A line of strong thunderstorms brought isolated occurrences of flash flooding to eastern Kentucky on July 26th. The flooding occurred in Knox, Letcher, and Perry counties.
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 line of strong thunderstorms brought isolated occurrences of flash flooding to eastern Kentucky on July 26th. The flooding occurred in Knox, Letcher, and Perry counties.
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 Jul 26, 2:12 AM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 312 AM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO SLIDE SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST INCHING INTO NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT THIS TIME. WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ACROSS THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST WITH TIME. THE 25/21Z SREF MEAN NAILED THE OVERNIGHT INCREASE IN PRECIP ACROSS OUR AREA AND WE GENERALLY RELIED ON IT/S POPS FOR TODAY. THUS... EXPECT THE AXIS OF HEAVIER PRECIP TODAY TO BE ALIGNED OVER SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY. PWATS WILL LOWER A BIT BUT REMAIN AT OR ABOVE 1.5 INCHES OVER THE UPPER CUMBERLAND REGION AND WITH LOW FFG VALUES... WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE NEEDED FOR PARTS OF THE AREA BUT WILL WATCH CONVECTION TRENDS OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY FOR A BIT LONGER TO SEE IF THIS ACTIVITY WILL TRACK OVER AREAS CURRENTLY RECEIVING HEAVY RAINFALL. THE FRONT WILL DROP TO OUR SOUTH TONIGHT WITH A SLIGHTLY DRIER AIRMASS SLOWLY ADVECTING IN BEHIND. THIS WILL PUSH THE MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION TO OUR SOUTH BY MONDAY MORNING. STILL CANNOT RULE OUT A FEW SHOWERS/STORMS NEAR THE TENNESSEE AND VIRGINIA BORDERS ON MONDAY BUT WE WILL CONTINUE THE DRY FORECAST FOR MONDAY NIGHT. MADE NO BIG DEVIATIONS FROM THE GFS MOS GUIDANCE THROUGH THE PERIOD. .LONG TERM.../TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...UPDATED GENERAL MODEL AGREEMENT CONTINUES WITH AN UNUSUALLY PERSISTENT TROUGH FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR OCCURRING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS...KEEPING MAINLY UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY. THERE ARE PLENTY OF DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE DETAILS OF THIS PATTERN HOWEVER...ESPECIALLY WITH THE IMPACT OF CONVECTION...SO HAVE CONTINUED TO RELY HEAVILY ON PERSISTENCE. A SERIES OF VIGOROUS SHORT WAVES WILL SPIRAL THROUGH SOUTHERN CANADA AND THE GREAT LAKES...HELPING TO REINFORCE THE LONG WAVE TROUGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS. A PERSISTENT WEAK TO MODERATE LOW LEVEL JET WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... MAINTAINING THE THREAT FOR AT LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION. THE BEST THREAT FOR PRECIP APPEARS TO ARRIVE ON WEDNESDAY AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY SCOOPING UP A RICH MOISTURE SUPPLY FROM THE GULF. WITH GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT ON THE EVENT...DECIDED TO NUDGE UP POPS INTO THE LIKELY RANGE. OTHERWISE...MODEL DIFFERENCES AS TO WHERE THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT WILL BE NECESSITATE NO GREATER THAN CHANCE POPS...WITH A DIURNAL INFLUENCE TO THE CONVECTION. NUDGED TEMPS UP A FEW DEGREES ON TUESDAY WITH BOTH THE 26/00Z GFS AND 25/12Z ECMWF INDICATING SOME WARMING ALOFT IN ADVANCE OF DIVING SHORTWAVE TO OUR WEST. OTHERWISE...MAINTAINED CONTINUITY WITH TEMPS. && .AVIATION.../06Z TO 06Z/ SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ONGOING IN THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE HOUR BEFORE TAF ISSUANCE...BRINGING LOCALIZED LIFR CONDITIONS. WILL EXPECT MUCH OF THE ACTIVITY TO DIE DOWN BEFORE DAYBREAK... FOLLOWED BY A RELATIVE LULL WITH VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. THERE IS ANOTHER INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY LATE...LASTING INTO THE EVENING. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...ABE LONG TERM...GEOGERIAN/ABE AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 408 AM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-104-106>109-111-119-271100- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ELLIOTT-MORGAN- JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-LEE-MARTIN- 408 AM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAINFALL WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A MOISTURE LADEN COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THIS PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. KYZ068-069-079-080-083>088-110-112>118-120-271100- ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL- HARLAN-FLOYD-BREATHITT-KNOTT-OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-PIKE- 408 AM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AND THE REPEATED MOVEMENT OF STORMS OVER THE SAME AREAS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY DURING THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON MONDAY AND THEN AGAIN FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAINFALL WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A MOISTURE LADEN COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THIS PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY OBSERVED FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. ABE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1120 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-260730- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 1120 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING EASTERN KENTUCKY... A COLD FRONT APPROACHING EASTERN KENTUCKY IS HELPING TO PRODUCE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF AREA TONIGHT. WHILE A FEW STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LEVELS...THE MAJORITY WILL REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THE STRONGER STORMS. RAY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1221 AM EDT SUN JUL 26 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1140 PM TSTM WND DMG HAZARD 37.25N 83.20W
07/25/2009 PERRY KY PUBLIC
LARGE BRANCHES BROKEN
&&
GREIFThe Knoxville radar (KMRX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:20 UTC.
3 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Several roads in and around Barbourville have 6+ inches of water flowing across them.
This was an automated report. Between 3 and 4 inches of rain fell in Hazard.
The state police reported that Fleming-Neon was flooded and roads in the area were closed as a result.
Portions of Highway 805 and Dunham Road were closed for about 30 minutes due to high water.
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, July 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: 186800, 186801, 186802, 186803.