Early in the month, several storm systems raced east to northeast across the region. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain were common during the first nine days of the month.
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.
Early in the month, several storm systems raced east to northeast across the region. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain were common during the first nine days of the month. As a result, a number of rivers approached or exceeded flood stage.
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 Dec 10, 1:59 PM CST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 159 PM CST THU DEC 10 2009 .DISCUSSION... A LARGE COLD DOME OF ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE COVERED MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND WEST U.S. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. IT WAS CLEAR ACROSS THE AREA...WITH TEMPS ONLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 20S. TEMPS SHOULD DROP OFF INTO THE EVENING...BUT THEN LEVEL OVERNIGHT AS LIGHT SSW WINDS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP...ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN HIGHER LEVEL MOISTURE/CLOUDS. THE HIGH WILL MOVE OFF TO THE EAST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH RETURN FLOW SETTING UP ACROSS THE NATION/S MID SECTION. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO MODERATE A BIT ACROSS OUR AREA. MODERATE MEANING HIGHS NEAR 40 FRIDAY AND 40 TO 45 SATURDAY. THE MODELS MOVE A WEAK WAVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. MOISTURE IS OUT OF PHASE...ESPECIALLY ON THE GFS...WITH BEST MOISTURE/FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING AT 700 MB PRECEDING THE ARRIVAL OF BEST 850 MB MOISTURE. THE NAM IS A TAD MORE IN PHASE. WILL CONTINUE WITH LOW OR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR WHAT SHOULD BE RATHER LIGHT RAIN OR POSSIBLY DRIZZLE. AFTER A QUIET PERIOD SUNDAY...WILL CONTINUE WITH OUR RATHER LOW CHANCE FOR RAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...ALONG AND AHEAD OF A FRONT AND OUR NEXT COLD CANADIAN BLAST OF HIGH PRESSURE. THE HIGH WILL RESULT IN DRY WEATHER WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TIME FRAME. && .AVIATION... VFR CIGS AND VSBYS AT ALL SITES THROUGHOUT VALID TIME OF TAFS. GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL DECREASE AFTER SUNSET AND TAKE ON A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT. A FEW HIGH CLOUDS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 200 PM CST THU DEC 10 2009 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-111100- 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- 200 PM CST THU DEC 10 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding of the Green River occurred. At the Paradise gage, the river crested at 382.08 feet on the 12th. Flood stage there is 380 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying fields and pastureland occurred.
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, December 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: 204162.