A cold front extended from southern Michigan southwest across southern Illinois. A narrow band of warmer and more humid air extended from southwest Ohio to western Kentucky.
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 cold front extended from southern Michigan southwest across southern Illinois. A narrow band of warmer and more humid air extended from southwest Ohio to western Kentucky. Isolated marginally severe storms developed in this more favorable air mass.
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 Feb 5, 3:19 AM CST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
319 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008
.DISCUSSION...
SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT...SO LITTLE TIME. MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS
PACKAGE WILL BE THE THREAT FOR FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE
NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO.
AT 08Z A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED SOUTHWESTWARD FROM NEAR
CHICAGO IL TO ST LOUIS MO TO SPRINGFIELD IL. RADAR/SAT PIX SHOWING A
LINE OF CONVECTION GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. WITH
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...THE BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED CONVECTION IS
MAKING VERY SLOW PROGRESS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST.
CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT WILL DRIFT INTO THE EXTREME NORTHERN
AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF OUR CWA THIS MORNING AND BECOME STATIONARY
AS A SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. IN THE MEANTIME
...DEEP MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE ADVECTED ACROSS THE AREA. THE
COMBINATION OF THE MOISTURE AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE FRONT WILL
SET THE STAGE FOR TRAINING CONVECTION...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE
AFOREMENTIONED AREA. HAVE ISSUED AN FFA THERE...IN EFFECT FROM 12Z
THIS MORNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT (06Z WEDNESDAY). AN FFA MAY HAVE TO BE
ISSUED FOR AREAS FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST...BUT WILL LET THE DAY SHIFT
DEAL WITH THAT. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT AS THE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS
AND LIFTS NORTHEAST IT WILL PREVENT ANY SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT OF THE
FRONT THUS LIMITING THE BEST CHANCES FOR HEAVY PRECIP TO THE SAME
AREAS.
OF GREATER IMPORTANCE IS THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER FROM LATE THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. STARTING
LATE THIS AFTERNOON THE AFOREMENTIONED DEEPENING SURFACE LOW AND
ATTENDANT COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR CWA. THIS COMBINED WITH
IMPRESSIVE WIND FIELDS INCLUDING BOTH DIRECTIONAL AND SPEED
SHEAR...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES/DEWPOINTS...MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES
OF >7 C/KM...CAPE OF >1000 J/KG..AND LIFTED INDICES OF -3 TO -4...A
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS A GOOD BET. THE EVOLUTION OF
THIS CONVECTIVE EVENT IS STILL A BIT UNCERTAIN...BUT DAMAGING WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL APPEAR TO BE THE GREATEST THREATS...BUT THERE IS A
DISTINCT POSSIBILITY OF TORNADIC STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LONG
TRACK TORNADOES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION AND
BEARS CLOSE MONITORING.
CONVECTION SHUTS DOWN OVERNIGHT FROM WEST TO EAST AS THE SYSTEM
MOVES QUICKLY OFF TO THE EAST. OVER ALL BUT OUR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
COUNTIES THERE IS A DECENT CHANCE FOR LIGHT PRECIP ON WEDNESDAY IN
THE WRAP AROUND MOISTURE. AS COLDER AIR POURS IN...WENT WITH A
SPRINKLE/FLURRY MIX OVER ALL BUT THE EXTREME EASTERN SECTIONS WHERE
WE KEPT IT ALL LIQUID -RA/-DZ.
WEAK SYSTEM CROSSES THE REGION ON THURSDAY IN FAST FLOW BUT WITH
LACK OF MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS...JUST KEPT POPS (-RA) OVER THE FAR
NORTHERN AND WESTERN COUNTIES...BUT NOT THAT CONFIDENT IT WILL
HAPPEN.
MADE NO CHANGES BEYOND THURSDAY NIGHT. EXPECT TO BREAK RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES ALL OVER THE CWA TODAY.
.AVIATION...
GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS.
SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL SAG SOUTH...THEN BECOME STATIONARY JUST TO
THE NORTH OF THE TAF SITES. AS THE FRONT APPROACHES...SHOWERS AND
STORMS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING. A LOW PRESSURE WAVE WILL MOVE
NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONT THIS EVENING...BRINGING WIDESPREAD STRONG
TO SEVERE STORMS. DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH STORMS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MAIN CONCERN WITH STORMS THIS MORNING WILL BE
IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS IN HEAVY RAIN.
&&
PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CST UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR
PERRY...CAPE GIRARDEAU...BOLLINGER...WAYNE...AND CARTER
COUNTIES.
IL...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CST UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR
JACKSON...PERRY...JEFFERSON...FRANKLIN...WAYNE...HAMILTON...
EDWARDS...AND WABASH COUNTIES.
IN...NONE.
PUBLIC...JP
AVIATION...MYHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 419 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-061130- 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- 419 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY INTO THIS EVENING AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CROSSES THE QUAD STATE REGION. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK THAT SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS...BUT TORNADIC STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LONG TRACK TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IN THE VICINITY OF A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A POSSIBILITY THROUGH MIDNIGHT GENERALLY NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM MOUNT CARMEL ILLINOIS TO CAPE GIRARDEAU MISSOURI TO VAN BUREN MISSOURI. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. ALSO...ANY REPORTS OF HEAVY RAIN LEADING TO STREET FLOODING OR ROAD CLOSURES ARE ENCOURAGED. JAP
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 533 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 ILZ076>078-083-087-091-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ014-015-018-019-051230- DAVIESS KY-EDWARDS IL-GALLATIN IL-GIBSON IN-HARDIN IL-HENDERSON KY- PIKE IN-POSEY IN-SPENCER IN-UNION KY-VANDERBURGH IN-WABASH IL- WARRICK IN-WAYNE IL-WEBSTER KY-WHITE IL- 533 AM CST TUE FEB 5 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE EVANSVILLE TRI STATE AREA... AT 530 AM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM EVANSVILLE SOUTHWEST ALONG THE OHIO RIVER TO POPE COUNTY ILLINOIS. SOME OF THESE STORMS CONTAINED SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. VERY HEAVY RAIN IN SOME OF THESE STORMS WAS LIKELY CAUSING MINOR FLOODING OF ROADS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY EAST AT 40 MPH. THE STORMS WILL AFFECT HENDERSON AND OWENSBORO THROUGH 8 AM. BE PREPARED FOR TORRENTIAL RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS. MY
The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:42 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees and power lines were down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 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: 76888, 76890, 76622, 76623.