A line of strong to severe thunderstorm brought isolated severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 16th.
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 to severe thunderstorm brought isolated severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 16th.
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 May 16, 1:59 PM EST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 259 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED COLD FRONT IS NEAR A LEX TO GLW LINE...WITH BROKEN LINES OF CONVECTION FILLING IN ACROSS THE AREA. SO FAR...THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN MORE TAME COMPARED TO YESTERDAY...WITH CORES NOT AS DEEP. WIND PROFILE HAS BEEN WANING IN THE LOW LEVELS WITH TIME ACCORDING TO THE JKL VAD...SO THINK THAT MORE STRONG STORMS ARE A BETTER POSSIBILITY THAN SEVERE...ALTHOUGH WOULD NOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A SEVERE WITH ANY MERGING THAT CAN TAKE PLACE. HYDROLOGICALLY...STILL ANTICIPATE ANY PROBLEMS TO BE ISOLATED AS STORMS HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH OVER A GIVEN AREA. HIGH PRESSURE WILL WORK IN LATER THIS EVENING...WITH SKIES AT LEAST PARTIALLY CLEARING OVERNIGHT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. A MUCH COOLER AND DRIER AIR MASS WILL ADVECT IN FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 60S ON SUNDAY...AND LOWS IN THE 35 TO 40 DEGREE RANGE SUNDAY NIGHT. SOME VALLEYS COULD SEE SOME PATCHY FROST MONDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND INTO THE 66 TO 71 DEGREE RANGE FOR MONDAY...WITH SOME VALLEYS DIPPING BACK DOWN INTO THE UPPER 30S MONDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM.../TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...UPDATED AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE THE DOMINANT FEATURE THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. AFTER THAT TIME THERE IS UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE STRENGTH OF A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA AND THE GREAT LAKES AND HOW FAR SOUTH THE EVER INCREASINGLY SHEARED AND PROBABLY ILL DEFINED SFC COLD FRONT WILL GET. THE OTHER CONCERN IS THE ORIGIN OF AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER FL/GULF COAST REGION WHICH CLOSES OFF FROM THE SOUTHERN EXTENT OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT PASSES EAST OF THE AREA IN THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. A RIDGE/VALLEY TEMP SPLIT AND RATHER LARGE AT THAT WILL PROBABLY OCCUR UNDER THE SFC AND UPPER RIDGING ON TUE NIGHT. THEREAFTER.. MOISTURE SHOULD GRADUALLY BEGIN TO RETURN AND TEMPS MODERATE AT LEAST INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S FOR HIGHS AT LEAST WED THROUGH FRI...THOUGH TEMPS COULD BE SUPPRESSED BY INCREASING MOISTURE CLOUDS LATE IN THE PERIOD. DRY WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. AT THAT POINT EITHER THE NORTHERN STREAM BOUNDARY AND TROUGH MAY BE IN CLOSE ENOUGH...PROXIMITY TO POSSIBLE FRONT NEARING THE OH VALLEY MAY LEAD TO PM SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS AS THE RIDGE SHIFTS EAST...HEIGHTS FALL AND THE UPPER SYSTEM MEANDERS TOWARD THE GULF COAST OR SOUTHEAST. THE THREAT FOR AT LEAST DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE INTO SAT. FOR POPS AT THE END OF THE PERIOD...GENERALLY WENT WITH A DIURNAL TREND INTO THE SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE. AREAS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS/SMOKIES WILL BE MORE PRONE TO EXPERIENCING CONVECTION AT THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO FILL IN ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY. HAVE THE PROLONGED COVERAGE AT THE TAF SITES BEGINNING AROUND 1830Z AT SME AND 19Z FOR LOZ AND JKL. THE FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH SME AT AROUND 22Z AND AT JKL AND LOZ AT NEAR 23Z. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND MAY BE A BIT GUSTY INITIALLY ALONG AND IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT. MVFR CIGS WILL RAISE TO VFR LATER IN THE EVENING...WITH SKIES CLEARING BY DAWN AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...GEOGERIAN LONG TERM...JP AVIATION...GEOGERIAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 551 AM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-171100- 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- 551 AM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...AND POSSIBLY INTO THIS EVENING. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL...AS WELL AS SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. PATCHY FROST MAY AFFECT SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HAL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 240 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 KYZ080-085-086-161915- LAUREL-WHITLEY-KNOX- 240 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT SOUTHERN LAUREL AND WEST CENTRAL KNOX AND NORTHERN WHITLEY COUNTIES THROUGH 315 PM EDT SATURDAY AFTERNOON... AT 239 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GROVE...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR VOX AROUND 245 PM EDT...BARTON AROUND 250 PM EDT...CORBIN AND NORTH CORBIN AROUND 255 PM EDT...SILER AROUND 300 PM EDT...AND LYNN CAMP AROUND 305 PM EDT. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. JP
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 326 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 KYZ106-108-109-111-112-114-162000- MORGAN-MAGOFFIN-WOLFE-LEE-BREATHITT-OWSLEY- 326 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL MORGAN AND EXTREME WEST CENTRAL MAGOFFIN AND SOUTHERN WOLFE AND EASTERN LEE AND NORTHWESTERN BREATHITT AND NORTH CENTRAL OWSLEY COUNTIES THROUGH 400 PM EDT SATURDAY AFTERNOON... AT 326 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MALONEY... MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR WIDECREEK AROUND 335 PM EDT...PENCE AROUND 340 PM EDT...WILHURST AROUND 345 PM EDT...VANCLEVE AND MOCT AROUND 350 PM EDT...ROCK LICK AROUND 355 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. JP
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 338 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 KYZ069-112-114-162015- BREATHITT-JACKSON-OWSLEY- 338 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN BREATHITT AND EASTERN JACKSON AND OWSLEY COUNTIES THROUGH 415 PM EDT SATURDAY AFTERNOON... AT 337 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GREEN HALL... MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR ENDEE AROUND 345 PM EDT...TURIN AROUND 350 PM EDT...EVERSOLE AROUND 355 PM EDT...COWCREEK AROUND 400 PM EDT...LUCKY FORK AROUND 405 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. DUSTY
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 7 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:42 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Large limbs and small trees were blown down Railroad Street. Power lines were down along Quicksand Road.
The Jackson Police Dept reported trees and power lines down in Jackson.
Several trees were blown down in Mount Victory and White Lilly. Roofs were blown off barns on Piney Grove Rd and Hwy 192 in White Lilly.
Trees and power lines were blown down between Jeff and Vicco along and near the Hwy 15 corridor causing power outages.
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, May 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: 165905, 165906, 165908, 165911.