Scattered thunderstorms formed during the heat of the afternoon, aided by a weak surface trough that extended from northern Arkansas northeast across the Lower Ohio Valley. Tropical moisture combined with the slow movement of the storms resulted in locally very heavy rain.
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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.
Scattered thunderstorms formed during the heat of the afternoon, aided by a weak surface trough that extended from northern Arkansas northeast across the Lower Ohio Valley. Tropical moisture combined with the slow movement of the storms resulted in locally very heavy rain.
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 30, 2:45 AM CST, 11 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 345 AM CDT WED JUL 30 2008 .DISCUSSION... MAIN CONCERN FOR THIS FORECAST PACKAGE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. A TIGHT MID-LEVEL CIRCULATION...CURRENTLY SPINNING SLOWLY EASTWARD ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS...WILL CONTINUE TO WOBBLE SLOWLY EASTWARD TOWARD THE QUAD STATE TODAY AND THEN TAKE A SOUTHEASTWARD PATH THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. ON THIS...THE 00Z MODELS ALL PRETTY MUCH AGREE...SO CONFIDENCE IS QUITE HIGH...ESPECIALLY FOR A CONVECTIVE EVENT. CLUSTER OF CONVECTION THAT HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED JUST NORTH OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS COUNTIES IS EXPECTED STAY NORTH OR JUST FLIRT WITH AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64 THIS MORNING...BUT IN GENERAL ANY ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SHOULD STAY TO OUR WEST AND NORTH THROUGH THE DAY. WILL HAVE A RANGE OF POPS THIS MORNING FROM GOOD CHANCE ALONG I-64...TO SLIGHT CHANCE IN THE SOUTH. FOR THIS AFTERNOON...GFS AND NAM SOUNDINGS INDICATE SOME POTENTIAL FOR DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION...SO WILL INCREASE POPS OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...WITH LIKELY ALONG I-64 AND CHANCES ELSEWHERE. TONIGHT ALL AVAILABLE GUIDANCE BRING THE AFOREMENTIONED MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED MOISTURE OVER THE QUAD STATE. MODEL SOUNDINGS REVEAL PRECIPITABLE WATER OF 2-2.5 INCHES. WITH THIS GROTESQUE COLUMNAR MOISTURE...AND WEAK FLOW ALOFT...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY BE A PROBLEM TONIGHT. WILL MENTION CATEGORICAL POPS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE GRIDS/ZONES...BUT WILL NOT ISSUE AN FFA DUE TO GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS TO BEGIN WITH. IF DIURNAL CONVECTION GETS CARRIED AWAY THIS AFTERNOON...THE DAY SHIFT MAY NEED TO CONSIDER A FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. ALL GUIDANCE EXCEPT THE 00Z GFS...LINGER THE MID-LEVEL TROUGH AXIS OVER THE AREA INTO THURSDAY MORNING...WITH CONTINUED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. ACCORDINGLY...WILL HAVE GOOD CHANCE POPS IN THE NORTH AND LIKELIES IN THE SOUTH THROUGH 18Z. THEREAFTER...20-40 POPS FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST SHOULD COVER THE SITUATION. COULD NOT ARGUE WITH HPC QPF THROUGHOUT THE EVENT...WHICH GIVES MOST LOCATIONS AROUND AN INCH TOTAL. HOWEVER...WITH THE INTENSE STORMS...THIS MUCH MAY FALL IN JUST A HALF HOUR OR SO. SOME LOCATIONS MAY SEE 2 TO 3 INCHES...BUT THE AVERAGE WILL LIKELY BE AROUND AN INCH FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE EXPECTED OVER ALL BUT FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA AT LEAST THROUGH THE MORNING...SIDED WITH THE WARM SIDE OF GUIDANCE IN MOST LOCATIONS TODAY. HIGHS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE LOW TO MID 90S AREAWIDE. THIS COUPLED WITH HUMIDITY WILL RESULT IN HEAT INDICES IN THE 100 TO 105 RANGE. THIS WILL BE HEADLINED IN THE ZONES. FAVORED THE COOLER MAV GUIDANCE TONIGHT...AND THEN FOLLOWED CONSENSUS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. BEHIND THE SYSTEM...ALL MODEL GUIDANCE BUILDS THE MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BACK OVER THE AREA QUICKLY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN HOT...WITH MID AND EVEN SOME UPPER 90S POSSIBLE BY SATURDAY OR SUNDAY. TONIGHTS RAINFALL WILL LIKELY HOLD THE TEMPERATURES BACK A BIT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HEAT INDICES WILL APPROACH ADVISORY LEVELS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THIS WILL BE MENTIONED IN THE HWO. && .AVIATION... FOR THE 12Z WEDNESDAY ROUTINE TAF FORECAST ISSUANCE... PLAN TO KEEP VFR CLOUD DECK/CEILING AT OR ABOVE 8KFT AGL THROUGH AT LEAST 01Z THURSDAY FOR ALL TAF LOCATIONS...WITH MVFR VISIBILITY RESTRICTION DUE TO HAZE NEAR KEVV/KOWB AFT 00Z. A MINOR MENTION OF VICINITY SHOWERS WAS LEFT IN THE KEVV/KOWB TAF SITES BETWEEN 11-17Z TIME FRAME TODAY...AS MESOSCALE SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIE OUT NEAR THESE TAF SITES DURING THE MORNING. INTERMITTENT VFR VISIBILITY SHOWERS WERE INTRODUCED IN THE KCGI/KPAH TAF SITES AS THE MAIN WEATHER SYSTEM APPROACHES WEDNESDAY EVENING. FOR THE LAST 6 HOURS OF THE FORECAST /06-12Z THURSDAY/ PLANS ARE TO INTRODUCE VFR CEILINGS /4-6KFT AGL/ WITH CATEGORICAL SHOWERS AT ALL OF THE TAF SITES WITH INTERMITTENT IFR CEILINGS /1-2KFT AGL/ AND MVFR VISIBILITIES /3-5SM/ WITH THUNDERSTORMS...SHOWERS AND FOG. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. && PUBLIC....DRS AVIATION..KES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 439 AM CDT WED JUL 30 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-311000- 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- 439 AM CDT WED JUL 30 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE QUAD STATE TODAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE OVER THE REGION TONIGHT...RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL AVERAGE AROUND AN INCH THROUGHOUT THE AREA...BUT 2 TO 3 INCH AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN SOME LOCAL AREAS. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS MAY RESULT. HEAT AND HUMIDITY THIS AFTERNOON WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES IN THE 100 TO 105 DEGREE RANGE OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE QUAD STATE. A RIVER FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR CAPE GIRARDEAU. REFERENCE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL WILL GRADUALLY COME TO AN END FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS MAY LINGER THROUGH THE DAY. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING AN EXTENDED STRETCH OF HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS TO THE QUAD STATE FRIDAY THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 100 TO 105 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AND WILL EXCEED 105 DEGREES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. FLOODING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR CAPE GIRARDEAU WILL CONTINUE. REFER TO THE LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY HEAVY RAINFALL OR FLOODING THEY ENCOUNTER TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. DRS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 60 mph was measured in the southern part of Madisonville. Large tree limbs were down, blocking a few roads and damaging a fence. A small porch on a restaurant was damaged, along with a gazebo.
A lightning strike and the resulting fire totalled a house.
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: 113525, 113535.