Areas of strong thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding across portions of Pulaski, Rockcastle, Perry, Wayne, Jackson, Whitley, and Owsley counties during the early morning hours of September 26th. 48 inches as reported by the iflows network in Buffalo, KY in Owsley county.
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.
Areas of strong thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding across portions of Pulaski, Rockcastle, Perry, Wayne, Jackson, Whitley, and Owsley counties during the early morning hours of September 26th. Twenty four hour rainfall totals through 7 am on September 26th ranged from 1.01 inches, as reported by the Beattyville cooperative weather observer, to 3.48 inches as reported by the iflows network in Buffalo, KY in Owsley county.
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 Sep 25, 1:49 PM EST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 249 PM EDT FRI SEP 25 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...UPDATED SHRA/TSRA HAVE BEGUN TO OVER SPREAD OUR SRN COUNTIES. HEAVIEST CONCENTRATION WAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY BUT THE TREND IS NORTH. WITH ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY IN TN EXPECT TREND TO CONTINUE. CLOUD COVER HAS RESTRICTED FOR MOST OF THE CWFA...HOWEVER THE CELLULAR NATURE OF THE CLOUDS IN THE SOUTH HAVE ALLOWED THOSE LOCATIONS TO EXCEED THEIR FCST HIGHS BY A COUPLE DEG. WITH THE SETTING SUN THE CLOUDS SHOULD RETURN TO STRAUS AND COVERAGE WILL INCREASE TO BLANKET OVC. THIS WILL HOLD LOW TEMPS UP AND EVEN WITH LIKELY POPS TONIGHT AND NEARLY 100 POP ON SAT WILL KEEP TEMPS A DEG OR TWO BETWEEN THE MOS MAX/MIN RANGE. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FNT SAT AFTERNOON/EVENING AND THE CESSATION OF THE HEAVY PCPN. COULD BE A FEW LINGERING SPRINKLES BEHIND THE FNT BUT THE HEAVY PCPN WILL END BY MIDNIGHT SAT NIGHT. WILL UPDATE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS EVENING TO REFRESH THE WORDING BUT THE TIMING STILL LOOKS GOOD. ACCUMULATED PCPN FCST TO RANCE FROM 3-4 INCHES IN THE KY AND CUMBERLAND RIVER HEADWATERS DOWN TO 1.5 TO 2 TOWARDS THE I-75 AND I-64 CORRIDORS. .LONG TERM.../SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...UPDATED MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT UNTIL THE END OF THE PERIOD. UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN TIER...MINNESOTA PIVOTS DOWN INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. IN RESPONSE...CORRESPONDING SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY SWEEPS ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY MORNING. MODELS INDICATE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF MOISTURE WITH THIS FAST MOVING BOUNDARY. BUT WITH SUCH A POTENT SYSTEM...GOOD BOUNDARY LAYER DYNAMICS...COULD NOT RULE OUT SOME ISOLD TO SCT SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT ITSELF. THEREFORE... REINTRODUCED A SLIGHT POP INTO THE FORECAST BY DAWN MONDAY. A MUCH COOLER...DRIER AIR MASS FILLS INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY BEHIND THE DEPARTING COLD FRONT FOR A TRUE TASTE OF SOME FALL LIKE WEATHER. THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST REMAINS DRY WITH A VERY GRADUAL MODERATION IN TEMPS. WITH THE OPERATIONAL GFS SO MUCH FASTER WITH THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN...AND A SECOND FRONTAL SYSTEM AT THE END OF THE PERIOD AS COMPARED TO THE ECMWF AND ENSEMBLE MEAN...DECIDED TO SLOW THE REBOUND OF TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEK VERSUS MOS GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ LOW STRATUS HAS PERSISTED AND WITH THE SAT CONFIRMING...WILL CONTINUE ALTHOUGH IT MAY BECOME MORE CELLULAR FOR A TIME THIS AFTERNOON. SHRA/TSRA MOVING BACK INTO SRN KY AND HAS ALREADY MADE IT TO THE SRN PORTION OF INTERSTATE 75. EXPECT THIS PCPN TO OVERSPREAD THE REST OF ERN KY IN PREPARATION OF AN EXTENDED HEAVY RAIN EVENT. CIG/VSBY MAY COME UP TO MVFR BRIEFLY THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER BY THIS EVENING... EXPECT TO SEE THE CIGS AND VIS GO BACK DOWN AS THE PRECIPITATION BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD AND THE FRONT MOVES TOWARD THE AREA FROM THE WEST. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY LONG TERM...RAY AVIATION...DUSTY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 346 PM EDT FRI SEP 25 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-262300- 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 346 PM EDT FRI SEP 25 2009 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING AND MAY RESULT IN SOME LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. RAINFALL FROM THIS EXTENDED RAIN EVENT AND THE CURRENTLY SATURATED GROUND WILL CAUSE AREA RIVERS TO RISE BUT THEY SHOULD STAY BELOW FLOOD STAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN REPORTS OF RAINFALL GREATER THAN ONE INCH AND ANY OBSERVATIONS OF LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. JJ/DUSTY
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 27 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:32 UTC.
8 heavy rain, 6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter reported a 24 hour rainfall amount of 2.75 inches in on Regional Airport Rd off Highway 15 N 2 miles SSE of Ned.
A measured rainfall of 1.94 inches was recorded at the Monticello AWOS station over a 3 hour period.
The park forest service reported that 2.62 inches of rain fell in 3 hours near Somerset, with 2.56 inches of the rain falling in a 2 hour period.
Someone from the Park and Forest Service measured a rainfall amount of 1.84 inches between 6 and 7 am near Somerset.
A trained weather spotter measured 1.5 inches of rainfall in a 90 minute period east of Somerset.
A trained spotter reported that water had backed up over Highway 174 in the Haldeman and Hays Crossing areas.
Six to eight inches of water was flowing over the road at the KY 80 and US 27 intersection. The water was still over the road at that location but was receding as of 9:35 am.
Six to eight inches of water was flowing into one lane of Highway 39 in the Nelson Valley area.
Six to eight inches of water was reported to be flowing into one lane of KY Highway 1642. This flooding was ongoing at 9:35 am.
Two inches of rainfall occurred between 7 and 915 am in Booneville.
A volunteer weather observer reported that 1.34 inches of rainfall had fallen since their daily report was sent in at 7:10 am. The storm total rainfall at this location measured 2 inches since midnight the night before.
The city of Corbin was in the process of closing parts of South Main St, Master St, 5th St, and Bayton Creek Road due to flash flooding.
The fire dept responded to a report of water in a house in Lerose.
County dispatch reported water over Interstate 75 between mile markers 56 and 59 just southeast of Mt. Vernon in the town of Burr.
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, September 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: 196573, 196566, 196567, 196564, 196565, 196571, 196561, 196562, 196560, 196569, 196574, 196568, 196570, 196572.