Thunderstorms developed ahead of a surface cold front in the warm sector across west central Kentucky during the late afternoon hours of March 8th. These storms mainly produced damaging winds with some sub-severe hail reported as well.
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 LMK wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed ahead of a surface cold front in the warm sector across west central Kentucky during the late afternoon hours of March 8th. These storms mainly produced damaging winds with some sub-severe hail reported as well.
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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 8, 12:58 PM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 258 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009 .MESOSCALE UPDATE... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50 HAS BEEN ISSUED AND IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF OUR SERVICE AREA. NEW AFTERNOON FORECAST AND DIGITAL PRODUCTS ARE COMING SHORTLY. .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND MONDAY)... ...SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE LIKELY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING... PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE SHORT TERM WILL BE IN THE EARLY PART OF THE FCST PD WITH POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. RECENT SAT AND OBS SHOWING SOME THINNING OUT OF THE CLOUD COVER OVER WESTERN KY. PIREP REPORTS FROM AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA REPORT A THICK CLOUD DECK THAT HAS BEEN AVERAGING AROUND 7-8KFT THICK. WHERE THE CLOUDS HAVE THINNED IN FAR SW KY AND SE MO...LIFTED INDICES HAVE DECREASED FROM -1 TO -6 DEG C IN THE LAST HOUR. SLOW DESTABILIZATION HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE ACROSS OUR WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FA OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS. DESTABILIZATION IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE AT SLOW RATE UNTIL WE GET SOME THINNING OF THE CLOUD COVER. GIVEN THE STRONG ASCENT MOVING IN ALOFT AND STRONG WIND FIELDS...ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF HEATING IS NEEDED TO GET THE ATMOSPHERE PRIMED UP. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS STILL VERY IMPRESSIVE AND GIVEN THE LONG LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPHS...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE QUITE POSSIBLE. IN FACT...IN THE LAST HOUR...STORMS HAVE REALLY INCREASED IN INTENSITY ACROSS FAR SE MO AND FAR SW KY. BASED ON CURRENT STORM MOVEMENT AND TRENDS...ACTIVITY SHOULD MOVE INTO OUR FAR NW SECTIONS IN THE NEXT HOUR. IF THE ACTIVITY HOLDS TOGETHER AND MAINTAINS ITS CURRENT SPEED...ACTIVITY SHOULD REACH THE I-65 CORRIDOR INCLUDING THE BOWLING GREEN AND LOUISVILLE AREAS BY 21-22Z (4-6 PM EDT)...AND IN THE LEXINGTON AREA AROUND 23 TO 01Z (7-9 PM EDT). A TOR WATCH IS IN EFFECT JUST WEST OF OUR AREA. LATEST SWOMCD FROM SPC SUGGESTS A NEW WATCH WILL BE REQUIRED SHORTLY. WITH ALL THAT SAID...PREVIOUSLY UPDATED FORECAST REMAINS IN GOOD SHAPE THIS EVENING. WILL ALLOW POPS TO RAMP UP TO CATEGORICAL THIS EVENING AND THEN DROP QUICKLY AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE OUT OF THE REGION BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES BUILDING INTO THE REGION. MADE SOME SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS FOR TEMPS OVERNIGHT GIVEN THE NEW MODEL DATA THAT HAS COME IN. FOR MONDAY...FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SAG SOUTH OF THE STATE AND THEN RETREAT BACK NORTHWARD LATE IN THE DAY. A MOSTLY DRY DAY IS EXPECTED WITH PRECIPITATION LIKELY HOLDING OFF UNTIL THE THIRD PERIOD (MONDAY NIGHT). HIGH TEMPS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S IN THE NORTH TO THE LOW TO MID 60S ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH. UPDATED FORECASTS AND MESOSCALE UPDATES WILL FOLLOW THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE CONVECTIVE EVENT PROGRESSES. .LONG TERM (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... MON NIGHT THRU WED NIGHT... WILL MAKE THIS BRIEF...AS WE ARE POOLING ALL OUR RESOURCES FOR THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE EVENT IN THE NEAR TERM. SHRTWV RIDGE FCST TO AMPLIFY A BIT AND MOVE INTO OUR FA LATE MON AS SFC HI PRES DEPARTS. CDFNT THAT MOVES THRU LATE TDA/TNGT...PROGGED TO RETURN MON NIGHT AS A WMFNT AS UPR LEVEL FLO BECOMES MORE SWLY. WILL GO WITH ECMWF TIMING WITH WARM FROPA. WMFNT SHUD BE MAINLY NORTH OF OUR FA BY 12Z TUE...WITH WIDESPREAD RAINS ALONG/AHEAD OF BNDRY FROM SOUTHERN INDIANA...NORTHWARD. THAT PUTS OUR REGION IN THE WARM SECTOR TUE AND EARLY TUE NIGHT TIL COLD FROPA WED MRNG. BEST RAIN CHCS APPEAR TO BE PRE WARM FRONTAL MON NIGHT AND PRE COLD FRONTAL TUE NIGHT. WILL CONTINUE CURRENT LIKELY POPS FOR THOSE PERIODS. SHOWER CHCS SHOULD BE CONFINED MAINLY TO OUR ERN/SRN COUNTIES WED WITH THE FRONT OVER THOSE AREAS AT THE START OF THE DAY. ALL NEW GUIDANCE HAS PUSHED THE FRONT FARTHER SWD INTO THE SRN GULF STATES WED NIGHT...RESULTING IN THE OVERRUNNING PATTERN POSSIBLY BRINGING SOME RAIN OR SNOW TO OUR FA WED NIGHT...NOW OVER THE TN VLY AND SWD. WILL REMOVE POPS FOR THAT PERIOD. THU THRU SUN... WILL MAKE SUBTLE CHANGES FOR THIS PERIOD. TEMPS SHUD BE NEAR MID MAR NORMS WITH THE MILDEST DAY ON SUN. WE START OFF IN A SPLIT FLOW PATTERN WITH THE LOWER OH VLY STILL IN THE SRN STREAM IN FAST CONFLUENT FLO...THEN TRANSITION TO THE NRN STREAM FRI NIGHT THRU SUN. HIGH PRES OVERSPREADS THE NRN PARTS OF OUR REGION THU AND IS CENTERED OVER THE LOWER OH VLY BY SUN. THIS SHUD BE A DRY AND SEASONAL TEMP PERIOD. WILL REMOVE THE SLGT CHC POPS WE HAD IN THE SOUTH FOR THU AND THU NIGHT. && .AVIATION (18Z TAFS)... GUSTY SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO PUMP WARM AND MOIST AIR INTO THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF ADVANCING COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO OUR WEST. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND STRENGTH DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. KSDF AND KBWG WILL BE IMPACTED MOST WITH TSRA IN THE 20-24 TIME FRAME WITH KLEX SEEING TSRA IN THE 23-03Z TIME FRAME. BEFORE THEN...GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 16-18KTS WITH GUSTS OF 28-29KTS POSSIBLE. CIGS AND VSBYS WILL BE RUNNING IN THE VFR TO HIGH END MVFR CATS DUE LOW CIGS. TEMPO DROPS TO IFR WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AT TERMINAL SITES IN THE ABOVE REFERENCE TIMEFRAME. SFC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION LATER TONIGHT. IT SHOULD CLEAR THE OHIO RIVER AND I-65 CORRIDOR BY 00Z AND THE I-75 CORRIDOR BY 06Z. CLEARING SKIES AND DECREASING WINDS ARE EXPECTED WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. WINDS WILL BECOME MORE WESTERLY OVERNIGHT AND THEN NORTHWEST BY 12Z MON. AS SFC HIGH DRIFTS THROUGH...WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BECOME NORTHEAST TO EAST DURING THE DAY ON MON. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && WEATHER.GOV/LOUISVILLE MESOSCALE....MJ SHORT TERM...MJ LONG TERM....DK AVIATION.....MJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 335 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>034-038-045-053-061>063-070>074- 091945- ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN- CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY- BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY- JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-SPENCER KY- NELSON KY-LARUE KY-BUTLER KY-EDMONSON KY-HART KY-LOGAN KY- WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY-ALLEN KY-BARREN KY- 335 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009 /235 PM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE QUITE GUSTY AFTER THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING BEFORE SUBSIDING OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION. AT THIS TIME...STRONG STORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY EVENING...WITH THE MAIN HAZARD BEING DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN LOUISVILLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED AGAIN TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. KYZ035>037-039>043-046>049-054>057-064>067-075>078-081-082-091945- FRANKLIN KY-SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY- FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-WASHINGTON KY-MERCER KY- JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY-GARRARD KY-MADISON KY- GREEN KY-TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-LINCOLN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY- ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY-CUMBERLAND KY-CLINTON KY- 335 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009 /235 PM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND THE BLUEGRASS REGION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND THE BLUEGRASS REGION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL ACCOMPANY A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BE PASSING THROUGH THE REGION. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. IN ADDITION...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE QUITE GUSTY AFTER THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THIS EVENING. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION. AT THIS TIME...STRONG STORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY EVENING...WITH THE MAIN HAZARD BEING DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN LOUISVILLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED AGAIN TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. MJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 418 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009 KYZ026-061-082130- OHIO KY-BUTLER KY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BEAVER DAM...MORGANTOWN 318 PM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009 A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE FROM MCLEAN COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY INTO OHIO AND BUTLER COUNTIES THROUGH 3:45 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON. THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS TO 45 MPH... SMALL HAIL... DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.. AND A BRIEF PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN. WHEN THE STORM APPROACHES MOVE INTO A SHELTERED AREA AWAY FROM GLASS. IF DRIVING WATCH FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES. JA
The Louisville radar (KLVX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:43 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor tree damage was reported by Emergency Manager with winds estimated at 60 mph.
A roof was blown off a building and trees were downed.
Downed tree limbs were reported with winds estimated at 60 mph by amateur radio operator.
Two trees in excess of 40 feet tall were uprooted on the grounds of Mammoth Cave National Park.
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, March 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: 159045, 159042, 159037, 159046, 159038, 159043.