A cold front moved east from the Upper Midwest and the Central Plains on the afternoon of April 3rd. Very warm, moist, unstable air was in place over much of the region.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
A cold front moved east from the Upper Midwest and the Central Plains on the afternoon of April 3rd. Very warm, moist, unstable air was in place over much of the region. A line of severe thunderstorms developed out ahead of the front, and plowed through many areas of Eastern Kentucky. This line of thunderstorms is also known as a squall line. Many reports of wind damage were received throughout Eastern Kentucky. Five tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Eastern Kentucky. Two tornadoes were confirmed in Pulaski County, and also in Harlan County, with one tornado confirmed in Laurel County. For Harlan County, these were the first tornadoes ever recorded in the County. These tornadoes were embedded in areas of significant straight line wind damage. Several reports of large hail were also received.
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 Apr 3, 6:35 PM EST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 735 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2007 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/ THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT AND INITIALED WELL. AT 5 PM...A LOW WAS LOCATED OVER LAKE MICHIGAN WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI. A SQUALL LING EXTENDED FROM NEAR MUNCIE INDIANA TO SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA TO SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI. THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT SQUALL LINE WITH LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES BEING REPORTED. ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE IN PLACE OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY EXCEPT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE 18 GMT NAM MODEL RUN CAME IN AND IS NOT QUITE AS UNSTABLE AS THE 12 GMT RUN. THE 18 GMT RUN HAD A MID LEVEL CAP THAT HAD DEVELOPED AND AS SUCH...THE INSTABILITY IS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS THE 12 GMT RUN. I AM ALWAYS A BIT SKEPTICAL OF THE OFF TIME RUNS...SO WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THE SYSTEMS HOLDS TOGETHER AS IT MOVES INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY. USING EXTRAPOLATION...THE SQUALL LINE WILL BE MOVING INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY BETWEEN 9 TO 10 PM THIS EVENING. SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM OUT AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE BEFORE THIS TIME. IF THEY DO...THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE HAIL TO DEVELOP DUE TO THE FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR PROFILE AND FREEZING LEVEL. THE COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY BETWEEN 1 TO 2 AM THIS MORNING AND WILL MOVE TO EAST OF PIKE COUNTY BY 8 AM THIS MORNING. THE WEATHER BETWEEN THE SQUALL LINE AND THE FRONT WILL BE MOSTLY SHOWERS...HOWEVER THERE MAY BE SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. THIS IS A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA AND THERE WILL BE VERY COLD AIR MOVING IN BEHIND THE SYSTEM. THERE WILL BE SOME FREEZING TEMPERATURES TEMPERATURE BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY MORNINGS. THE TEMPERATURE FORECASTS WERE MOSTLY A BLEND OF THE ETA AND GFS MOS. .LONG TERM.../FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/ THE MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT...HOWEVER THE ECMWF IS QUICKER TO MOVE THE PATTERN TO BE MORE ZONAL EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NAM KEEPS A STRONG UPPER TROUGH TO THE EAST AND AS SUCH THERE WILL BE DRY NORTHWESTERLY FLOW PREDOMINATING OVER THE AREA. ALL THE SHORT WAVES IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD WILL PASS MOSTLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE FORECAST AREA AND THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIMITED TO WEST VIRGINIA. STAYED PRETTY CLOSE TO THE EXTENDED GFS MOS FOR THE TEMPERATURE FORECASTS. FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUES THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. && .AVIATION.../00Z TO 24Z/...UPDATED MAIN AVIATION CONCERNS WILL...OF COURSE...BE THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN OF SEVERE WEATHER RACING THROUGH THE TAF SITES OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 4 HOURS. FOLLOWING THAT...WILL BE DEALING WITH THE COLD POOL RAINS AND MVFR TO VFR VIS AND CIGS. VRF CONDITIONS PREVAIL FROM 10Z ON THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD. EXPECT NEAR SVR TO SVR WIND GUSTS...MAINLY FROM THE NORTH... AT THE SITES WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE STORMS. MODERATELY STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS FOLLOW THE INITIAL SQUALL LINE BEFORE SWITCHING MORE TO THE NORTHWEST FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT IN THE HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE NORTHWEST WINDS THEN SETTLE DOWN BEFORE BECOMING SOMEWHAT GUSTY AGAIN DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JJ LONG TERM....JJ AVIATION...GREIF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 620 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2007 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-050130- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN- ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-KNOTT- OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 620 PM EDT TUE APR 3 2007 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 115 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EDT WEDNESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE WEST. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FROM 8 PM IN THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE AREA THEN PROGRESSING SOUTHEAST DURING THE LATE EVENING REACHING FAR EAST KENTUCKY TOWARDS MIDNIGHT EDT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO NEAR OR JUST BELOW FREEZING ON THURSDAY MORNING...WITH FROST A LIKELIHOOD. THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF HARD FREEZE EACH MORNING FROM FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. CURRENTLY...THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE SPECIFICS OF THIS FORECAST...AS THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE TEMPERATURES WILL FALL AT NIGHT DEPENDS ON THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE PROBABILITY OF A FREEZE ON ONE OR PERHAPS ALL OF THESE MORNINGS IS RELATIVELY HIGH. IN GENERAL...THE VALLEY LOCATIONS WILL BE MOST PRONE TO LOW TEMPERATURES FALLING WELL INTO THE 20S ON FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON KY WITH REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER. AR/GREIF
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:57 UTC.
30 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 5 tornado, 1 flash flood, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree down on Chestnut Ridge Road.
Numerous trees down countywide.
Trees down throughout the county at Doug Hill Rd and Blackburn Rd. Trees down within Irvine city limits.
Five to six trees down on roads north of Sharpsburg. Power out.
AN EF1 tornado which moved out of Casey county into Pulaski county partially tore a well built pole barn roof off near the county line. The path length inside Pulaski county was approximately 0.3 miles and the path width was 75 yards.
An EF1 tornado with estimated winds of around 90 mph briefly touched down in a wooded area, causing numerous trees to be uprooted or snapped. The tornado path length was a tenth of a mile, with a width of 25 yards.
Seven trees blown down.
Trees down. Top of a barn blown off.
Quarter size hail.
Numerous trees and powerlines down. Several trailers overturned. Damage occurred mainly in the western, northern, and eastern ends of the county.
Several large limbs down.
Multiple trees down. Winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph.
Quarter size hail reported.
Large oak tree down on Highway 191 between mile markers 4 and 5.
Penny size hail reported in Monticello.
Numerous trees down countywide.
Nickel to quarter size hail reported.
Barn totally demolished, houses slightly damaged.
Numerous trees down county wide.
Nickel size hail in Whitley City.
Road sign broken. Two trees down on Parker Road.
Tree down on roadway.
Tree blown down on Highway 30W near the Laurel county line.
An EF1 tornado with a path length of 1.8 miles and a path width of 50 yards destroyed a pole barn, uprooted large hardwood trees, pushed a well tied down mobile home off its foundation and blew a roof off of a store.
Stuctural damage, with trees and power lines down. Damage was in western, southern, and eastern portions of county.
Nickel size hail reported in the western, southern, and eastern portions of county.
Lots of trees down.
Power lines down on Highway 421 south.
Roof blown off a hangar at a small airport.
Tree down on Highway 80. Other trees were also down on power lines.
Two large tree limbs blown down on Highway 30 east of Jackson.
Three inches of flowing water on Highway 421 at Baxter.
Numerous trees down countywide. Road signs blown down. Roof blown off a trailer. Eight children in a shelter due to their home being uninhabitable. Unconfirmed report of 2 people trapped in their basement due to wind damage.
A large 15-16 inch diameter poplar tree was blown down across Highway 190. Approximately 70-75 people without power.
Sunshine Fire Dept. reported multiple trees and power lines down around Highway 72 and 421 bypass.
Numerous large limbs down on Highway 421 from Grays Knob to Cawood. Shingles and tin torn from rooftops and small outbuildings blown over.
Funnel cloud spotted in Thousandsticks.
Quarter size hail reported.
Public report of numerous trees and power lines down in Jeff, KY about 6 miles south of Hazard. Also, roof blown off a home in Vicco.
An EF0 tornado with estimated winds around 80 mph, a path length of 0.3 miles and a width of 25 yards, damaged a maintenance building and heavily damaged a trailer roof.
An EF0 tornado with estimated winds at 75 mph, a path length of 1 mile and a path width of 50 yards snapped numerous large trees, destroyed an old barn, and damaged a few outbuildings and roofs.
Trailer blown over near Pikeville.
Numerous trees and powerlines down throughout the county. Roof and siding damage to a few homes in the Dorton Branch area.
Trees down countywide. Road crews spent 2 days cutting downed trees off the roads.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kentucky, 2007Warnings in Kentucky, April 2007
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: 25122, 25117, 25123, 25119, 25217, 25216, 25118, 25120, 25121, 25176, 25125, 25179, 25184, 25127, 25192, 25186, 25189, 25225, 29747, 25224, 25226, 25229, 25124, 25223, 25227, 25228, 25234, 25230, 25231, 25232, 25233, 25243, 25235, 25238, 25242, 25244, 25236, 25237, 25241, 25219, and more.