Unstable air, along with daytime heating, allowed for the development of isolated thunderstorms across portions of Eastern Kentucky on June 12th. Some of these storms were severe with damaging winds across Breathitt, Magoffin, and Johnson counties.
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.
Unstable air, along with daytime heating, allowed for the development of isolated thunderstorms across portions of Eastern Kentucky on June 12th. Some of these storms were severe with damaging winds across Breathitt, Magoffin, and Johnson 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 Jun 12, 1:49 PM EST, 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 249 PM EDT THU JUN 12 2008 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED THE MAIN ISSUES FOR THE SHORT TERM WILL DEAL WITH DIURNALLY DRIVEN THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...THEN THE IMPACT OF A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ON FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT. TODAY...EAST KENTUCKY HAS BEEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PERSISTENT SOUTHERLY FLOW BETWEEN RETREATING HIGH PRESSURE AND APPROACHING LOW. MOISTURE RETURN IS VERY EVIDENT THROUGH OBS AND AN INTERESTING VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOP. WITH DEWPOINTS BACK IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S AND BETTER THAN DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATES THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT LOW LEVEL DEPTH...VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS IN PLACE. TOWERING CUMULUS HAVE STARTED TO DEVELOP ...WITH THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY POPPING TO THE SOUTH OF THE CWA. VERY WEAK WIND SHEAR PROFILES WILL NOT PROMOTE MUCH MOVEMENT WITH STORMS... SO MOST LIKELY STORMS WE SEE WILL FIRE IN OUR CWA AS CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURE IS REACHED AND TERRAIN INFLUENCES HELP OUT THE CAUSE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. HAVE MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CWA FOR MUCH OF THE EVENING. CONSIDERED GOING WITH CHANCE... BUT FELT SLIGHT CHANCE WOULD BETTER HANDLE THE COVERAGE. AS WE HEAD INTO FRIDAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD FIRE EARLIER...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH AS PREFRONTAL WAVE MOVES INTO THE AREA. 12Z NAM/GFS SEEM TO HINT AT SOME PREFRONTAL ACTIVITY...SO WILL GO WITH CHANCE POPS NORTH AND WEST AND SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THE FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST FROM THE FRONT. FRIDAY NIGHT WILL SEE INCREASING POPS CWA WIDE AS THE MAIN LINE OF PRECIPITATION ENTERS THE CWA. HAVE MAINTAINED LOW END LIKELY FOR ALL OF CWA...MAINLY DURING MID MORNING ON SATURDAY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY WITH WIND PROFILES SUFFERING AS WELL. HOWEVER...WITH FORCING FROM THE FRONT AND MORE SHEAR THAN ANY OF THE PULSE STORMS SEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...A SEVERE STORM OR TWO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE EASTER PART OF THE CWA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SATURDAY AND WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A SEVERE STORM OR TWO. PERHAPS THE BIGGER THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT AS VERY DEEP MOIST COLUMN...SOMEWHAT SLOWER STORM MOTION ...AND PWATS ABOVE AN INCH AND A HALF SUPPORT HEAVY RAINFALL AT TIMES. WILL MENTION THESE THREATS IN THE HWO. WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ALL THE WAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS 12Z NAM SHOWS REDEVELOPMENT RIGHT ON THE FRONT AS IT PASSES. THE FRONT FINALLY PASSES SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH MUCH DRIER AIR AND MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES AWAITING BEHIND IT. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES AS LATEST GUIDANCE VALUES SEEMED PRETTY REASONABLE COMPARED TO PREVIOUS FORECASTS. HAVE INCLUDED PATCHY VALLEY FOG FOR TONIGHT...HOWEVER WITH MORE CLOUD COVER THAN LAST NIGHT AND STRONGER SURFACE WINDS...EXCEPT IN DEEP VALLEYS...FOG MAY NOT BE MUCH OF AN ISSUE AT ALL. ZFP WILL BE OUT SHORTLY. .LONG TERM.../SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...UPDATED THE FOCUS FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD WILL DEAL WITH THE EXIT OF A COLD FRONT AND THE APPROACH OF A SECONDARY FRONT. SUNDAY SHOULD BE DRY AS HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY TAKES OVER BEFORE THE APPROACH OF A SECONDARY WAVE EMBEDDED IN THE EASTERN CONUS H5 TROUGH. HAVE GONE WITH CHANCE POPS...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64 ...WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS EVERYWHERE ELSE AS FRONT BEGINS TO WASH OUT OVER THE AREA. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL LINGER THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AS UPSLOPE FLOW BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE ANY LINGERING MOISTURE. THE REST OF THE EXTENDED LOOKS TO BE DRY AND UNEVENTFUL AS A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT STARTING TUESDAY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS FOR THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT ON MONDAY DO SHOW WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY WITH PRETTY DESCENT SPEED SHEAR. THESE INGREDIENTS SHOULD PROVIDE A CHANCE FOR A FEW ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS. WILL MENTION THUNDERSTORMS IN THE ZFP AND MENTION THE POSSIBILITY FOR A FEW STRONG STORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. AS FAR AS THE TIMING OF THE FRONT GOES...GFS SOLUTION HAS COME IN A LITTLE FASTER. DECIDED TO BLEND BETWEEN ECMWF/GEFS ALONG WITH HPC THINKING. KEPT TEMPERATURES GENERALLY JUST ABOVE GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED WITH A FEW MINOR TWEAKS HERE AND THERE. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP THROUGH EAST KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT FOR THE MOST PART THE PREVAILING CONDITIONS AT ALL THE TAF SITES WILL BE VFR. HAVE CARRIED VCTS AND CB INTO THE EVENING FOR THESE LOCATIONS...BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY KEEPING A CIG OR VIS RESTRICTION OUT OF THE TAFS. SHOULD A THUNDERSTORM MOVE OVER A SITE...MVFR VIS AND CIGS WOULD LIKELY OCCUR FOR A BRIEF TIME. QUITE WEATHER NIGHT WILL KEEP THE TAFS CLEAN AFTER 02Z...LEAVING ANY BR OUT FOR NOW. THEN ON FRIDAY HAVE INTRODUCED THE POSSIBILITY OF A VCTS AND CB FOR THE ENTIRE AREA AS THAT FRONT COMES CLOSER. EXPECT BETTER COVERAGE LATER IN THE DAY THAT WILL LIKELY NEED PREVAILING RESTRICTIONS IN FUTURE TAF ISSUANCES. WINDS WILL STAY FROM THE SOUTH AT UP TOWARD 10 KTS DURING THE DAY AND LIGHT AT NIGHT. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...SCHOETTMER LONG TERM...SCHOETTMER AVIATION...GREIF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 600 AM EDT THU JUN 12 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-131100- 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- 600 AM EDT THU JUN 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD CONTAIN HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. THE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE ISOLATED FLOODING PROBLEMS IN AREAS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY CONTAIN HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. A BETTER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES AND MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON WITH REPORTS OF FLOODING OR RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH. WJM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1106 AM EDT THU JUN 12 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0156 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 S FURNACE 37.75N 83.83W
06/10/2008 ESTILL KY NWS STORM SURVEY
A NWS STORM SURVEY CONCLUDED THAT A MICROBURST DOWNED 20
TO 30 TREES AND SNAPPED A RADIO TOWER. THE TIME WAS
ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
SCHOETTMERThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:26 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
One tree was blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts on Route 378 or about 5 miles off Highway 30.
Two trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts on Highway 30 between the Breathitt Magoffin county line and Highway 542.
The roof was blown of the elevator shaft at the top of the five story tall Citizens National Bank building.
Several trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts along Highway 114.
Trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down by thundestorm wind gusts.
Some trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Trees were blown down along Pigeonroost Branch.
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, June 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: 108464, 108465, 108466, 108467, 108468, 108469, 108470, 108471.