A couple of storms became severe as they intensified during the heat of the day. The storms occurred in the zone of strongest southerly low-level winds ahead of a cold front over western Illinois.
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 PAH wrote it up.
A couple of storms became severe as they intensified during the heat of the day. The storms occurred in the zone of strongest southerly low-level winds ahead of a cold front over western Illinois.
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 Aug 4, 3:35 AM EST, 8 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 335 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 .DISCUSSION... FORECAST ISSUES CONTINUE TO CENTER AROUND TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF SEVERAL POSSIBLE CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES THAT SHOULD AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE QUAD STATE REGION TODAY THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. ELEVATED MCS SEEMS TO BE GETTING ITS ACT TOGETHER EARLY THIS MORNING OVER NRN MO...WITH AID OF LOW LVL MOIST JET AND MID LVL SHORT WAVE HEADING ESE THROUGH NE. ONLY MODEL THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A CLUE AS TO THIS INITIATION IS THE NCEP 4KM WRF...WHICH TAKES THE COMPLEX INT OUR NRN COUNTIES THIS AM...THEN BACK BUILDS THE COMPLEX DOWN JUST EAST OF THE MS RVR INTO SRN IL AND WRN KY THIS AFTERNOON. WILL FOLLOW CLOSE TO THIS SOLUTION FOR NOW...RESULTING IN HIGH CHC AND LIKELY POPS TODAY OVER MUCH OF IL/IN/KY ZONES. IN ADDITION...AS WITH ANY MCS...WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE COMPLEX...AND HEAVY RAINFALL WITH THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. THE MESOSCALE PICTURE CONTINUES QUITE MUDDLED TUE NIGHT THROUGH THU TIME FRAME. MODELS INDICATE A WEAK BOUNDARY WILL DRIFT SOUTH TO THE VICINITY OF THE INTERSTATE 64 CORRIDOR. THE BOUNDARY WILL BE VERY DIFFUSE BY THAT TIME. HOWEVER...SCATTERED ACTIVITY IS STILL EXPECTED IN THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS AS WAVES OF MID LVL ENERGY CONTINUE TO DIVE SE IN BROAD H50 NW FLOW /AKA RING OF FIRE/. GFS/ECMWF NOW STARTING TO SUGGEST A DECENT WAVE HEADING S ACROSS THE STALLED OUT FRONT LATER WED INTO WED NIGHT...AND MAY FOCUS FURTHER S/W...OVER THE SW THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA. AS FAR AS SHORT TEMPS TEMPS...WILL SHAVE SOME OFF MOS MAX TEMPS NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...AS MOS HAS BEEN RUNNING A BIT HIGH LATELY...AND WE COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT PERIODS OF CLOUD COVER FROM EITHER PRECIP OR DEBRIS FROM COMPLEXES. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF THE LONGER RANGE MODELS IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE SUPPORTIVE OF A VERY HOT AND HUMID UPCOMING WEEKEND...WITH FRIDAY BEING KIND OF A TRANSITION DAY. WILL MAINTAIN SOME ISOLATED CHC POPS N/E SAT FOR NOW...BUT WILL LIKELY BE REMOVED IF MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE. FOCUS FOR THE WEEKEND WILL LIKELY BE ON HEAT AND MUCH LESS ON RAINFALL. WE COULD EASILY SEE WEEKEND HEAT INDICES APPROACHING/EXCEEDING THE CENTURY MARK...WITH ACTUAL TEMPS IN THE MID 90S. && .AVIATION... CLEAR SKIES AND UNLIMITED VSBY INITIALLY WILL CHANGE AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE DAY. CIRRUS BLOW OFF FROM UPSTREAM MCS WILL OVERTAKE THE AREA THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE EXPECT TSRA TO AFFECT KEVV AND KOWB BETWEEN 17 AND 21Z THIS AFTN. WILL BRING IN VSBY RESTRICTIONS WITH TSRA FOR THAT TIME PERIOD THEN VCNTY TYPE WORDING. SOUTHWEST FLOW AT THE SURFACE WILL CONTINUE. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. && DISCUSSION...MEFFERT AVIATION...KH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 522 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-051030- 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- 522 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. ONE AREA OF CONVECTION WILL LIKELY PROGRESS SOUTHEAST OUT OF MISSOURI AND INTO ILLINOIS THIS MORNING...REACHING THE INTERSTATE 64 CORRIDOR BEFORE NOON. THIS AREA IS THEN EXPECTED TO TRAVERSE SOUTH INTO FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND WESTERN KENTUCKY DURING THE AFTERNOON. ANOTHER COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY FIRE EARLY TONIGHT IN MISSOURI AND HEAD SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE REGION DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE...WHICH COULD LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS...ESPECIALLY WHERE THE GROUND IS STILL SATURATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MAINLY FROM SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...INTO THE SOUTHERN TIP OF ILLINOIS AND FAR WESTERN KENTUCKY. ONCE AGAIN...THE MAIN CONCERNS WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO POSE A HAZARD. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH LATE IN THE WEEK AS HEAT BEGINS TO INCREASE. HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL BUILD TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS LEVELS THIS WEEKEND. THE HEAT INDEX IS FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 100 TO 105 DEGREES EACH AFTERNOON THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF THE REGION. IN ADDITION...SPOTTERS SHOULD RELAY ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1124 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 ILZ078-INZ081-082-087-041730- WABASH IL-PIKE IN-GIBSON IN-WARRICK IN- 1124 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY... AT 1121 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS FROM 40 TO 50 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAZLETON TO PRINCETON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL CROSS PIKE COUNTY THROUGH 1230 PM. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM AS WELL. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...WHICH MAY RESULT IN STANDING WATER ON AREA ROADS. WATER LEVELS IN SMALL CREEKS...STREAMS AND IN DITCHES MAY RISE QUICKLY...ESPECIALLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. MY
The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:50 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were down along Highway 56 on the west side of Petersburg.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, August 2009
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: 187170.