A strong storm system, and its associated cold front, moved across the Ohio Valley on February 17th, bringing strong winds to the region. Several trees were blown down, with some structural damage reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
A strong storm system, and its associated cold front, moved across the Ohio Valley on February 17th, bringing strong winds to the region. Several trees were blown down, with some structural damage reported.
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 Feb 17, 10:30 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1030 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED 14Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS DEEP LOW PRESSURE...988 MB...TRACKING OUT OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. A BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG ITS OLD COLD FRONT ARE CROSSING CENTRAL KENTUCKY...BUT SLOWING AS THEY COME EAST. SO FAR...THE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING HAS BEEN MINIMAL TO NONEXISTENT WITH THESE SHOWERS...BUT THEY ARE STILL QUITE CAPABLE OF BRINGING DOWN STRONG GRADIENT WINDS. THESE WINDS ARE WELL MODELED AND EVIDENT IN THE LATEST VWPS...LVX AND OTHERS AS OUR RADAR IS CURRENTLY DOWN WITH NO ESTIMATE FOR A RETURN TO SERVICE. ACCORDINGLY ...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT AND ON TRACK WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 KTS SHOWING UP IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND PRESENTLY IN OUR SOUTHWEST COUNTIES. EXPECT THESE TO CONTINUE TO MIX DOWN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CWA TODAY INTO THIS EVENING...WITH EVEN HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE ACCOMPANYING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE CWA ARE NOW UNIFORMLY IN THE MIDDLE 50S TO LOWER 60S WITH DEWPOINTS UP INTO THE LOWER 40S. ALL IN ALL...THE CURRENT FORECAST IS IN GREAT SHAPE SO THE ONLY UPDATES WILL BE TO FINE TUNE POPS...TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS IN THE GRIDS WITH THE TEXT ZONES LEFT ALONE. UPDATES TO THE WEB PRODUCTS AND GRAPHICS WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY/ HAVE MOVED UP THE START TIME OF THE WIND ADVISORY TO 9 AM. JKL VAD WIND PROFILE HAS RECENTLY SHOWN SPEEDS TO AROUND 45 KTS AS LOW AS 1500 FT AGL AND THIS IS ABOUT 10 KTS HIGHER THAN EARLIER MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATED AT THAT LEVEL. IT IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MIX INTO THESE WINDS ONCE THE SUN COMES UP AS THE REALLY THICK CLOUD COVER IS STILL WELL TO OUR WEST. EKQ HAS ALREADY GUSTED TO 31 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS NOTED AT CSV AS WELL. /TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT/ STRONG STORM SYSTEM WITH A SURFACE LOW CENTERED OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS WILL ROCKET NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES BY THIS EVENING. SURFACE WARM FRONT WILL PUSH TO OUR NORTH EARLY THIS MORNING FOLLOWED BY THE COLD FRONT DURING THE EVENING HOURS. MAIN CONCERNS THROUGH TONIGHT ARE HIGH WIND POTENTIAL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS. AS HAS BEEN THE THEME THIS WINTER... THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE ANOTHER HIGH WIND EVENT FOR THE AREA AS STRONG LOW LEVEL JET PUSHES OVERHEAD INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. MODELS INDICATE THE JET IS AT IT/S STRONGEST LATE THIS MORNING OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY WITH SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 70 KTS AT 850 MB. THIS TRENDS LOWER DURING THE AFTERNOON BUT SPEEDS REMAIN WELL ABOVE 50 KTS THROUGH ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THE 850 MB LEVEL. BUFKIT SOUNDINGS FROM THE 17/00Z NAM INDICATE THE SPEEDS AT THE TOP OF THE MIXED LAYER DURING THE AFTERNOON APPROACH 50 KTS AND THUS GUSTS UP TO ADVISORY CRITERIA ARE A GOOD BET... EVEN OUTSIDE OF ANY CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY... AND WILL HOIST A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. BEST THREAT FOR THE HIGH WIND APPEARS TO BE OVER OUR WESTERN COUNTIES... BUT ENOUGH POTENTIAL OVER THE EAST FOR INCLUSION IN THE ADVISORY. WILL RUN THE ADVISORY FROM NOON UNTIL MIDNIGHT... AT WHICH TIME WINDS ALOFT BEGIN TO BACK DOWN. SHOULD STILL BE RATHER GUSTY THOUGH AS COLD ADVECTION TAKES OVER AFTER MIDNIGHT. SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL GRADUALLY PUSH INTO THE AREA LATER TODAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH A PREFRONTAL TROUGH AND WILL RAMP POPS UP INTO THE CATEGORICAL RANGE OVER OUR WESTERN COUNTIES BY NOON. OUR EASTERN COUNTIES WILL BE PROTECTED BY THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS AND MAY NOT RECEIVE MUCH OF ANYTHING UNTIL MID TO LATE AFTERNOON WHEN BETTER FORCING SHOULD BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THE LOW LEVEL DRYING. THERE IS VERY LITTLE INSTABILITY PROGGED... EITHER SURFACE BASED OR ELEVATED... DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS BUT WILL CONTINUE THE SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER THIS AFTERNOON DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE FAVORABLE TIME OF DAY. BEST INSTABILITY... STILL MARGINAL... APPEARS DURING THE EVENING WHEN THE SURFACE FRONT CROSSES AND THIS WILL LIKELY BE OUR BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR THUNDER. PLENTY OF WIND ALOFT AND FAVORABLE WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS POINT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE CONVECTION... ALTHOUGH BEST THREAT REMAINS TO OUR SOUTH WHERE THE BETTER INSTABILITY IS LOCATED. WILL KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON HOW THIS SCENARIO EVOLVES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOWEVER. COLD AIR WILL GRADUALLY FILTER IN AFTER MIDNIGHT... BUT MODEL TIME/HEIGHTS INDICATE THAT THERE WILL LIKELY NOT BE MUCH PRECIPITATION AFTER THE EVENING FRONTAL PASSAGE AS THERE IS A LACK OF FORCING AND CLOUD DEPTH DOESN/T REACH INTO AN AREA OF THE COLUMN WHERE TEMPS WILL SUPPORT ICE NUCLEATION. WILL THEREFORE MAINTAIN A SLIGHT POP ONLY TOWARDS DAWN ON MONDAY WITH A RAIN/SNOW MIX FOR OUR WESTERNMOST COUNTIES... JUST A RAIN SHOWER MENTION ELSEWHERE. .LONG TERM.../MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/ ONCE THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY NIGHT...THE MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT AS FAR AS THE MAIN PATTERN GOES. BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS ARE SHOWING A FRONTAL SYSTEM WHICH EXTENDS FROM THE NE TO SW WITH WAVES MOVING ALONG IT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THE WAVES DIFFERS QUITE A BIT AND SOMETIMES MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE WHETHER WE ARE IN THE WARM SECTOR OR THE COLD SECTOR. AS SUCH...MY CONFIDENCE IN THE DETAILS OF THE FORECAST ARE LOW...HOWEVER HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT THE WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY PERIOD WILL BE QUITE UNSETTLED...CLOUDY...AND WITH PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION. HAVE GONE WITH THE TIMING OF THE ECMWF FOR THE FORECAST AND SKEWED THE TEMP FORECAST TO THE FRONTAL POSITION FROM THE ECMWF. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ LATEST VAD WIND PROFILE OVER JKL HAS INDICATED WIND SPEEDS UP TO 45 KTS AS LOW AS 1500 FT AGL AND THEREFORE WILL BE CONTINUING THE LLWS MENTION FOR ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO UNTIL SURFACE WINDS PICK UP. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL THEN GUST UP TO 30 KTS OR MORE AT TIMES THROUGH THE DAY INTO THE EVENING HOURS WITH A COUPLE WAVES OF SHOWERS... AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM... EXPECTED. INITIAL WAVE OF SHOWERS IS EXPECTED ROUGHLY BETWEEN 17Z AND 22Z WITH TEMPO MVFR CONDITIONS. ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT AS IT PASSES LATER IN THE EVENING BUT WILL FINE TUNE TIMING ON THESE A LITTLE BETTER WITH LATER ISSUANCES. CIGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER AFTER MIDNIGHT BUT WILL HOLD THEM UP ABOVE 3K FT FOR NOW. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...ABE/GREIF LONG TERM....JJ AVIATION...ABE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 658 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-181200- 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 658 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOUTH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND THIS EVENING AS A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. ANY THUNDERSTORM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL BEGIN MIXING IN WITH SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ARE THEN EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE TAPERING OFF EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT...BUT MOST PLACES WILL JUST SEE A DUSTING. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. A THUNDERSTORM WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT STRONG WIND GUSTS OR WIND DAMAGE TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. ABE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1127 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 KYZ068-069-079-080-083>087-114-116-171745- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-WHITLEY-MCCREARY-JACKSON-OWSLEY-CLAY- KNOX-BELL- 1127 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 ...AN AREA OF SHOWERS CONTAINING STRONG WIND GUSTS TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE CUMBERLAND VALLEY THROUGH 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT... AT 1127 AM EST...VERY GUSTY SHOWERS WERE APPROACHING INTERSTATE 75...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THESE SHOWERS WERE PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH FROM THE SOUTH. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT MODERATE RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...FROM THESE SHOWERS...AND JUST AHEAD OF THEM. GREIF
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1133 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-104-106-108-109-111>115-171745- FLEMING-ROWAN-BATH-ELLIOTT-MONTGOMERY-MENIFEE-POWELL-ESTILL- ROCKCASTLE-MORGAN-MAGOFFIN-WOLFE-LEE-BREATHITT-JACKSON-OWSLEY-KNOTT- PERRY- 1133 AM EST SUN FEB 17 2008 ...AN AREA OF SHOWERS CONTAINING STRONG WIND GUSTS TO CROSS INTO EAST KENTUCKY BETWEEN 11:30 AND 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT... AT 1130 AM EST...VERY GUSTY SHOWERS WERE MOVING OUT OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND INTO EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THESE SHOWERS WERE PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH FROM THE SOUTH. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT MODERATE RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...FROM THESE SHOWERS...AND JUST AHEAD OF THEM. GREIF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Barns were damaged and fencing was blown down in the Gray Hawk area. Trees and limbs were blown down countywide.
Ten to twelve trees were either blown over or uprooted by very strong non-thunderstorm wind gusts. One garage was destroyed and shingles were also blown off houses along with part of a tin roof. One boat was rolled over by the winds. The damage occurred in the town of Mary.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, 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: 85301, 80174.