An area of strong thunderstorms dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on portions of eastern Kentucky on August 19th, leading to isolated reports of flash flooding.
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The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
An area of strong thunderstorms dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on portions of eastern Kentucky on August 19th, leading to isolated reports of flash flooding.
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 19, 12:55 PM EST, 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 155 PM EDT WED AUG 19 2009 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/ PLENTY OF MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM NE INTO THE CWA FROM THE GULF COAST REGION IN SOUTHERLY FLOW...WITH PW IN THE 1.6 INCH TO NEARLY 2 INCH RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE SOUTHERN CWA. MODELS ALSO ARE INDICATING A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION THAT SHOULD PASS OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE CONTINUED WITH CATEGORICAL POPS SOUTH AND LIKELY NORTH...WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS UPWARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS BASED ON THE LATEST TRENDS. THE MAIN CONCERN FROM ANY THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING IF ANY TRAINING OCCURS. FFG VALUES ARE AROUND TWO INCHES IN AN HOUR AND TWO TO THREE INCHES IN THREE HOURS...VALUES REACHABLE LOCALLY IN THIS MOIST ENVIRONMENT. SO FAR CONVECTION HAS BEEN RATHER PROGRESSIVE...BUT PWS REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND ADDITIONAL CONVECTION IS ALREADY FORMING OVER EAST TN AND SHOULD AFFECT MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN CWA THIS AFTERNOON. THE HWO IS ALREADY HIGHLIGHTING THIS THREAT. SINCE THERE SHOULD BE SOME BREAKS IN CLOUDS BETWEEN THE SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THE PREVIOUSLY FORECAST HIGHS LOOK REASONABLE AND HAVE LEFT THEM AS IS. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/ GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE MODELS. ALTHOUGH...THE WRF AND GFS DO SHOW DIFFERENCES IN THE DETAILS/SMALL SCALE FEATURES IN THE LATER PERIODS. WE WILL CONTINUE IN A FEED OF GULF MOISTURE UNTIL FRIDAY. THE GREATEST DEEP LAYER MOISTURE SHOULD BE OVER OUR SE COUNTIES TODAY AND TONIGHT AND HAVE USED THE HIGHEST POPS THERE. AFTER TONIGHT IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT TO SHOW A FAVORED AREA FOR PRECIP UNTIL A COLD FRONT ARRIVES AT THE END OF THE PERIOD. TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WENT WITH THE HIGHEST POPS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS AFTER PEAK HEATING MAXIMIZES THE INSTABILITY. HOWEVER...WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AND CONTINUING WARM AIR ADVECTION...MAINTAINED CHANCE POPS THROUGH TONIGHT. A DEEPENING SYNOPTIC SCALE TROUGH OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL CONUS WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG STORM SYSTEM TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE SURFACE LOW SHOULD BE NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST. IT WILL SEND A COLD FRONT INTO THE OHIO VALLEY LATE THURSDAY. WIND FIELDS WILL STRENGTHEN AS THIS HAPPENS...AND COULD POSE A RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH LATE FRIDAY. SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL TAPER OFF BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH THE HIGHEST POPS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT BEING IN OUR SE COUNTIES...BUT ONLY IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY. UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES...PRECIPITABLE WATER WILL BE AROUND 2 INCHES. THIS WOULD SUPPORT A THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...WITHOUT GOOD ORGANIZATION FOR THE CONVECTION UNTIL THE FRONT ARRIVES...SUSPECT THAT IF HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS IT WILL BE LOCALIZED. A BIGGER THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ARRIVE WITH THE FRONT. .LONG TERM.../SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/ AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY WORK EAST INTO THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES AND EASTERN KY BY LATE SAT. THE 12Z GFS AND 12Z ECMWF AND RECENT MODEL RUNS TAKE THE AXIS OF THE TROUGH EAST OF THE AREA BY 12Z SUN. ONCE THE TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST BY EARLY SUN...THE REGION WILL ON AVERAGE BE ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF RIDGING OVER THE ROCKIES AND SOUTHERN PLAINS...WITH UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES PASSING BY IN NW FLOW BETWEEN THE RIDGE AND TROUGHING OVER EASTERN CANADA AND THE NE US POSSIBLY MOVING OVERHEAD...ESPECIALLY ON SUN. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTER IS EXPECTED NEAR FL. THE 12Z GFS AND 12Z ECMWF HAVE DIFFERENCES IN THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN FROM SUN ON...WITH THE 12Z GFS HAVING A WEAK UPPER TROUGH/WEAKNESS LINGERING OVER THE SE...WHILE THE 12Z ECMWF HAS RISING HEIGHTS ON AVERAGE. THE 17/12Z GFS AND THE LAST TWO GFS RUNS HAVE THE WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH/WEAKNESS WHILE THE ECWMF RUNS HAVE MORE OR LESS TRENDED AWAY FROM THIS FEATURE OVER THE PAST FEW RUNS. IN EITHER SCENARIO...WITH HIGHER HEIGHTS AND WARMING ALOFT IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH...TEMPS SHOULD WARM BACK TO THE LOW AND MID 80S BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. HELD ONTO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ON SAT WITH THE UPPER TROUGH STILL WORKING ACROSS THE REGION. AN ADDITIONAL WEAK DISTURBANCE OR TWO COULD COINCIDE WITH PEAK HEATING ON SUN...AND THE TROUGH COULD BE A BIT SLOWER TO MOVE EAST AND WITH THIS UNCERTAINTY WENT WITH SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SUN AFTERNOON AS WELL. WITH UNCERTAINTY IN THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN...AND RATHER HIGH HEIGHTS EXPECTED... OPTED TO GO WITH A DRY FORECAST FOR MON AND TUE...ALTHOUGH SOME CONVECTION...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN CANNOT BE COMPLETELY RULED OUT. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/...UPDATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST OVER PARTS OF THE SE CWA...AND HAVE MAINLY AFFECTED SME AND LOZ. THIS TREND SHOULD CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...THOUGH FURTHER DESTABILIZATION SHOULD LEAD TO ADDITIONAL CONVECTION EVEN IN THE NORTH THROUGH ABOUT 22Z. MVFR AND LOWER CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE SHOWERS AND STORMS...THOUGH ENOUGH MIXING HAS OCCURRED OR WILL OCCUR FOR VFR OUTSIDE OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS. CONVECTION SHOULD WIND DOWN AROUND 22Z...WITH MUCH OF THE NIGHT VFR. CLOUDS SHOULD CLEAR ENOUGH FOR SOME MVFR AND WORSE FOG WHERE HEAVIER RAIN OCCURS TODAY IN THE 8Z TO 12Z TIMEFRAME. CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AGAIN ON THU BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...HAL/JP LONG TERM....JP AVIATION...JP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 626 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-201100- 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- 626 AM EDT WED AUG 19 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...AND COULD BRING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...SOME OF WHICH MAY CONTAIN STRONG WINDS. THERE IS ALSO A CONTINUING THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT ANY OCCURRENCES OF FLOODING... RAINFALL OF MORE THAN AN INCH IN AN HOUR...OR DAMAGING WINDS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. HAL
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:24 UTC.
1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An inch and a half of rain was measured by a trained weather spotter during a 20 minute period in London.
Dispatch reported that six to eight inches of water was flowing over the road at the intersection of N Mill St and McKee St and also on Tobacco Road withing the city limits of London.
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: 186972, 186973.