A complex of severe thunderstorms moved across the region during the evening.
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 ILN wrote it up.
A complex of severe thunderstorms moved across the region during the evening.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 20, 3:21 PM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 421 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 .SYNOPSIS... RIPPLES OF LOW PRESSURE ALONG A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TUESDAY. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL END BY TUESDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT SAGS SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD IN WITH DRIER COOLER WEATHER. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY MORNING/... SVR TS WATCH #710 HAS GONE INTO EFFECT COVERING INDIANA COS AND NRN KY WEST OF INTERSTATE 75 THRU 01Z. SCT CONVECTION HAS DVLPD IN AN ARC FROM EAST CNTRL ILLINOIS E/SE INTO SE INDIANA. APPEARS THERE IS A SUBTLE DEWPT BNDRY CONTRIBUTING TO ENHANCED MOISTURE CONVERGENCE INVOF THE AFOREMENTIONED CONVECTION. ALSO...WEAK MID LVL S/WV OVER ERN ILLINOIS IS LIKELY CONTRIBUTING TO TSTM ENHANCEMENT OVER LAST HOUR OR SO. TEMPS HAD WARMED INTO THE U80S/L90S ACRS MUCH OF THE FCST AREA ONCE AGAIN THIS AFTN. MESOANALYSIS INDCG THAT THE TSTMS CURRENTLY OVER SE INDIANA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO A UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT OVER WRN FCST AREA AS MLCAPES MAXED AT 2000-2500 J/KG. HOWEVER...SLIGHTLY DRIER AIRMASS EXISTS OVER SW OHIO...EVIDENCED BY TDS IN THE M/U60S. WITH WEAKLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT ACRS OH VLY...EXPECT TSTMS TO BE DRIVEN BY INSTABILITY AND SUBTLE BNDRYS/OUTFLOWS INTO THE EVNG HOURS. BEST THREAT FOR ANY TSTMS TO PULSE UP TO SVR LIMITS WILL BE ACRS SW FCST AREA AND HAVE INSERTED HIGHEST POPS IN THIS AREA. WITH MAX DELTA THETA-E VALUES IN THE 20-25K RANGE FOR NEXT FEW HOURS...DMG WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN. ELSEWHERE ACRS FCST AREA...WILL MAINTAIN CHC POPS INTO THE EVNG HOURS AS A FEW TSTMS ARE CERTAINLY POSSIBLE IN MOIST UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. TSTMS SHOULD DIMINISH WITH NIGHTFALL AS ATMOSPHERE STABILIZES. MAJORITY OF THE MODEL DATA CONSISTENT WITH BRINGING DRIER AIR INTO REGION BRIEFLY TONIGHT AND HAVE MAINTAINED DRY FCST FOR ENTIRE FCST AREA AFT MIDNIGHT. CANNOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT AN ISOLD TSTM OVERNIGHT BUT CHANCES LOOK LOW ENUF ATTM TO KEEP OUT OF FCST. FOCUS WILL THEN SHIFT TO EXPECTED CONVECTIVE DVLPMNT IN THE MID MISSISSIPPI VLY LATE TONIGHT. IT IS LIKELY THAT ANY HIGH CLOUDS FROM CONVECTION TO THE WEST MAY SNEAK INTO WRN FCST AREA NEAR DAYBREAK. WITH STAGNANT AIRMASS OVERNIGHT SOME LOCALIZED BR/FG WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE...ESPECIALLY IN ANY AREAS THAT RECEIVE RAINFALL OVER NEXT FEW HOURS. TEMPS...LEANED OVERNIGHT LOWS TOWARDS SLIGHTLY WARMER MET WITH TEMPS BOTTOMING OUT IN THE U60S AND L70S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... SHORT TERM FCST WILL BE DRIVEN BY MESOSCALE PROCESSES AS SVRL MID LVL S/WVS RIPPLE THRU THE OH VLY AROUND THE BASE OF A SHARPENING UPR TROF. AT THE SFC...A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SLOWLY THRU REGION MON NIGHT AND TUES. CONTINUED LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE DETAILS DUE TO MODEL UNCERTAINTY... BUT DOES APPEAR BETTER THREAT FOR ORGANIZED TSTMS WILL EXIST DURING THE AFTN/EVNG HOURS ONCE AGAIN MONDAY AS A S/WV MOVES THRU REGION. POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR A MORE ENHANCED THREAT FOR SVR WX MON AFTN AS SLIGHTLY BETTER DYNAMICS WILL BE IN PLACE ACRS THE REGION THAT WHAT IS BEING EXPERIENCED THIS AFTN. UPR JETLET WILL BE IN PLACE ACRS THE LWR GRT LKS MON AFTN/EVNG AS ENERGY CONTINUES TO LOAD INTO THE BASE OF THE TROF. LO LVL MOISTURE POOLING COMBINED WITH MLCAPES ABV 2000 J/KG BY THE AFTN AND THE AFOREMENTIONED DYNAMICS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MORE WIDESPREAD TSTM COVERAGE...ESPECIALLY ACRS NRN 1/2 FCST AREA WHERE BL SHEAR VALUES WILL BE HIGHER. HAVE INSERTED 50 POPS ACRS NRN FCST AREA WITH LOWER POPS FURTHER SOUTH. WILL LINGER PCPN CHANCES ALL NIGHT MON NIGHT AS FRNTL BNDRY WILL BE LOCATED ACRS FCST AREA. UPR TROF AXIS WILL REMAIN IN THE REGION ON TUES WITH FRNTL BNDRY SETTLING NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. THIS WILL KEEP UNSETTLED PATTERN ACRS REGION WITH ADDL TSTM ACTIVITY. FOCUS FOR BEST PCPN COVERAGE WILL BE ACRS SRN 1/2 FCST AREA...IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE FRNTL BNDRY AND AHEAD OF THE APPCHG UPR TROF AXIS. FCST HIGHLY UNCERTAIN FOR TUES AFTN/NIGHT. UPR TROF SHOULD HELP BUMP THE FRNTL BNDRY SLOWLY SOUTH INTO THE TN VLY AND BRING PCPN CHANCES TO AN END ACRS REGION BY TUES EVNG...IN LINE WITH 00Z/12Z ECMWF/GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN/AND 12Z NAM. 12Z OP GFS APPEARS TO BE AN OUTLIER ATTM WRT TO HANGING THE UPR TROF AXIS MUCH FURTHER BACK TO THE SOUTH AND WEST ACRS THE GRT LKS TUES NIGHT AND CONSEQUENTLY KEEPING THE FCST AREA IN AN UNSETTLED PATTERN. SHOULD MODEL CONSENSUS SHIFT TO THE 12Z GFS SOLN THEN PCPN CHANCES WILL BE NEEDED FOR TUES NIGHT. AT THIS POINT HOWEVER...WILL DRY IT OUT TUES NIGHT WITH SKIES CLEARING LATE AS SFC HI PRES BUILDS INTO THE REGION. TEMPS...TRENDED TOWARDS COOLER FWC/MET GUID FOR HIGHS MON AS MAV GUID CONTINUES TO EXHIBIT WARM BIAS. WENT NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABV GUID FOR HIGHS ON TUES. NEAR MAV GUID FOR LOWS MON/TUES NIGHTS. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... HAVE TAKEN A BLEND OF THE OPERATIONAL ECMWF AND GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN...WHICH IS IN LINE WITH THE HPC FORECAST. UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW ACROSS THE ERN GREAT LAKES/SE CANADA/NEW ENGLAND REGION ON WEDNESDAY WILL GRADUALLY PIVOT NORTHWARD TOWARD NRN QUEBEC BY THURSDAY. LATEST MODEL RUNS SUGGEST THAT THIS FEATURE MAY END UP BEING FARTHER WEST ON WEDNESDAY THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. DO NOT WANT TO JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON JUST YET...THUS...WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOVING EAST OF THE REGION BY FRIDAY MORNING. FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...MODELS CONTINUE TO DROP A WEAK COLD FRONT ACRS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THIS TIME FRAME. WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCE POPS AT THIS TIME. AGAIN...MOST RECENT OPERATIONAL RUNS SUGGEST THAT THIS FRONT MAY BE A LITTLE SLOWER. HOWEVER...GIVEN HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO PINPOINT TIMING IN A NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN ALOFT...FEEL THAT IT IS PRUDENT ATTM TO NOT TWEAK WITH FRONTAL POSITION TIMING JUST YET. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BUILD BACK IN THE REGION ON SUNDAY. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...THEY WILL AVERAGE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THEREAFTER...THEY WILL AVERAGE NEAR NORMAL VALUES. && .AVIATION /20Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... CONVECTION SHOULD STAY E OF CMH/LCK TAF SITES THIS AFTERNOON. REST OF TAFS SHOULD BE LIMITED IN CLOUDS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY WITH ONLY SOME MID LEVEL 8-10KFT SPILLOVER FROM CONVECTION THAT WILL FIRE OVER CENTRAL INDIANA. AN ISOLATED STORM MAY RIDE SE WITH THIS LINE OF CONVECTION BUT ATTM IT THE AIRMASS IS MAKING FORECASTING PLACEMENT OF CONVECTIVE CELLS VERY DIFFICULT. WILL AMEND FCST IF UPSTREAM CONVECTION FIRES AND EXHIBITS PERSISTENCE THIS EVENING. CU AND POSSIBLE SHOWERS WILL AGAIN BE A REAL POSSIBILITY DURING THE DAY TOMORROW. HAZE WILL MIX OUT SOME THIS AFTERNOON BUT DEWPOINTS SHOULD RISE BACK UP AS WINDS SLACKEN AND MORNING RESTRICTIONS TO VSBYS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE MVFR RANGE...LOWER AT KLUK. MVFR VISIBILITIES WILL SETTLE IN AFTER 08Z...WITH IFR LIKELY AT KLUK. OUTLOOK...TSTMS POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...RYAN NEAR TERM...RYAN SHORT TERM...RYAN LONG TERM...HICKMAN AVIATION...FRANKS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 323 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089-090-094-211930- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-OWEN- 323 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 710 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. KYZ091>093-095>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046-051>056-060>065-070>074- 077>082-088-211930- BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-GRANT-PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS- HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE-SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON-FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE- FAYETTE OH-PICKAWAY-FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING- HAMILTON-CLERMONT-BROWN-HIGHLAND-ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 323 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 422 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 INZ074-075-KYZ091-202100- DEARBORN IN-OHIO IN-BOONE KY- 422 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT BOONE...OHIO AND SOUTHERN DEARBORN COUNTIES THROUGH 500 PM EDT... AT 418 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED NEAR MOUNT SINAI...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 34 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE... GREENDALE...AURORA...LAWRENCEBURG...HARTFORD...PETERSBURG...FRENCH... IDLEWILD...RISING SUN...FRANCISVILLE...BELLEVIEW...RABBIT HASH AND WATERLOO. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO OCCUR. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES LEADING KILLERS. REMEMBER... IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. THIS STORM WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD ROADS...DITCHES AND LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE INTO PLACES WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD AND AVOID FLOOD PRONE AREAS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 449 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 KYZ091>093-202130- BOONE KY-CAMPBELL KY-KENTON KY- 449 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT KENTON...CAMPBELL AND BOONE COUNTIES THROUGH 530 PM EDT... AT 448 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED NEAR OAKBROOK...MOVING EAST AT 36 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE... BEAVERLICK...VILLA HILLS...CRESCENT SPRINGS...CRESCENT PARK... ELSMERE...ERLANGER...CRESTVIEW HILLS...RICHWOOD...LAKESIDE PARK... FORT MITCHELL...PARK HILLS AND VERONA. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ALSO OCCUR. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES LEADING KILLERS. REMEMBER... IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. THIS STORM WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD ROADS...DITCHES AND LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE INTO PLACES WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD AND AVOID FLOOD PRONE AREAS. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT. IF THIS STORM BECOME STRONGER...THEN A WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
514 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM TSTM WND DMG FORT THOMAS 39.08N 84.45W
07/20/2008 CAMPBELL KY PUBLIC
LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
&&The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Large tree limbs were downed. A hay barn along State Route 32 east of Mount Orab had its door pulled off. An adjacent three inch diameter tree was knocked down.
Trees were downed.
Multiple trees were knocked down on power lines.
A 30 foot travel trailer was severely damaged by the thunderstorm winds. Trees were downed throughout the southern part of the county.
Several homes had shingles peeled off their roofs and antennas knocked down. Large tree limbs were also downed.
A half dozen trees and accompanying large limbs were knocked down, including several along State Route 140 north of Wheelersburg.
Numerous trees were knocked down across the western Cincinnati suburbs.
Trees were knocked down along Frank Willis Memorial Drive.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, 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: 123112, 123114, 123113, 123115, 123119, 123116, 123117, 123118.