A strong low pressure system moved from the Southern Plains to the Lower Great Lakes region on February 11th. An associated cold front also moved through Eastern Kentucky during the afternoon of the 11th.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 strong low pressure system moved from the Southern Plains to the Lower Great Lakes region on February 11th. An associated cold front also moved through Eastern Kentucky during the afternoon of the 11th. Damaging non-thunderstorm winds occurred both ahead of and behind the front. Along the front, a line of showers and thunderstorms brought more damaging winds to the area. Thousands of people were without power, some for several days.
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 Feb 11, 1:06 PM EST, 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 106 PM EST WED FEB 11 2009 .SHORT TERM.../THIS AFTERNOON/...UPDATED GRADIENT CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN UP WITH WIND GUSTS NOW APPROACHING 40 MPH AT SEVERAL SITES. SQUALL LINE OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY/TENNESSEE HAS REALLY INTENSIFIED DURING THE PAST TWO HOURS. SPORADIC DAMAGE NOTED OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY WITH WIDESPREAD DAMAGE... INCLUDING SOME STRUCTURAL... OVER NORTH CENTRAL TENNESSEE. THIS SQUALL LINE IS POISED TO BEGIN IMPACTING PULASKI AND WAYNE COUNTIES AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON. DESPITE THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND LOWER SURFACE DEWPOINTS OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY... STRONG FRONTAL FORCING WILL LIKELY KEEP THIS SQUALL LINE GOING AS IT PLOWS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND... AS A RESULT... WE CONTINUE TO ANTICIPATE WIDESPREAD 60 MPH WINDS. DESPITE THE CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED LACK OF LIGHTNING/THUNDER WITH THIS LINE OF CONVECTION... ISOLATED WEAK TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. ALSO EVIDENT IN FORECAST TIME/HEIGHTS IS STRONG DOWNWARD FORCING BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING. THIS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO BRING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS FOR SEVERAL HOURS BEHIND THE FRONT. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /THE REST OF TODAY/ FORECAST APPEARS ON TRACK AS NEGATIVELY TILTED SHORTWAVE BLASTS UP THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY PRODUCING A POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND EVENT ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY. LATEST SURFACE OBS ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE INDICATE WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 40 MPH NOW AT TIMES AND WINDS SHOULD INCREASE QUICKLY ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL DOWNSLOPE OFF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND HELP SCOUR OUT THE CLOUD COVER DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS. THIS WILL NOT ONLY HELP SEND TEMPS FOR OUR EASTERN COUNTIES INTO THE 70S... BUT ASSIST IN MIXING DOWN VERY STRONG WINDS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE. BUFKIT NAM SOUNDINGS SHOW WINDS AS HIGH AS 50 KTS AS LOW AS 1K FT AGL THIS AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR EVEN HIGHER WIND GUSTS HOWEVER AS THE FRONT AND ANY ASSOCIATED SHOWER/TSTORM ACTIVITY PASSES THROUGH DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS HELPING MIX DOWN EVEN STRONGER WINDS FROM HIGHER IN THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN. THE ONE POSITIVE I GUESS AFTER LOOKING OVER HOW THIS EVENT IS UNFOLDING IS THAT OUR THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL CONTINUES TO LOOK LIMITED. SOUTHERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW SHOULD CONTINUE TO RESULT IN LOWER SURFACE DEWPOINTS TODAY... THUS THE HIGHER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY PARAMETERS GIVEN BY NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS THIS AFTERNOON SEEM UNREASONABLE. SO... WHILE AN ISOLATED BRIEF THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE... THE AMOUNT OF SHEAR JUST SEEMS TOO HIGH FOR ANY UPDRAFT TO BE SUSTAINED. WITH THAT BEING SAID... PLAN TO SIMPLY REFRESH THE FORECAST THIS MORNING MAKING ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS FOR INITIAL CONDITIONS BASED ON LATEST OBSERVATIONS. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/ LOW PRESSURE IS DEEPENING OVER OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS MORNING AS EXPECTED. IT WILL MOVE NORTHEAST TODAY WITH ITS TRAILING COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AROUND THE SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN STRONG WINDS DEVELOPING. THEY WILL BECOME REALIZED AT GROUND LEVEL AS MIXING OCCURS TODAY. THE GFS AND WRF BOTH SUPPORT GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH...AND A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT. THE TIME WAS SHIFTED A COUPLE HOURS EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST BASED ON THE LATEST GUIDANCE. THE WRF AND GFS BOTH INDICATE A NARROW CORRIDOR OF WEAK INSTABILITY ALONG THE FRONT. THIS WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF A LINE OF CONVECTION... ESPECIALLY WITH FRONTAL FORCING. NEEDLESS TO SAY...THE CONVECTION WOULD BE ABLE TO TRANSPORT STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL WINDS TO THE SURFACE. THE WIND FIELDS WILL ALSO RESULT IN STRONG SHEAR THAT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ROTATION IN STORMS. HOWEVER...THE SHEAR IS SO STRONG THAT BULK RICHARDSON NUMBERS ARE VERY LOW BELOW 5. THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR CELLS TO REMAIN INTACT WITHOUT BEING SHEARED APART. HOWEVER...IF SOME INDIVIDUAL CELLS CAN MAINTAIN THEMSELVES...ROTATION RESULTING IN HAIL OR ISOLATED TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. AFTER THE FRONT GOES THROUGH...THE DEEP CONVECTION WILL END. HOWEVER...LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN AND HIGH WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO MIX TO THE SURFACE INTO THE NIGHT. WINDS WILL WEAKEN LATE TONIGHT AS THE STORM SYSTEM PULLS AWAY AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT EASES. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST WILL BRING CONTINUED DIMINISHING WINDS ON THURSDAY...ALONG WITH FAIR WEATHER FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. AS THE RIDGE PASSES OVER ON THURSDAY NIGHT...LIGHT WINDS SHOULD ALLOW COLD AIR TO POOL IN VALLEYS...WITH RIDGE/VALLEY LOW TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES RESULTING. .LONG TERM.../FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/ BLOCKED FLOW OVER CANADA WILL FORCE THE POLAR JET TO THE SOUTH THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD. FORTUNATELY... THERE IS AN ABSENCE OF ANY REAL COLD AIR OVER NORTH AMERICA AND THE WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MODIFIED PACIFIC AIR INTO THE REGION. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A CONTINUATION OF NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES BUT SEVERAL DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS IN THE FAST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING PERIODIC CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION. NO BIG ALTERATIONS WERE MADE TO INHERITED FORECAST DUE TO SHORT TERM WEATHER CONCERNS. ANY NEEDED TWEAKS WERE BASED LARGELY ON THE 10/06Z GFS THROUGH THE WEEKEND... THEN ON THE 10/00Z GEFS MEAN FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK DUE TO INCREASING GUIDANCE SPREAD AND FORECAST UNCERTAINTY FOR THOSE PERIODS. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT... INTERESTING LITTLE SYSTEM TRACKS ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHIFT AROUND A BIT WITH THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW WITH THE 10/12Z GFS NOW TAKING THE LOW ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND OHIO. RIGHT NOW WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER A CHANCE OF RAIN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. THERE REMAINS A POTENTIAL FOR A CHANGEOVER TO WET SNOW SATURDAY EVENING AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS COOLER AIR FILTERS IN BEHIND THE DEPARTING SURFACE LOW... BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL LIKELY BE HELD DOWN BY PRECIP AND CLOUDS AND REMAIN IN THE 40S TO NEAR 50. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON MONDAY FOLLOWED BY WHAT APPEARS TO BE A STRONGER SYSTEM POISED TO ENTER THE PICTURE ON TUESDAY. WILL LOWER POPS ON MONDAY DUE TO WEAKER PRESENTATION OF THAT PARTICULAR DISTURBANCE AND THEN OFFER CHANCE POPS FOR TUESDAY... FOLLOWING THE QUICKER 10/00Z GEFS MEAN AND ECMWF SOLUTIONS. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 KTS LIKELY... ESPECIALLY AS A COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED LINE OF SHOWERS/TSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. ANY VSBY/CIG REDUCTIONS DUE TO SHOWERS WITH THE FRONT WILL BE BRIEF BUT MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. PLEASE SEE INDIVIDUAL TAFS FOR TIMING. A LENGTHY PERIOD OF STRONG WEST WINDS... ONCE AGAIN WITH PEAK GUSTS UP TO 50 KTS OR SO... CAN THEN BE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS BEFORE WINDS RELAX SOMEWHAT EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...HAL/ABE LONG TERM...ABE AVIATION...ABE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 653 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-121200- 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- 653 AM EST WED FEB 11 2009 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING UNTIL 4 AM THURSDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES TODAY...WITH GUSTS LIKELY REACHING 60 MPH AT TIMES. DAMAGING WINDS COULD ARRIVE AS EARLY AS LATE THIS MORNING...BUT ARE MORE LIKELY LATE IN THE DAY. VERY STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS FROM THE WEST ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT AFTER THE COLD FRONT HAS PASSED... BUT THE WIND WILL BE DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT. IN ADDITION...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG OR DAMAGING WINDS IS EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS AFTERNOON. ALTHOUGH THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL OR ISOLATED TORNADOES CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT WIND DAMAGE TODAY OR TONIGHT... AS WELL AS ANY HAIL IN THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. HAL
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:11 UTC.
44 thunderstorm wind, 6 high wind, 3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Roof blown off of trailer in Revelo area. Several trees blocking roads and one car wreck blamed on wind in Whitley City.
Trim blown off of numerous houses in the Middlesboro area.
Trees and power lines were blown down near Monticello. Fires were started by downed power lines.
Trees and power lines were blown down near Monticello. Fires were also started by downed power lines.
Several trees and power lines were blown down. Fires were also started by downed power lines.
The roof was blown off a lawyers office in Burnside. Several trees were reported down in Somerset. Report was relayed by the Commonwealth Journal.
A 60 mph wind gust was recorded by the Somerset AWOS.
A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured by the Somerset AWOS.
Roofs were blown off of 5 homes by thunderstorm wind gusts. Trees and power lines were also blown down county wide. An estimated 90 percent of Williamsburg was without power.
A tree was blown down on a house. Numerous trees were blown down along Highway 25 between Williamsburg and Corbin.
The flashing was blown off a home. This report was relayed to the weather service by the London Sentinel Echo newspaper.
Trees were blown down on homes and power poles were also blown down. This report was received from someone at the London Sentinel Echo newspaper office.
A tree was blown down. This report was received from someone at the London Sentinel Echo newspaper office.
The facia was ripped off a house on Pine Hill Drive on Lake Side.
Multiple trees were blown down.
Powerlines were downed near the Hal Rogers Parkway near mile marker 31 1 mile west of Peabody.
Trees were uprooted by thunderstorm wind gusts.
Trees were uprooted and a roof was damaged on the Hal Rogers Parkway near mile marker 38.
A mobile home was destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts.
The front porch roof was blown off a house. The porch was knocked off its foundation. The home next door had its porch partially destroyed by a fallen cedar tree.
A roof was blown off a barn by thunderstorm wind gusts.
A tree was blown and across KY Route 122 3 miles est of the Pike county Floyd county line.
A tree was blown down in Woodsbend.
The public reported numerous trees were blown down with power outages in Hazard.
A tree was blown down in West Liberty.
Trees were blown down near Gimlet and an outbuilding roof was blown off.
Trees were blown down on Rt 172 at Staffordsville. Power lines were down county wide. The roof was blown off a house at Millers Creek. An estimated 300 homes were without power.
The porches were blown off of 2 mobile homes with a tree down on one of them. Numerous trees were down in and around Haddix.
Numerous trees were blown down county wide by thunderstorm wind gusts.
A house was shifted off its foundation in the Tar Ridge area.
Roof damage occurred to several homes and utility wires were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts. Some vehicles were damaged by flying shingles.
Two or 3 trees were down and lying across Highway 114.
A brick carport was destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts in the Mindola Village subdivision east of East Port.
A pop machine was blown over.
Cars were moved down an embankment by thunderstorm wind gusts. Roof damage occurred to mobile and other homes as well. One mobile home that was not anchored down was destroyed. A carport and and awning was ripped off another home by thunderstorm winds.
The roof was blown off a two story building.
Large limbs were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts. One half and two third inch diameter hail was also reported. Power outages were reported along with winds of 50 to 60 mph.
Pike county emergency management relayed a report of a tree blocking US 460 at the mouth of Grassy Creek near Shelbiana. A tree was also blocking a road in Chloe Ridge subdivision in Pikeville.
Two or three trees were blown down and across Hwy 114.
Several trees were blown down. One tree was across a power line and another across a road.
A 71 mph wind gust was measured at the Big Sandy RAWS site.
In the Emma area numerous limbs and one tree were blown down. A barn roof was also damaged.
A tree was blown down onto a house.
Pike county emergency management reported power outages in the Green Meadows area 1 mile south of the Floyd county lin on US 23.
Widespread damage was reported by the Montgomery County emergency management.
Boyd County emergency manager relayed information from Bath County emergency manager about a tower blown over at the EMS station and damage at the Board of Education building in Owingsville.
Billboards were pushed over flat by thunderstorm wind gusts at the junctino of 1428 and Cliff Road.
Trees were blown down in and around Pikeville.
Siding was blown off the Coal Run Fire Dept building.
A roof was blown off of a trailer in Morehead.
Trees were blown down in Irvine and county wide.
A couple of large tree limbs were blown down.
A metal outbuilding was blown down along Ruth Avenue.
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, February 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: 152955, 152956, 152957, 152958, 152959, 152960, 152961, 152962, 152963, 152964, 152940, 152941, 152942, 152965, 152947, 152948, 152943, 152949, 152966, 152967, 152968, 152969, 152950, 152970, 152951, 152971, 152972, 152973, 152974, 152975, 152976, 152944, 152945, 152977, 152946, 152978, 152979, 152980, 152981, 152982, and more.