A slow moving cold front, combined with unstable air, resulted in the development of numerous severe thunderstorms across Eastern Kentucky during the afternoon of July 22nd. Damaging winds and large hail were associated with these storms.
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 slow moving cold front, combined with unstable air, resulted in the development of numerous severe thunderstorms across Eastern Kentucky during the afternoon of July 22nd. Damaging winds and large hail were associated with these storms. Structural damage was reported due to the winds in Pulaski and Pike Counties.
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 Jul 22, 12:54 PM EST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 154 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 .SHORT TERM ...MESOSCALE UPDATE... REMNANTS...OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM CONVECTIVE COMPLEX OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY THIS MORNING IS PRODUCING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KY THIS AFTERNOON. MCVS APPARENT ON SAT LOOP AS WELL AS TWO CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES JUST WEST OF OUR CWA. AT PRESENT...ACTIVITY SEEMS ESPECIALLY CONCENTRATED IN THIS AREA. RUC ANALYSIS AND GOES SOUNDING DATA SUGGEST ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY AS CAPE INCREASES...TO AROUND 2000 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF OUR CWA THIS AFTERNOON. RTMA SFC ANALYSIS IS ALSO PICKING UP ON GOOD SFC CONVERGENCE IN THE VICINITY OF INTERSECTING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. ATTM EXPECT THE BULK OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO BE RESTRICTED TO AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF EACH OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...OR GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I75 CORRIDOR AND SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAIN PARKWAY. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /THE REST OF TODAY/ DECREASED SKY COVER SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE BOARD PER LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. INSPITE OF AN OVERCAST OF CIRROSTRATUS...THE OVERALL OPAQUE CLOUD COVER IS MUCH LESS THAN THE NUMBERS THAT WERE IN THE SKY COVER GRIDS PREVIOUSLY...SO APPROPRIATED ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE. THE PRIMARY CHANGE HERE WAS DOWNGRADING A FEW OF THE ZONE BREAKUPS FROM MOSTLY CLOUDY TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. ALSO DECREASED PRECIPITATION CHANCES QUITE A BIT THROUGH 18Z...AS THERE SIMPLY ISNT ANYTHING HAPPENING ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY RIGHT NOW CONVECTIVE LY SPEAKING. STILL ANTICIPATING SHOWERS AND STORMS TO FIRE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME QUITE NUMEROUS ALONG A SLOWLY SOUTHWARD MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WITH A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE ALONG THE WAY. THE CIRROSTRATUS LAYER IS KEEPING TEMPERATURES FROM INCREASING VERY MUCH AT ALL SO FAR TODAY. THE 14 AND 15Z SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT HOURLY TEMPS ARE RUNNING SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER THAN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST INDICATED. MADE ADJUSTMENTS HERE PER THE TEMP TRENDS OBSERVED SO FAR THIS MORNING. ALSO RECALCULATED TODAYS MAX TEMPS BASED ON THE CHANGES MADE TO DIURNAL TREND...WITH TODAYS HIGHS 4 TO 6 DEGREES COOLER ACROSS THE BOARD. CORRESPONDING ADJUSTMENTS WERE ALSO NECESSARY WITH THE WEATHER AND QPF FORECASTS...BASED ON THE DECREASED POPS DURING THE LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON PERIOD. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /THE REST OF TODAY/ CONVECTION HAS DISSIPATED AS EXPECTED AS IT MOVED INTO THE MORE STABLE AIRMASS OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY. WILL REMOVE THE WATCH HEADLINE FROM THE ZONE FORECAST PRODUCT BUT WILL LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE AS IS FOR NOW AS IT CONTINUES TO APPEAR LIKE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL INCREASE ONCE AGAIN LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/ DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BECOME ESTABLISHED OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES BY THURSDAY. SURFACE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA LATER TONIGHT WITH A COUPLE OF ROUNDS OF CONVECTION ANTICIPATED BEFORE IT PUSHES TO OUR SOUTH AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. IT IS TOUCH TO GAGE WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE INITIAL MCS ONGOING TO OUR NORTHWEST. THE AIRMASS OVER SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY IS ACTUALLY FAIRLY STABLE WITH LOWER SURFACE DEWPOINTS LEFT OVER AFTER THE CONVECTION EARLIER ON MONDAY. THE SYSTEM MAY ACTUALLY JUST DELIVER A GLANCING BLOW AS THE EASTERN END PROGRESSES ACROSS NORTHERN KENTUCKY/SOUTHERN OHIO AND THE WESTERN HALF DIVES SOUTH OR REDEVELOPS IN THE MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THIS SCENARIO SEEMS TO BE SUPPORTED BY MCS MAINTENANCE PROBABILITIES BUT WE WILL JUST HAVE TO WATCH RADAR/SATELLITE TRENDS OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO TO SEE HOW THIS SYSTEM HOLDS TOGETHER AS IT CONTINUES TOWARD THE AREA. WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH THE MCS EARLY THIS MORNING PRECIP WISE... THERE WILL LIKELY BE A LOT OF DEBRIS CLOUDINESS DURING THE MORNING HOURS BUT THIS SHOULD THIN AND SCATTER OUT ALLOWING FOR GOOD HEATING AND DESTABILIZATION DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS... ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY. ADDITIONAL MCS ACTIVITY SHOULD THEN DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AND PROGRESS SOUTHEAST INTO THE AREA LATE IN THE AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THERE CONTINUES TO BE A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE. ANOTHER THING TO NOTE TODAY IS THE LARGE DIFFERENCES IN MOS GUIDANCE TEMPS WITH AN 8 DEGREE SPREAD BETWEEN THE MAV AND MET NUMBERS AT JKL AND LOZ. GFS SEEMS TO BE WARMING THE AREA TOO MUCH AT 850 MB POSSIBLY DUE TO CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK AND OVER DEVELOPMENT OF AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ON THE FRONT. NAM IS PROBABLY OVERDOING THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER TODAY. OVERALL... EXPECT READINGS TO COME IN SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY OVER SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY BUT REMAIN SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER UP NORTH WHERE MORE CLOUDS ARE ANTICIPATED. WILL LINGER LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AS THE FRONT SLOWLY WORKS INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY BUT SKIES SHOULD CLEAR WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH SUNNY SKIES EXPECTED ON THURSDAY. A MUCH DRIER AIRMASS IS PROGGED TO FILTER IN BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS FALLING INTO THE 50S. THIS SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO FALL INTO THE UPPER 50S WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN OUR ORDINARILY COOLER VALLEY LOCATIONS AND KEEP CONDITIONS PLEASANT ON THURSDAY. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/ GENERAL MODEL AGREEMENT CONTINUES WITH ADVERTISING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND NEW ENGLAND AS REINFORCING NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY ALLOWS FOR DEEPER CUTOFF LOWS TO DEVELOP ACROSS EASTERN CANADA. EASTERN KENTUCKY WILL BEGIN THE LONG TERM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE. A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL THEN BRING DAILY CHANCES OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION TO THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE FRONT IS SLOW TO EXIT OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. GIVEN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEARLY SEASONAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE HPC NUMBERS LOOKED REASONABLE ONCE AGAIN AND ONLY MADE A FEW TWEAKS TO THESE. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/...UPDATED CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS HEADED FOR OUR SW COUNTIES AT TAF ISSUANCE TIME. HAVE TIMED THESE ACROSS KLOZ AND KSME AT MID AFTERNOON NEAR THE BEGINNING OF TAF VALID TIME. HAVE ONLY USED VCTS AT KJKL...WITH NORTHWARD DEVELOPMENT NOT TAKING PLACE SO FAR. AFTER THE CURRENT BATCH OF STORMS MOVES ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON...ADDITIONAL PRECIP THROUGH TONIGHT IS MUCH MORE QUESTIONABLE. ON WEDNESDAY...WILL LOOK FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION AS HEATING OCCURS AND A COLD FRONT MOVEST SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. ANY PRECIP SHOULD SWEEP SE OUT OF THE STATE WITH COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE IN THE AFTERNOON. OUTSIDE OF PRECIP...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF VALLEY FOG LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...ABE/AR/RAY LONG TERM....GEOGERIAN AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 545 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-231100- 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- 545 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT WORKS SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY...MAINLY ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN BECOME POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN ANY REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE OR LARGE HAIL TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. ABE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 204 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 KYZ068-079-083-221900- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-WAYNE- 204 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT ROCKCASTLE AND PULASKI AND WAYNE COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM EDT TUESDAY AFTERNOON... AT 204 PM EDT...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11 MILES WEST OF EUBANK TO 5 MILES WEST OF FAUBUSH TO CABELL TO 14 MILES WEST OF CABELL TO 21 MILES WEST OF SUNNYBROOK...MOVING EAST AT 28 MPH. THE STORMS WILL BE NEAR MAGNUM AROUND 210 PM EDT...POINTER AROUND 215 PM EDT...STAB AROUND 220 PM EDT...PULASKI COUNTY PARK AROUND 225 PM EDT...TRIMBLE AND MONTICELLO AROUND 230 PM EDT...SOMERSET...SCIENCE HILL AND BURNSIDE AROUND 235 PM EDT...MOUNT VERNON AROUND 255 PM EDT. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE AND ONE HALF INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN LIGHTNING IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE A HAZARD. PELTON
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:40 UTC.
29 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A large tree was blown down on the Cottage Motel near Naney and knocked the building off its foundation.
There were numerous large limbs being torn out trees.
A wind gust estimated at 70 mph occurred in Somerset.
Numerous trees were blown down county wide by thunderstorm wind gusts.
A barn roof was blown off near Pea Ridge Road on Highway 1003. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down on Highway 192 13 miles east of Somerset.
Numerous wind gusts estimated at 60 mph were observed on Highway 192 about a half mile off the Interstate 75 interchange. The wind lasted for about 10 minutes.
A tree was blown down on a mobile home during a severe thunderstorm wind gust.
A large tree was uprooted and damage the edge of Highway 363.
A large sycamore and several smaller trees were blown down.
Two trees and three large branches were blown down in the southeast portion of London along Highway 363.
Trees were blown down and onto cars.
Numerous trees were blown down across the western and northern portions of the county. The worst of the damage occurred near the Laurel county line.
Several trees were blown down about 2 miles off the Owsley county line.
Two large tree branches were torn from a tree by a thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 58 mph.
Thunderstorm wind gusts tore down numerous large branches.
A tree was blown down and across a road in Monica.
A couple of large limbs were torn from a tree by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Several large limbs were torn from trees by thunderstorm wind gusts. A tree was split by thundestorm winds.
Several trees were blown down within a 4 mile radius around the water plant.
A large tree was blown down onto a shed. The tree took down power lines leading to the adjacent house and crushed the power meter attached to the house, while doing only minor damage to the house itself.
Trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Power lines were blown down at 5420 Route 2030. A tree was blown down onto a storage shed.
Trees were blown down and across Highway 550 near Turner Branch.
A tree was down and blocking State Road 122 at Robinson Creek near Newsome Lane.
A tree was blown down and onto a house by thunderstorm wind gusts.
A tree felled by thunderstorm wind gusts was blocking Chloe Road.
A tree was blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts on Highway 194, 3 miles east of the intersection of Highways 194 and 119.
A thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 60 mph occurred at the court house in Inez.
Thunderstorm wind gusts caused the roof to collapse at the Belfry Speedway service station.
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, 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: 122599, 122601, 122602, 122603, 122604, 122605, 122606, 122607, 122608, 122609, 123342, 122610, 122611, 122612, 122613, 122614, 122595, 122625, 122596, 122626, 122627, 122629, 122597, 122598, 122630, 122631, 122632, 122633, 122638, 122639, 122640, 122641, 122643, 122644, 122645.