Multiple clusters of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought widespread wind damage and flooding to eastern Kentucky on August 4th.
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.
Multiple clusters of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought widespread wind damage and flooding to eastern Kentucky on August 4th.
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 4, 8:11 AM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 911 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED A QUICK UPDATE TO THE FCST PACKAGE THIS MORNING TO ACCOUNT FOR MCS ENTERING OUR AREA. EXPECT COLD POOL DYNAMICS TO TAKE OVER AND PUSH LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHWARD ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY TODAY. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND BEING THE MAIN THREAT. IN ADDITION...BASED ON UPSTREAM OBS EXPECT SOME TORRENTIAL RAINFALL WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE POSSIBLE. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/ UPPER LEVEL TROF STILL THE DRIVING FORCE FOR THIS FCST FOR TUE. HOWEVER... WRN MTN RIDGE WILL START EASING EAST ON WED AND WITH A CHANGE IN THE UPPER PATTERN COMES A CHANGE IN THE PATH STORMS TAKE ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. FNTL BNDRY ACROSS THE WRN CORN BELT WILL DROP INTO KY LATE TUE. EXPECTING SHRA/TSRA WITH AND AHEAD OF THE FNT AS IT DROPS SOUTH. SEVERAL WAVES ON THE FNT IN THE FORM OF MCV/S WILL PROVIDE WAVES OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY FROM TUE AFTERNOON THRU WED NIGHT. EXPECTING THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME SVR WX TUE AFTN/EVENING WITH A BETTER CHANCE ON WED... PRIMARILY WITH THE AFTERNOON/EVENING HEATING WHEN THE AIRMASS BECOMES THE MOST UNSTABLE. THIS IS ALSO THE TIME WHEN SPC HAS INDICATED A SLIGHT RISK FOR SVR FOR BASICALLY ALL OF KY. NOT EXPECTING PARTICULARLY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS A LARGE AREA... BUT THAT DOES NOT RULE OUT ISOLATED POCKETS WITH THE BETTER CONVECTIVE CELLS. ALSO THE PLACEMENT AND TIMING OF ANY CONVECTIVE COMPLEX IS TO VAGUE TO ABSOLUTELY DEFINE LOCATIONS OF HEAVY RAIN. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE MORE IN LINE WITH SEASONAL AVGS. HIGH TEMPS TUE WILL BE THE HIGHEST IF CLOUD COVER CAN HOLD OFF UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE... MID TO UPPER 80S THRU THE SHORT TERM FCST. WITH LOWS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. THIS IS A COMPROMISE BETWEEN MODELS WHICH HAS WORKED WELL OVERALL. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/ AT THE START OF THE FORECAST PERIOD MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT ABOUT THE EXIT OF H5 TROUGH AXIS TO THE EAST AND STRONG H5 RIDGE BUILDING IN. IF THIS HOLDS TRUE...SUMMER LOOKS TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE BY THE WEEKEND WITH DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS A POSSIBILITY AND THE MENTION OF A FEW 90 DEGREE READINGS AS WELL. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO THE OVERALL FORECAST AS THINGS HAVE NOT CHANGED MUCH WITH NEW MODEL RUNS. STILL PREFER THE GFS AND ITS SUPPORTING CAST ALONG WITH HPC WHERE MODELS DIFFER. HAVE CHANGED POPS A BIT TO REFLECT A MORE DIURNAL TREND WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON AS RING OF FIRE CONCEPT FITS THIS PATTERN FAIRLY CLOSELY. BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND AREAS CLOSER TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. HAVE TAKEN POPS OUT EACH NIGHT AS UPSTREAM MCS ACTIVITY WOULD HAVE QUITE A BIT OF TROUBLE COMBATING STRONG H5 RIDGING. BETTER FLOW ALOFT WOULD ALSO BE FURTHER NORTH...HOWEVER HIGHER SURFACE MOISTURE WILL BE PRESENT IN EAST KENTUCKY WITH TD/S AROUND 70 DEGREES. WILL WATCH MCS PROPAGATION AS A GENERAL COMBINATION OF HIGHER THETA E AIR AND 300 MB FLOW SEEMS TO BE WHERE THEY LIKE TO TRAVEL. FEEL THAT CHANCES ARE LOW ENOUGH TO KEEP OUT OF ZFP FOR NOW. SOME DIFFERENCES STILL EXIST TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD WITH REGARD TO THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF TROUGHING OVER THE AREA. GFS IS FASTER IN DOING THIS WHICH ALLOWS A COLD FRONT TO SAG SOUTHWARD NEAR THE AREA BY MONDAY/TUESDAY. WILL CONTINUE THE POPS TO REFLECT THIS POSSIBILITY...ESPECIALLY WITH THE SUMMER WE HAVE HAD AND THE UNLIKELY SCENARIO THAT THE RIDGE ACTUALLY HOLDS IN PLACE. AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES ARE CONCERNED...ACTUALLY FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE 90 DEGREE FORECASTS OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK AS H85 TEMPS AROUND 20 CELSIUS COULD SUPPORT THE MERCURY GETTING THAT HIGH. SOME UNCERTAINTY WILL LIE IN DIURNAL CLOUD COVER/SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON AND COULD VERY WELL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S FOR LOCATIONS EACH AFTERNOON. ALL IN ALL...HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 90 WILL BE A CONSERVATIVE FORECAST WITH LOW TEMPERATURES STAYING IN THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70 AS TD/S STAY UP. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ INITIAL VFR CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE WITH THE APPROACHING MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX. HEAVY RAIN TO MOVE INTO THE TAF SITES AROUND 10 AM AND LINGER FOR SEVERAL HOURS. CONVECTION WILL BE HIT OR MISS AND AM CURRENTLY FORECASTING MINIMAL VFR WITH THE CONVECTION. HOWEVER IF THE HEAVY RAIN MATERIALIZES VIS COULD DROP TO IFR RANGE. WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE STORMS AS THEY APPROACH. THE COMPLEX WILL PASS THROUGH THE AREA BY THIS EVENING AND THE RAIN AND LIGHT WINDS WILL LEAVE A VERY MOIST SURFACE LAYER...WHICH SHOULD PROMOTE ANOTHER ROUND OF FOG WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR AREAS THAT SEE THE RAIN. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY/RAY LONG TERM....SCHOETTMER AVIATION...DUSTY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 913 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-051100- 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- 913 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE GREATEST THREAT. IN ADDITION...SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AND THEN AGAIN FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL...STORM DAMAGE...AND ANY RAINFALL OVER 1 INCH. RAY
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 845 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 KYZ044-051-052-104-041345- FLEMING-ROWAN-BATH-ELLIOTT- 845 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 ...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 945 AM EDT TUESDAY MORNING... FLEMING...ROWAN...BATH...AND ELLIOTT. AT 840 AM EDT...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES NORTHEAST OF FOXPORT TO DALESBURG TO 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF FAIRVIEW...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 21 MILES NORTHEAST OF FLEMINGSBURG TO 6 MILES NORTH OF FLEMINGSBURG TO 16 MILES NORTHEAST OF CYNTHIANA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BRING RAINFALL RATES OF MORE THAN AN INCH IN AN HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HAIL IN THESE AREAS. LOCATIONS WHICH WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...FOXPORT AROUND 845 AM EDT...NEPTON AROUND 850 AM EDT...WALLINGFORD AROUND 855 AM EDT...POPLAR PLAINS AROUND 900 AM EDT AND TILTON AROUND 905 AM EDT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1045 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 KYZ058-059-108-111-041530- POWELL-ESTILL-WOLFE-LEE- 1045 AM EDT TUE AUG 4 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 1130 AM EDT TUESDAY MORNING... POWELL... WESTERN WOLFE... EAST CENTRAL ESTILL AND LEE. AT 1045 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PITTS...OR NEAR IRVINE...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...COBHILL AROUND 1050 AM EDT...PATSEY AROUND 1055 AM EDT...GREELEY AROUND 1100 AM EDT...FIXER AROUND 1105 AM EDT AND WHISMAN AROUND 1110 AM EDT. RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT 2 INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN LIGHTNING IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE A HAZARD. ABE
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:49 UTC.
14 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hinkston Creek was reported to be flooding and still rising, with portions of east Main Street, South Queen Street, and West Locust Street closed due to high water.
Dispatch reported numerous roads impassable across the county. Some roads affected include Main Street in Mount Sterling, Kidwell Road, Levee Road, Hinkstonpike, US Highway 60, Prewitt Grassy Road, and Owinsgville Road.
Portions of Highway 15 has over 6 inches of water flowing across it. Debris was also flowing across the road.
The Powell County emergency manager say that Stanton is experiencing severe flash flooding. A rescue was underway in the city limits on Stanton Road. A daycare center was evacuated due to flooding and many businesses were flooded. Debris was seen flowing across many roads within Stanton city limits.
Water was flowing across Highway 3439 at Bimble.
Trees were blown down on old Kentucky 11.
A few trees were blown down at various locations around the county.
Two trees were blown down on Route 2017.
Northfork Southern Railroad was closed for approximately 3 hours due to downed trees on the tracks between Century Lane and Roundtop Road. Elsewhere across the county, a tree fell on a house in the Whitley City area and several roads were closed due to downed trees.
Trees were blown down on Cal Hill Road.
One tree was blown down on Route 587.
Several trees were blown down east of Corbin.
Two 8 inch diameter trees were blown down on Highway 3193. The trees also snapped a power pole when they fell.
Half of a barn blown down and several apple trees were uprooted.
Substantial flooding reported at the intersection of Spencer and Whitaker Lanes on east side of town.
Multiple trees down around Keavy with water rising along roads.
A tree was blown down near the Wendell H Ford airport.
Highway 1304 is closed due to running water in Bimble.
Trees were blown down on Highways 1524 and 66 and on the parkway.
A couple of trees were blown down on Laurel Hill Road.
A couple of trees were blown down near Verda on Highway 80.
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: 192740, 192721, 192722, 192723, 192724, 192725, 192726, 192727, 192741, 192728, 192729, 192730, 192731, 192732, 192733, 192734, 192735, 192736, 192737, 192738, 192739.