A moist and unstable atmosphere led to the formation of several areas of showers and thunderstorms during the overnight and early morning hours of August 12th. The resulting rainfall and runoff from these showers and storms led to flooding problems for portions of eastern Kentucky, particularly in Leslie county, where numerous reports of flooding were received.
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.
A moist and unstable atmosphere led to the formation of several areas of showers and thunderstorms during the overnight and early morning hours of August 12th. The resulting rainfall and runoff from these showers and storms led to flooding problems for portions of eastern Kentucky, particularly in Leslie county, where numerous reports of flooding were received.
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 Aug 11, 9:44 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1044 PM EDT TUE AUG 11 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT/...UPDATED ONLY MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST. A MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ITS ASSOCIATED VERY WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST TONIGHT...PROVIDING CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. HOWEVER...COVERAGE SHOULD STILL BE SPOTTY...AND 20-30 PERCENT POPS SHOULD SUFFICE. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/ CURRENT FRONT ALIGNED FROM TOL TO IND TO STL. IT SI SLOWLY MOVING TO THE SE AND MOST OF THE PCPN IS WELL AHEAD OF THE FNT WHERE MID AND UPPER LVL DISTURBANCES ARE PROVIDING THE LIFT TO INITIATE CONVECTION. EXPECTING A LUL IN THE ACTIVITY UNTIL THE NEXT S/WV CAN PULL THE WIDELY SCT SHRA IN WRN KY INTO THE AREA. THAT SHOULD OCCUR AROUND SUNSET AND BY THEN WE WILL BE LOSING THE SFC HEATING THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE INITIAL LIFT. FNTL BNDRY IS FCST TO PASS THRU THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND BY MORNING WE SHOULD ONLY SEE SCATTERED ACTIVITY IN THE ERN MTNS. EXPECTING A SLIGHT RESURGENCE OF THE CONVECTION IN THE LATE MORNING BUT WITH THE DRIER AIR WORKING INTO THE FOOTHILLS THE PCPN SHOULD ALL PULL TO THE MTNS AND GRADUALLY END DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE LACK OF PCPN AND CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT WILL ALLOW VALLEY FOG TO FORM THAT MAY SPILL UP THE HILL SLOPES WITH A VERY LIGHT WRLY FLOW TO THE WIND. SUN WILL BREAK UP THE FOG IN THE MORNING AND RESIDUAL MOISTURE LIFTING WITH THE MORNING MIXING MAY LIFT INTO ISOLD SHRA/TSRA. DRIER AND COOLER AIR BEHIND THE DEPARTING FNT WILL KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK IN SPITE OF COPIOUS SUNSHINE. LOOK FOR MID 60S LOWS TONIGHT TO FALL INTO THE LOWER 60S WED NIGHT WITH DRIER AIR IN PLACE. HIGHS ON WED WILL ONLY CLIMB INTO THE MID 80S WHICH IS A FEW DEG BELOW GFS MOS AND MORE IN LINE WITH THE COOLER NAM NUMBERS. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/ ONLY MINIMAL CHANGES MADE TO DAYS 3-7 OF THE FORECAST. WITH THE ECMWF AND GFS MODELS BOTH STILL SUGGESTING DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY PERIOD...AND WITH CHANCE POPS STILL SHOWING UP IN BOTH THE HPC AND MEXMOS GUIDANCE...DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THE PREVIOUS TREND OF DIURNAL PRECIPITATION. THE ONE CHANGE MADE HERE...HOWEVER...WAS TO LOWER PRECIP CHANCES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...AS SOME UNCERTAINTY DOES EXIST IN THE MODELS AS TO THE TRACK OF AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE UP THE EAST COAST OVER THE WEEKEND...AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF QPF ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE LOW. THE MEXMOS CONTINUES TO BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH WITH TEMPERATURES...WITH THE 12Z RUN ONCE AGAIN GOING SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN THE 0Z RUN. WITH THIS IN MIND...TEMPERATURES WERE LEFT ESSENTIALLY AS IS DAYS 3-7. DEWPOINTS...WINDS...AND SKY COVER WERE ALSO IN GOOD SHAPE...WITH FEW IF ANY CHANGES MADE THERE EITHER. && .AVIATION.../00Z TO 24Z/ ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE GRADUALLY COMING TO AN END ACROSS THE AREA WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE AREA OF MID LEVEL DEBRIS CLOUDS TO DEAL WITH...WHICH WILL LIKELY HELP KEEP TEMPS UP A BIT. WITH CLOUD COVER...WENT A BIT MORE OPTIMISTIC ON OVERNIGHT VISBYS ASSOCIATED WITH FOG AS COMPARED WITH MODEL GUIDANCE. THE THREAT OF CONVECTION WILL REMAIN THROUGH MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE LOW ENOUGH TO WARRANT THE MENTION OF ONLY A CB CLOUD GROUP FOR SEVERAL HOURS THIS EVENING...THEN AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY/HAL LONG TERM....AR AVIATION...RAY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 412 PM EDT TUE AUG 11 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-122315- 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- 412 PM EDT TUE AUG 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG AND PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. JJ/DUSTY
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:00 UTC.
7 flash flood, 6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Perry county dispatch received a report of flooding in the Big Creek area. Several inches of water were flowing across Highway 1096 near Avawam.
Highway 421 was reported to have been washed away near the intersection with Highway 406. A driver who was not aware that the road was washed drove his car into the flood waters at this location and had to take refuge in a tree after his car became flooded.
Army Trail Road was reported to be flooded and flood water was also reported to be over a bridge in this area.
KY Highway 2009 was reported to be washed away and in another section flood water was reported to be over a bridge.
Water was reported to be over a bridge along Coon Creek Road.
High water was covering Highway 421 in southern Leslie county. Multiple mudslides were also reported with sections of the road having broken off.
Six inches to a foot of water was reported over a roadway near Cutshin Creek.
Big Valley Road was reported to be under water.
High water was reported over KY Highway 699.
Flood water was reported to be across KY Highway 80.
A man continues to be stranded in a tree in Stinnet and emergency workers are having trouble getting to him. Highway 421 in Cutshin is closed due to flooding.
Flood water was reported to be up to a residence near the grade school.
High water from Beech Fork in southern Leslie county was beginning to threaten a home.
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: 191367, 191391, 191411, 191415, 191417, 191379, 191384, 191420, 191422, 191423, 191426, 191427, 191428.