A strong cold front moved across Eastern Kentucky during the early morning hours of January 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed out ahead of, and along the front.
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 strong cold front moved across Eastern Kentucky during the early morning hours of January 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed out ahead of, and along the front. These storms began to affect Eastern Kentucky late in the afternoon of January 10th, and continued periodically through the early morning of January 11th. Several trees were reported down across portions of the area.
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 Jan 10, 2:54 PM EST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 254 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED INTERESTING SYNOPTIC SITUATION DEVELOPING. A WARM FRONT/DISCONTINUITY HAS MOVED MOSTLY THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA AND CURRENTLY...MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOW NORTH AND WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE ACTIVE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY ARE WELL OUT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS SEEM TO COINCIDE WITH THE MOISTURE AXIS AND 850 JET CORE. THE TIME CROSS SECTION USING THE 12 NAM WAS SHOWING TWO DISTINCT SURGES OF OMEGA COMING ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. THE 18Z RUN IS NOT AS CLEAR WITH IT. THE FIRST SURGE WILL BE THE 850 JET AXIS AROUND 6-9 PM AND THE SECOND WILL BE THE FRONT MOVING THROUGH NEAR MIDNIGHT. THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SEVERE THREATS POTENTIALS WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE FIRST ONE WITH THE 850 JET AXIS WILL BE A HAIL AND WIND THREAT THREAT FROM THE ELEVATED CELLS SPINNING UP IN THE WARM SECTOR. THESE STORM ARE NEAR THE 850 JET AXIS AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR MIXING DOWN THE HIGHER MOMENTUM AIR. THE THREAT WITH THE FRONT WILL BE MOSTLY BE WIND. DUE TO THE TIME OF DAY THESE STORMS ARE COMING INTO THE AREA...EXPECT VERY FEW SEVERE TO OCCUR...HOWEVER THERE WILL BE MANY STORMS JUST UNDER SEVERE CRITERIA. SO THESE STORMS ARE STILL POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. ONCE THE FRONT GOES THROUGH...SOME LOW CLOUDS WILL HANG AROUND TILL FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WILL STAY CLOSE TO MOS FOR TEMPS. .LONG TERM.../SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...UPDATED THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THE FORECAST PERIOD WILL DEAL WITH PRECIPITATION TYPE AND AMOUNT CONCERNING TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS EARLY NEXT WEEK INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. A PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD AS WAVE AFTER WAVE OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY AFFECTS THE REGION. A BROAD SCALE TROUGH WILL APPROACH THE AREA AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WITH TWO PHASED SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN THE LARGER SCALE SYSTEM. THERE IS SOME MODEL DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ECMWF/GFS ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE PHASING...SO MAINTAINED CHANCE POPS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT FOR NOW...HOWEVER EXPECTING AN INCREASE IN POPS FOR THIS TIME PERIOD WITH LATER FORECASTS. PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE THE HARD PART OF THE FORECAST AS TIMING OF RAIN/SNOW CHANGEOVER WILL BE CRUCIAL. RIGHT NOW...WILL GO WITH ALL RAIN STARTING OUT. THEN RAIN WILL MIX WITH SOME SNOW...BEFORE BECOMING ALL SNOW EARLY MONDAY MORNING AS 1000-850 MB THICKNESSES DROP BELOW 1305 M. EXPECT ALL SNOW THROUGH MONDAY AS HIGH TEMPERATURE WILL OCCUR AT MIDNIGHT AND DROP THROUGH THE DAY. TUESDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE AREA. THICKNESSES REMAIN MARGINAL FOR SNOW...SO WILL STAY WITH RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS FOR NOW. 12Z GFS IS MUCH FASTER WITH THE PROGRESSION OF THE SYSTEM THAN THE 00Z ECMWF. LEANED TOWARD THE ECMWF SOLUTION AS THE GFS HAS SLOWLY STARTED TO TREND TOWARD THE MORE CONSISTENT ECMWF. AFTER TUESDAY...MODELS DIVERGE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE APPROACH OF THE NEXT SYSTEM. THE 12Z GFS BRINGS A COLD FRONT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...WHILE THE ECMWF KEEPS THE AREA DRY UNTIL AFTER THE FORECAST PERIOD. WILL PUT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN TO MATCH UP WITH OTHER OFFICES AND BLEND BETWEEN THE TWO MODELS. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL MAKE A QUICK SURGE OVER THE AREA TODAY. MVFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD MOST OF EASTERN KENTUCKY IN THE MORNING...ALONG WITH SHOWERS. WIDESPREAD VISIBILITY PROBLEMS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED FOR ANY EXTENDED TIME DURING THE DAY. HOWEVER...LOCALIZED IFR VISIBILITY CAN NOT BE RULED OUT AT TIMES FROM THE HEAVIER SHOWERS. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION DURING THE EVENING...BRINGING MORE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SOME THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS WILL ALSO PICK UP DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH SOME GUSTS TOPPING 25 MPH. THERE IS ALSO A POTENTIAL FOR SOME GUSTS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER IF PRECIP FALLING FROM HEAVY SHOWERS OR STORMS CAN PULL DOWN MUCH STRONGER WINDS WHICH WILL BE JUST OFF THE SURFACE. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JJ LONG TERM...SCHOETTMER AVIATION...JJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 520 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>085-104-106-108-111-114- 120130- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-WOLFE- LEE-OWSLEY- 520 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. THERE IS A REMOTE POSSIBILITY FOR A TORNADO TO FORM. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER SHOWERS AND ANY THUNDERSTORMS...CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLATED FLOODING PROBLEMS. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND OTHER AREAS PRONE TO MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AROUND DAWN ON SUNDAY...THEN AGAIN FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS DURING THIS PERIOD...IF ANY...SHOULD BE LIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY STRONG WINDS...OR DAMAGE FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. KYZ086>088-107-109-110-112-113-115>120-120130- KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-JOHNSON-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-BREATHITT-KNOTT-PERRY-CLAY- LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- 520 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE SOME WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER SHOWERS AND ANY THUNDERSTORMS...CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLATED FLOODING PROBLEMS. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND OTHER AREAS PRONE TO MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AROUND DAWN ON SUNDAY...THEN AGAIN FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS DURING THIS PERIOD...IF ANY...SHOULD BE LIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY STRONG WINDS...OR DAMAGE FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RAY/JJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 255 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 KYZ044-102045- FLEMING- 300 PM EST THU JAN 10 2008 ...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT NORTHWESTERN FLEMING COUNTY THROUGH 345 PM EST THURSDAY AFTERNOON... AT 255 PM EST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR EWING...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUALLY MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 45 MINUTES. LOCATIONS NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM NEPTON TO COWAN CAN EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WITH UP TO ONE INCH FALLING BETWEEN 3 AND 3:45 PM. THIS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AS WELL AS FILLING UP DITCHES...POSSIBLY SPILLING ONTO ROADS IN PLACES. ADDITIONALLY...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES...AS WELL AS SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE. GEOGERIAN
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:35 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
One tree was blown down at the intersection of Norwood and Old Salts Roads by wind gusts estimated at 61 mph.
One tree was blown down near the intersection of Highways 200 and 834 by wind gusts estimated at 61 mph.
One tree was blown down on Riddle Lane by wind gusts estimated at 61 mph.
Two trees were blown down on Lower Craney Road by wind gusts estimated at 61 mph.
Two trees were blown down on Ratliff Creek Road by wind gusts estimated at 61 mph.
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, January 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: 68969, 68968, 68966, 68967, 68971.