A fast moving cluster of thunderstorms brought yet another round of severe weather to eastern Kentucky during the afternoon hours of June 18th. With a warm, moist, and unstable air mass in place, the storms were able to maintain their intensity as they moved across the area.
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 fast moving cluster of thunderstorms brought yet another round of severe weather to eastern Kentucky during the afternoon hours of June 18th. With a warm, moist, and unstable air mass in place, the storms were able to maintain their intensity as they moved across the area. Numerous reports of downed trees and general wind damage were received by the Jackson weather office on this day.
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 Jun 18, 9:35 AM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1035 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED 13Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS A WEAKENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING EAST THROUGH NORTHWESTERN NEW YORK. A WAVY FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS IS LYING ACROSS EAST KENTUCKY FROM SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST. TRACING THIS BOUNDARY BACK...IT BECOMES A WARM FRONT CONNECTED TO A MORE ROBUST AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGH PLAINS. ALONG THE NORTHEAST ARC OF THIS FRONT...OVER INDIANA...A COUPLE NOCTURNAL MCS/S CONTINUE TO LIVE INTO THE DAY...DIVING SOUTH SOUTHEAST INTO KENTUCKY. THE SECOND ONE IS THE MORE IMPRESSIVE OF THE TWO WITH A HEALTHY BOW ECHO JUST NOW CROSSING I-64. THE LOCAL STORM ENVIRONMENT IS QUITE FAVORABLE FOR SUSTAINING OR DEVELOPING CONVECTION WITH CAPES EXPECTED TO REACH 4000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON AND LIS TO -9...THOUGH UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS...NOT TOO STRONG AT THAT...WOULD TEND TO LIMIT ORGANIZATION TO ANY STORMS OUTSIDE OF RESIDUAL OR BYPASSING MCS ACTIVITY. IT IS QUITE AN INTERESTING SCENARIO FOR THE AFTERNOON FORECAST GIVEN THOSE PARAMETERS IN PLACE...TEMPERED BY THE CLOUD COVER...THE LIFE CYCLE AND EXTRAPOLATION OF THE CURRENT MCS...AND A BUILDING RIDGE TO THE SOUTHWEST. ACCORDINGLY...HAVE REDRAWN THE GRIDS FOR SKY...POP AND QPF THIS AFTERNOON WITH ALL THIS IN MIND...HITTING THE SOUTHWEST THE HARDEST FOR CONVECTION AND LOWERING FORECAST TEMPS FOR MOST OF THE AREA DUE TO THE CLOUDS AND STORMS. UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY TO ALL GRID BASED PRODUCTS AND THE HWO. WILL HOLD OFF FOR A FEW EXTRA MINUTES THOUGH...AWAITING SPC/S DECISION REGARDING A POSSIBLE NEW BOX SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST OF THE CURRENT ONE TO OUR NORTHWEST. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY/ COOLER AND DRIER AIR IN PLACE FOR TONIGHT AND FOG IS LIMITED TO DEEPER VALLEYS AND IS PATCHY EVEN THERE. FNTL BNDRY HAS PUSHED INTO THE LOWER TN VLY WITH THE WARM FNT TO RETURN TO THE NORTH LATE THU INTO THU NIGHT. BEST ENERGY LOCATED OVER THE LOWER GT LKS WHERE THE MODELS ARE PROJECTING THE BEST PCPN. CHC POPS LIMITED TO OUR BLUEGRASS COUNTIES WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE THE REMNANTS OF AN OUTFLOW BNDRY LURKING AS THE FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON CONVECTION. ELSEWHERE... TYPICAL AFTERNOON POP UP CONVECTION WITH LITTLE MVMT AS HIGH PRESSURE SEEMS IN CONTROL. WARM FNT TO PUSH NORTH ON FRI WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONVECTION AND THEN THE LATEST MODEL RUNS KEEP THE FOLLOWING COLD FNT TO OUR NORTH AS THE CONTROLLING NORTHERN HIGH PRESS DOES NOT APPEAR STRONG ENUF TO PUSH THE FNT SOUTH OF THE OH RVR. STILL CANNOT RULE OUT THE SLIGHT CHC FOR PCPN FRI NITE AND SAT BUT BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL KEEP MOST PCPN TO OUR NORTH. TEMPS TO BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL WITH MANY LOCATIONS TO SEE LOWER 90S TODAY AND MID 90S BY FRI. HIGHS SHOULD REMAIN NEAR 90 EVEN INTO SAT. .LONG TERM.../SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/ INHERITED FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE AS COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS ON TRACK TO PASS BY NORTH OF THE REGION LATE FRIDAY NIGHT OR ON SATURDAY FOLLOWED BY WHAT APPEARS TO BE A PERIOD OF SEASONABLY WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS. CHANGES TO THE INHERITED GRIDS WERE LIMITED TO A SLIGHT SLOWING DOWN OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND THEN A SLIGHT BOOST IN TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AS DRY OR COOL AS EARLIER ANTICIPATED. WILL ALSO INTRODUCE WEDNESDAY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS AS DEWPOINTS RETURN TO THE UPPER 60S AND TEMPS MAX OUT IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ FRONTAL BOUNDARY HAS PUSHED TO OUR SOUTH...STRETCHING ROUGHLY IN AN ARC ACROSS THE TN VALLEY REGION THEN BACK UP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. SCT TO BKN HIGH CI HAS ALLOWED SOME VALLEY FOG TO FORM... EXCEPT IN OUR SOUTHWEST... SME/LOZ... WHERE WED LATE AFTERNOON RAINFALL HAS LEFT ENOUGH MOISTURE IN PLACE FOR PATCHY DENSE FOG. WENT WITH A PREDOMINANT IFR CONDITION AND TRIED TO TIME IMPROVING CIG AND VSBY. WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS BACK NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE DAY THURSDAY. THIS WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE DAY. HOWEVER...UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL NOT BE AS GREAT AS PREVIOUS FEW DAYS. THIS MAY KEEP ANY CONVECTION MORE SCATTERED IN NATURE. FOR NOW LEFT PREDOMINANT VFR CONDITIONS WITH VCTS AND SCT CB GROUP TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY/GREIF LONG TERM....ABE AVIATION...DUSTY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1115 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-069-086>088-104-106>120-191815- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-JACKSON-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...MCKEE... BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK... WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG... BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER... HYDEN...WHITESBURG...INEZ...PIKEVILLE 1115 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY WITH SEVERE WEATHER A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THIS ALONG WITH A POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL OR EVEN A STRAY TORNADO. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN FROM ANY PROLONGED PERIOD OF STORMS. DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE AREA... ANY LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD HAVE HIGH WATER PROBLEMS AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND ALONG STREAMS...DITCHES AND CULVERTS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ALONG WITH PATCHY DENSE FOG. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL WITH REPORTS OF HEAVY RAIN OR LOCALIZED FLOODING. KYZ068-079-080-083>085-191815- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG 1115 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 461 IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WITH WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WIND GUSTS THE MAIN THREAT. IN ADDITION... THERE WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL OR EVEN A STRAY TORNADO. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN FROM ANY PROLONGED PERIOD OF STORMS. DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE AREA... ANY LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD HAVE HIGH WATER PROBLEMS AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AND ALONG STREAMS...DITCHES AND CULVERTS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ALONG WITH PATCHY DENSE FOG. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL WITH REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER... HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND FLOODING. DUSTY/GREIF
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1133 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 KYZ068-079-080-083-084-181645- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...WHITLEY CITY 1133 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 461 IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING... A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS ROCKCASTLE...PULASKI AND WAYNE COUNTIES BETWEEN 12:15 PM AND 1 PM EDT. THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL MOVE ACROSS MCCREARY AND LAUREL COUNTIES BETWEEN 12:30 PM AND 1:30 PM EDT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED AS THE STORMS MOVE CLOSER TO THE AREA. RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS SHOULD COMPLETE ANY NECESSARY PREPARATIONS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY AS THE STORMS APPROACH. KYZ069-181645- JACKSON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MCKEE 1133 AM EDT THU JUN 18 2009 A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS JACKSON COUNTY BETWEEN 12:15 PM AND 1 PM EDT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED AS THE STORMS MOVE CLOSER TO THE AREA. RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREAS SHOULD COMPLETE ANY NECESSARY PREPARATIONS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY AS THE STORMS APPROACH. SBH
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:58 UTC.
27 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Five feet of water was reported on Back Street near the post office at Wallins Creek.
A few trees were blown down, blocking roads in northern portions of the county.
Trees were down throughout the northern portion of the county.
Numerous trees were down and some structural damage had occurred in extreme southwest Estill county.
Trees were down on Wisemantown and Markham roads.
A porch was blown into a yard and numerous trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down in the city of Monticello at the intersection of College and Alexander Streets.
Large limbs were blown down in someones yard. Three trees were blown down on Highway 89.
A volunteer weather observer reported an estimated wind gust of around 60 mph in Island City. Dime size hail fell and a few small limbs were also blown down.
Numerous tree limbs were blown down. Winds were estimated at 60 mph. A one hour rainfall total of 1.5 inches was also noted.
Trees were blown down.
A tree was blown down on Highway 30 west near the Turkey area.
Four trees were blown down on Highway 1350. Trees were also downed on Halcomb Road.
Three twelve inch diameter trees wre blown down on Holly Fork Road.
Multiple trees were blown down in the Roark area with a tree on top of a mobile home. Dispatch also reported trees down county wide.
A spotter measured 1.35 inches of rain in Island City between 130 and 146 pm.
Trees fell on a structure in Combs.
The Magoffin Count dispatch reported a tree was down on Highway 460 just outside the Magoffin County line in Morgan county.
The Knott county Highway Dept had to remove trees from the roadway on Highways 1102 and 1088 near Ritchie.
The public measured 1.07 inches of rainfall in approximately 45 minutes near Drip Rock.
A 75 year old apple tree was blown down.
Trees were blown down in the city of Harlan.
Numerous trees were blown down on Wallins Creek. Winds were estimated at 70 mph.
Trees were blown down in the city of Evarts.
Law enforecement reported that 10 trees were blown down in Cawood near Highway 3001.
Trees were blown down in several areas around Fleming-Neon.
A tree was blown down onto some power lines.
Trees were blown down in Oneida.
Tree's were blown down.
Large trees and power lines were blown down. Phone line damage also 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, June 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: 183984, 183871, 183897, 183904, 183906, 183912, 183913, 183916, 183918, 183920, 183881, 183921, 183923, 183954, 183956, 183958, 183960, 183969, 183970, 183972, 183977, 183978, 183979, 183980, 183981, 183982, 183985, 183873, 183875, 183878.