A severe storm formed along a cold front that moved southeast into the Lower Ohio Valley. Other storms along the front produced copious rainfall.
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 PAH wrote it up.
A severe storm formed along a cold front that moved southeast into the Lower Ohio Valley. Other storms along the front produced copious rainfall.
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 Jul 12, 12:34 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 134 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 .DISCUSSION... LARGE MID LEVEL VORTEX ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA WILL PROGRESS EAST OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS. AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT WHEN A COLD FRONT COMES THROUGH THE REGION. WILL MAINTAIN OUR LOW END CATEGORICAL POPS FOR CONVECTION AS A RESULT. SEE SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK FOR SLIGHT RISK OUTLOOK INFO. THE FRONT AND MOISTURE WILL TRANSLATE SOUTH AND EAST SUNDAY. SO WE WILL CONTINUE WITH A DIMINISHING TREND IN BOTH POPS AND SKY COVER. QUIET WX TO FOLLOW WITH HIGH PRESSURE TAKING CONTROL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE FLOW ALOFT WILL WEAKEN AS WELL AS HEIGHTS RISE SLIGHTLY. THEREFORE WILL MAINTAIN A DRY FORECAST MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY PER THE LONG RANGE MODELS. NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIP WILL NOT BE UNTIL NEXT SATURDAY...FOR NOW ANYWAY. EVEN THEN ONLY GOING TO CARRY A SLIGHT CHANCE POP AT THAT. AFTER REASONABLE TEMPS AND HUMIDITY LEVELS FOR MID JULY TO START THE WEEK...BOTH WILL BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WORK WEEK. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AMIDST A HOT...HUMID...UNSTABLE AIR MASS. THE APPROACH OF A COLD FRONT TONIGHT WILL ENHANCE COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... ESPECIALLY ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY. SOUTHWEST WINDS TODAY WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH/NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT. FOR THE MOST PART...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT... WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REDUCED CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. SOME FOG MAY BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ONCE THE PRECIPITATION COMES TO AN END. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 120 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-131000- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 120 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT STRONG TO ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE LOCALLY STRONG WINDS. STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL TOP OUT AROUND 100 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA. REFER TO STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON AREA RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. REFER TO STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON AREA RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION COULD BE REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 125 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-122200- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...FAIRFIELD...ALBION... MOUNT CARMEL...PINCKNEYVILLE...WEST FRANKFORT...MCLEANSBORO... CARMI...CARBONDALE...HERRIN...HARRISBURG...SHAWNEETOWN... JONESBORO...VIENNA...GOLCONDA...ELIZABETHTOWN...CAIRO... MOUND CITY...METROPOLIS...FORT BRANCH...PETERSBURG...POSEYVILLE... EVANSVILLE...BOONVILLE...ROCKPORT...HICKMAN...CLINTON... BARDWELL...WICKLIFFE...PADUCAH...MAYFIELD...SMITHLAND...BENTON... MURRAY...MARION...EDDYVILLE...CADIZ...PRINCETON...MORGANFIELD... DIXON...MADISONVILLE...HOPKINSVILLE...HENDERSON...OWENSBORO... CALHOUN...GREENVILLE...ELKTON...PERRYVILLE...MARBLE HILL... CAPE GIRARDEAU...PIEDMONT...VAN BUREN...DONIPHAN...POPLAR BLUFF... BLOOMFIELD...SIKESTON...CHARLESTON...NEW MADRID 125 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008 ...HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 105 THIS AFTERNOON... HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE QUAD STATE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 90S WILL COMBINE WITH HIGH HUMIDITY...RESULTING IN PEAK AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES FROM 100 TO 105 DEGREES. THE ONLY RELIEF FROM THE AFTERNOON HEAT WILL COME IN THE FORM OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. IF YOU MUST BE OUTDOORS FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME THIS AFTERNOON... KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED BY DRINKING PLENTY OF WATER. SEEK FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN THE SHADE OR AIR CONDITIONING TO LESSEN THE STRAIN ON YOUR BODY. CHECK ON THE ELDERLY...THE VERY YOUNG...AND THOSE ON CERTAIN MEDICATIONS...AS THEY MAY BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE DANGERS OF PROLONGED HEAT EXPOSURE.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
346 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0317 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 N RALEIGH 37.84N 88.53W
07/12/2008 SALINE IL EMERGENCY MNGR
TREE DOWN OVER RT 34 N OF RALEIGH.
&&
DPThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:06 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous large tree limbs were blown down, including some that landed on houses and vehicles. One of the largest tree limbs knocked a chimney off a roof. The chimney smashed through the windshield of a parked car. Power lines were down.
Eight to ten inches of water covered roadways in Mount Vernon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, July 2008
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: 113515, 115199.