Isolated thunderstorms moved along the Ohio River and created flash flooding in an area where recent heavy rainfall had saturated the soil. Most of the flooding occurred over roadways near creeks that were already running high before the rainfall began, and resulted in the closure of several roads.
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 LMK wrote it up.
Isolated thunderstorms moved along the Ohio River and created flash flooding in an area where recent heavy rainfall had saturated the soil. Most of the flooding occurred over roadways near creeks that were already running high before the rainfall began, and resulted in the closure of several roads.
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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 10, 7:20 PM EST, 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 820 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 ...UPDATED FOR 00Z AVIATION... .MESOSCALE UPDATE AT 810 PM... AS OF 8 PM...LINE OF STRONG STORMS HAS PUSHED EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 ACROSS JEFFERSON COUNTY. HEAVY RAIN WILL QUICKLY PUSH EAST OF JEFFERSON COUNTY KENTUCKY WITH ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE LOUISVILLE AREA EXPECTED TO TALLY AROUND 1 INCH WITH LOCALLY OVER 2 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION EAST OF DOWNTOWN AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64. NO ADDITION WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA AND THE LOUISVILLE METRO AREA AFTER 9 PM EDT. SCATTERED STORMS ACROSS THE BLUEGRASS REGION ARE DIMINISHING AS WELL. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST ACROSS SPENCER AND SHELBY COUNTIES AND INTO NELSON COUNTY THROUGH 9 PM EDT. && .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND TOMORROW)... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY A FEW OF THESE STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED WITH ELEVATED HIGHER REFLECTIVITY CORES. IN ADDITION A LINE OF STORMS IS FORMING ACROSS A BOUNDARY IN SOUTHERN INDIANA AND THIS WILL SLOWLY SAG SOUTHWARD. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE AREA. WITH PWAT VALUES AROUND TWO INCHES EXPECT THAT ALONG WITH SMALL HAIL OR GUSTY WINDS ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE POTENTIALLY BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. AS THE DAYTIME HEATING WANES TONIGHT EXPECT THAT CONVECTION WILL BEGIN TO DIE OFF...THOUGH CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM OVERNIGHT. TOMORROW A THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN EXPECTED AS A COLD FRONT TRAVERSES THE FORECAST AREA. THE ATMOSPHERE LOOKS TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO RECOVER TONIGHT AND PWATS RETURN TO AROUND TWO INCHES BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THEREFORE ANY STORMS THAT FORM ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ACROSS MAINLY THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA AND THESE MAY ALSO HAVE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S EXPECT THE LOWS TONIGHT TO BOTTOM OUT AROUND THESE VALUES. HIGHS TOMORROW WILL BE A COUPLE DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY DUE TO AMPLE CLOUD COVER AND COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH. .LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT-MONDAY)... MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT AT START OF PERIOD WITH SHORTWAVE ACROSS CENTRAL IL TUESDAY NIGHT. CONVECTION WILL HAVE ACCESS TO PLENTY OF MOISTURE WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS AROUND 2 INCHES. STILL...MODELS HAVE SHIFTED FOCUS FOR THE HEAVIEST RAINS TO JUST TO THE SOUTH OF OUR CWA. DO NOT WANT TO BACK OFF YET ON THE HEAVY RAINFALL WORDING IN HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS THOUGH GIVEN THE PARAMETERS MENTIONED ABOVE. WILL KEEP IN CHANCE OF STORM WORDING FOR THE OVERNIGHT...BUT HAVE HIGHEST POPS TO THE SOUTH. THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE COME INTO ALIGNMENT NOW WITH PUSHING THE UPPER TROUGH THROUGH THE REGION WEDNESDAY THEN DEVELOPING A CUTOFF LOW SOUTH OF THE REGION THURSDAY. THE NAM IS KEEPING WITH ITS PREVIOUS FORECAST OF AN UPPER CUTOFF DEVELOPING ACROSS THE STATE WEDNESDAY AND REMAINING TILL FRIDAY. AGAIN...CUTOFF LOWS ARE DIFFICULT TO FORECAST IN ADVANCE...BUT THE TREND RIGHT NOW IS FOR THE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW TO STAY TO OUR SOUTH. WILL KEEP IN HIGHEST POPS...IN THE SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE...OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE THAT REGION WILL BE GENERALLY DRY AS RIDGING TRIES TO BUILD IN. DGEX HANGS ON TO AN UPPER LOW ACROSS THE STATE SATURDAY...BUT WILL CONTINUE PREVIOUS FORECAST THINKING TO KEEP US DRY FOR NOW. BY MONDAY WILL SEE SOME MOISTURE COMING UP FROM THE GULF THAT MAY BRING SHOWER CHANCES BACK INTO THE FORECAST. INHIBITING FACTOR THERE HOWEVER IS THE H5 RIDGE THAT THE GFS PARKS OVER THE TOP OF THAT MOISTURE. WILL GO WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR NOW. && .AVIATION (00Z TAFS)... OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM STORMS TO THE NORTH WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS TO KSDF OVER THE NEXT HOUR. MAY ALSO SEE STORMS INITIATE ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...SO HAVE GONE WITH A TEMPO GROUP FOR IFR VSBYS AND MVFR CIGS. STORMS SHOULD WANE WITH LACK OF HEATING...BUT EXPECT A ROUND OF AT LEAST MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS WITH MOIST LOW LEVELS TOWARD MORNING. ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE FORECAST TOMORROW AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. HAVE VICINITY STORMS IN WITH THE LATEST ROUND OF TAFS. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SHORT TERM...EES/JSD LONG TERM....RJS AVIATION.....RJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 351 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-110730- ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN- CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY- BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY- JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY- SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY- FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY- MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY- GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-BUTLER KY-EDMONSON KY-HART KY-GREEN KY- TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-LINCOLN KY-LOGAN KY-WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY- ALLEN KY-BARREN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY-ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY- CUMBERLAND KY-CLINTON KY- 351 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 /251 PM CDT MON AUG 10 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STRONG STORMS WILL BE OVER SOUTHERN INDIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. SOME SMALL HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ON TUESDAY A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ENERGIZE THE FRONT...RESULTING IN THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE DAY. LOCALLY TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS...AND LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY ANY STORMS THAT OCCUR. ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN REGIONS THAT RECEIVE HIGHER RAINFALL TOTALS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER MAINLY OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY AS WELL AS THE BLUEGRASS REGION TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE SAME REGION WILL MAINTAIN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR STORMS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY WIND DAMAGE OR HAIL THIS AFTERNOON. EES/RJS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 551 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 INZ084-090>092-KYZ031>033-102230- CLARK-CRAWFORD-FLOYD-HARRISON-HENRY-OLDHAM-TRIMBLE- 551 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 ...A BROKEN LINE OF STRONG STORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA... AT 544 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A BROKEN LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES WEST OF BEDFORD...ACROSS WASHINGTON AND SCOTT COUNTIES...INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY INDIANA. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO HENRY AND OLDHAM COUNTIES KENTUCKY BY 6 PM EDT. FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE INCH PER HOUR REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE...AND GUSTY WINDS OF AROUND 35 TO 40 MPH...ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS RADIO... WEATHER.GOV/LOUISVILLE ON THE INTERNET...OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. && JSD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
637 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0622 PM LIGHTNING FLOYDS KNOBS 38.32N 85.87W
08/10/2009 FLOYD IN BROADCAST MEDIA
HOUSE FIRE FROM LIGHTNING STRIKE ON LOI ROAD
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK0900094
RLSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 653 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 INZ083-084-089>092-KYZ023>025-029>031-033>038-040>043-110015- BOURBON-BRECKINRIDGE-BULLITT-CLARK-CRAWFORD-DUBOIS-FAYETTE-FLOYD- FRANKLIN-HANCOCK-HARRISON-HENRY-JEFFERSON-MEADE-NICHOLAS-OLDHAM- PERRY-SCOTT-SHELBY-SPENCER-WOODFORD- 653 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 ...BROKEN LINE OF STORMS WILL SAG SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER INTO NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY... AT 649 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A BROKEN LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING ALL THE WAY FROM PERRY COUNTY ALONG THE OHIO RIVER TO JUST NORTH OF LOUISVILLE AND FARTHER EAST TO JUST NORTH OF FRANKFORT. THIS LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS BROKEN LINE WILL AFFECT MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64 BY 8 PM EDT. FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...SCATTERED HEAVY RAIN WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE INCH PER HOUR REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE...AND GUSTY WINDS OF AROUND 35 TO 40 MPH...ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... BE AWARE THAT A GUST FRONT PRECEDING THESE STORMS WILL GENERATE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WELL BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF ANY RAIN. && JSD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
744 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0735 PM FLOOD NEW ALBANY 38.30N 85.83W
08/10/2009 FLOYD IN BROADCAST MEDIA
STREET FLOODING REPORTED IN NEW ALBANY
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK0900095
RJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
745 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0742 PM FLASH FLOOD FLOYDS KNOBS 38.32N 85.87W
08/10/2009 FLOYD IN BROADCAST MEDIA
WATER RESCUE ALONG HWY 150
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK0900096
RJSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 819 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 KYZ024-028-029-034-038-045-110100- BRECKINRIDGE-BULLITT-HARDIN-NELSON-SHELBY-SPENCER- 819 PM EDT MON AUG 10 2009 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TOWARDS HARDIN...BULLITT...SPENCER AND SHELBY COUNTIES... AT 807 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES EAST OF SHELBYVILLE TO 7 MILES WEST OF BARDSTOWN TO 10 MILES WEST OF ELIZABETHTOWN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE INCH PER HOUR REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF AROUND 45 TO 50 MPH...ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THESE STORMS WILL BE... NEAR ELIZABETHTOWN AROUND 815 PM EDT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... BE AWARE THAT A GUST FRONT PRECEDING THESE STORMS WILL GENERATE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WELL BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF ANY RAIN. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS RADIO... WEATHER.GOV/LOUISVILLE ON THE INTERNET...OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. && JSD
The Louisville radar (KLVX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:29 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Eighteen inches of water was covering HWY 362 in Pewee Valley.
Highway 22 was closed between Chamberlain Lane and Murphy Lane. Water three feet deep was over the road at Craigs Creek and Hite Creek.
Highway 2871 was closed four miles west of Bedford with two feet of water flowing over the road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, 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: 193344, 193346, 193350.