORECAST TO BE MAINLY MINOR...ALTHOUGH AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS WITH CROPS IN THE BOTTOMLANDS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED. REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FOR MORE DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED TONIGHT THROUGHOUT THE QUAD STATE. DRS
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 30, 8:11 PM CST, 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
911 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM TSTM WND DMG KARNAK 37.29N 88.98W
05/30/2004 PULASKI IL EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE LIMBS DOWN. LIMBS DOWN ON A
VEHICLE, CAMPER, AND HOUSE IN KARNAK. LARGE LIMB DOWN IN
FRONT OF TOWN BAPTIST CHURCH.
&&
RJPLocal storm report, May 30, 8:16 PM CST, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
916 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0840 PM TSTM WND DMG CLINTON 36.67N 88.99W
05/30/2004 HICKMAN KY EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS TREES AND TREE LIMBS DOWN. POWER OUTAGES AND
SOME FLASH FLOODING.
&&
RJPLocal storm report, May 30, 8:18 PM CST, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
918 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM HAIL 2 NE GRAND RIVERS 37.03N 88.21W
05/30/2004 0.75 INCH LYON KY EMERGENCY MNGR
REPORTED BETWEEN GRAND RIVERS AND KUTTAWA AND RELAYED BY
MCCRACKEN DES.
&&
RJPSpecial weather statement, May 30, 8:21 PM CST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 921 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 ILZ075>078-080>094-KYZ001>006-MOZ076-086-087-100-107>112-114-310300- ALEXANDER IL-BALLARD KY-BOLLINGER MO-BUTLER MO-CAPE GIRARDEAU MO- CARLISLE KY-CARTER MO-EDWARDS IL-FRANKLIN IL-FULTON KY-GALLATIN IL- GRAVES KY-HAMILTON IL-HARDIN IL-HICKMAN KY-JACKSON IL-JEFFERSON IL- JOHNSON IL-MASSAC IL-MCCRACKEN KY-MISSISSIPPI MO-NEW MADRID MO- PERRY IL-PERRY MO-POPE IL-PULASKI IL-RIPLEY MO-SALINE IL-SCOTT MO- STODDARD MO-UNION IL-WABASH IL-WAYNE IL-WAYNE MO-WHITE IL- WILLIAMSON IL- 921 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 342 HAS BEEN CANCELED... AT 920 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAD PUSHED EAST OF THE WATCH AREA. THEREFORE... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 342...PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND THE PURCHASE AREA OF WESTERN KENTUCKY...HAS BEEN CANCELED. DRS
Local storm report, May 30, 8:33 PM CST, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
933 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0910 PM TSTM WND DMG ROCKPORT 37.88N 87.05W
05/30/2004 SPENCER IN EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN WITH POWER OUTAGES IN ROCKPORT AND ACROSS THE
COUNTY. TREES ON FIRE IN DALE NEAR STRUCTURE.
&&
RJPLocal storm report, May 30, 8:39 PM CST, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
939 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 PM TSTM WND DMG HICKMAN 36.56N 89.19W
05/30/2004 FULTON KY EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ACROSS A FEW ROADS BLOCKING TRAFFIC IN
HICKMAN. NUMEROUS LARGE LIMBS DOWN IN POWER LINES ALONG
THE BLUFF AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
&&
RJPThe radar
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:37 UTC.
Event by event
5 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Fulton
- When
- May 30, 8:40 PM CST to 10:45 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton County, Fulton
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Graves
- When
- May 30, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Graves County, Mayfield
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Livingston
- When
- May 30, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Livingston County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Marshall
- When
- May 30, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall County, Calvert City
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, McCracken
- When
- May 30, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- McCracken County, Countywide
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, May 30, 2004
- Tornado in Indiana, May 30, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, May 30, 2004
- Tornado and Hail in Ohio, May 30 to 31, 2004
- Tornado in Missouri, May 30, 2004
- Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, May 30, 2004
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 30, 2004
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 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: 5399112, 5399113, 5399108, 5399109, 5399110, 5399111.