Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, October 8 to 9, 2009

Name: Flooding and Hail in Kentucky, October 8 to 9, 2009
Start: 2009-10-08T15:00
End: 2009-10-09T18:00
Location: Kentucky

October 8 to 9, 2009 · NWS PAH · 9 events in 7 counties and zones

Ahead of a slow-moving cold front, widespread heavy rain from two to three inches caused local flooding. These amounts fell over a 48-hour period.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.

Ahead of a slow-moving cold front, widespread heavy rain from two to three inches caused local flooding. These amounts fell over a 48-hour period. The heaviest rainfall rates occurred in a squall line that crossed western Kentucky on the evening of the 8th. This squall line produced isolated wind damage, mainly in the Pennyrile region. The squall line of thunderstorms occurred along a tight gradient of low level moisture in the vicinity of an east-west frontal zone. South of the line, surface dew points were in the lower 70's, with weak instability and strong deep-layer wind shear. Isolated strong wind gusts occurred with individual bowing-line segments embedded in the squall line.

What forecasters said that 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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 8, 2:11 PM CST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 8, 2:11 PM CST, 49 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 8, 2:28 PM CST, 32 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Hopkins

When: October 8, 3:00 PM CST to October 9, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Hopkins County, Madisonville to White City
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 37.330, -87.500

A ramp at exit 37 of the Pennyrile Parkway was covered by water. In outlying areas of the county, a few secondary roads were closed by flooding for over 24 hours. High water was reported on Kentucky 502. County road crews spent much of the 9th clearing large culverts and bridges of debris and posting high water signs. The emergency management office in Madisonville measured nearly three inches of rain over a two-day period. A mesonet site near Madisonville recorded about 2.75 inches.

Hail, Henderson

When: October 8, 8:44 PM CST
Where: Henderson County, Reed
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.850, -87.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Hopkins

When: October 9, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Hopkins County, 0.5 mi NE of Madisonville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 37.335, -87.494

At an industrial park within the northeastern city limits of Madisonville, several panels of tin were torn off the roof of a spec building. Insulation was blown away. Some branches and debris were found in the surrounding area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Muhlenberg

When: October 9, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Muhlenberg County, Greenville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 37.200, -87.180

A large tree was uprooted in Greenville. Strong winds were responsible for other scattered minor damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Trigg

When: October 9, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Trigg County, 4 mi N of Cadiz
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.928, -87.820

Outbuildings and trees on a farm were damaged.

Flood, Union

When: October 9, 7:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Union County, 1.86 mi NE of Chapman to 1.44 mi NE of Chapman
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 37.740, -87.897

Kentucky Highway 1179 was closed near Kentucky 141, between the 0 and 1 mile marker.

Flood, Lyon

When: October 9, 9:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Lyon County, 4.42 mi NNW of Kuttawa to 4.76 mi N of Kuttawa
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 37.131, -88.145

Kentucky Highway 1943 was closed between the three and four mile markers due to water over the road.

Heavy Rain, Carlisle

When: October 9, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Carlisle County, Arlington to 3.68 mi WNW of Kirbyton
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 36.780, -89.020

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews reported that water was over a number of highways. The high water prompted signage or flaggers to be stationed at the following locations to slow traffic: Kentucky 80 from the 2 to 3 mile marker, Kentucky 1820 from the 2 to 3 mile marker, and Kentucky 1628 from the 3 to 4 mile marker. All of these roadways were reported open and passable.

Flood, Henderson

When: October 9, 11:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Henderson County, Smith Mills to 2.25 mi NE of Henderson
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 37.800, -87.770

The following highways in Henderson County were closed due to high water: Kentucky 812 between the 4 and 5 mile markers, Kentucky 2183 between the 0 and 3 mile markers, Kentucky 1539 between the 1 and 2 mile markers, and Kentucky 1557 between the 2 and 3 mile markers.

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, October 2009

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 198277, 198295, 198278, 199087, 198292, 198298, 198297, 199086, 199085.