A large storm system developed over the central Plains at the end of April. This brought several rounds of very heavy rain between April 30th and May 2nd.
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 PAH wrote it up.
A large storm system developed over the central Plains at the end of April. This brought several rounds of very heavy rain between April 30th and May 2nd. South of the Ohio River, rainfall amounts from 2 to 5 inches were widespread. Lesser amounts occurred to the north. The lower Ohio River went above flood stage during the first week of May.
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 May 4, 5:51 AM CST, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 651 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATE TO AVIATION SECTION. NO CHANGE TO PUBLIC DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING TO OUR SOUTHEAST WILL PROVIDE DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS TODAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. MODELS SHOW A COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE QUAD STATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. NAM AND SREF BRING MINIMAL QPF INTO NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE PAH FORECAST AREA WITH ITS PASSAGE...WHILE GFS AND ECMWF KEEP ANY QPF NORTH OF THE FA. WITH FORECAST LI'S BELOW ZERO AND DEW POINTS RECOVERING BACK UP INTO THE MID 50S BY WEDNESDAY...PREFER THE WETTER FORECAST AND CONTINUED WITH LOW POPS FOR OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE FRONT WILL LIFT BACK NORTH THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT...KEEPING CONDITIONS WARM AND MOIST ACROSS THE AREA. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THURSDAY NIGHT AND MOVE ACROSS THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI AND LOWER OHIO VALLEYS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. REMOVED POPS FOR THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT CONTINUED CHANCE POPS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. A SIGNIFICANT COOL DOWN CAN BE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND. PREFERRED THE WARMER MAV HIGHS AND A COMPROMISE OF MAV/MET LOWS FOR NEAR TERM TEMPS. IN THE EXTENDED...MADE SOME MINOR TWEAKS BASED ON LATEST MEX GUIDANCE AND FOR BLENDING PURPOSES. && .AVIATION... SHALLOW FOG HAS RESULTED IN VARIABLE VSBYS EARLY THIS MORNING AT THE TAF SITES. THAT SHOULD QUICKLY PASS...WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. && RST/CN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 453 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-051000- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 453 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES ON AREA RIVERS...REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE QUAD STATE...AND AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER CANNOT BE RULED OUT. RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON AREA RIVERS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST RIVER FORECASTS...WARNINGS...AND STATEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS REGARDING THE RIVER FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. RST
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 618 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ007-010-014>016-018>021- MOZ076-086-087-041330- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-LIVINGSTON-CRITTENDEN-UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS- HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER- CAPE GIRARDEAU- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...FAIRFIELD...ALBION... MOUNT CARMEL...PINCKNEYVILLE...WEST FRANKFORT...MCLEANSBORO... CARMI...CARBONDALE...HERRIN...HARRISBURG...SHAWNEETOWN... JONESBORO...VIENNA...GOLCONDA...ELIZABETHTOWN...CAIRO... MOUND CITY...METROPOLIS...FORT BRANCH...PETERSBURG...POSEYVILLE... EVANSVILLE...BOONVILLE...ROCKPORT...SMITHLAND...MARION... MORGANFIELD...DIXON...MADISONVILLE...HENDERSON...OWENSBORO... CALHOUN...GREENVILLE...PERRYVILLE...MARBLE HILL...CAPE GIRARDEAU 618 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 2010 ...AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING... AREAS OF FOG...LOCALLY DENSE...WILL PERSIST ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND NORTHWEST KENTUCKY. VISIBILITIES MAY BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES. DRIVERS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION EARLY THIS MORNING. THE LOCALLY DENSE FOG SHOULD BE BURN OFF BETWEEN 8 OR 9 AM.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1035 AM CDT TUE MAY 04 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 PM TORNADO 12 NW POPLAR BLUFF 36.89N 90.56W
05/01/2010 BUTLER MO NWS STORM SURVEY
EF0 TORNADO. STORM DAMAGE SURVEY REVEALED SEVERAL LARGE
TREES DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 410.
0147 AM TORNADO 2 NW GOLO 36.76N 88.52W
05/02/2010 GRAVES KY NWS STORM SURVEY
PATH WAS FROM 2.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOLO TO 2.5 MILES
NORTHEAST OF GOLO. MOST DAMAGE WAS IN THE FINAL HALF OF
THE TRACK...RIGHT UP TO THE MARSHALL COUNTY LINE.
NUMEROUS SMALL TREE LIMBS DOWN...SOME 7 TO 8 INCHES IN
DIAMETER. THREE LARGE PINE TREES SNAPPED AND ONE
UPROOTED.
&&
PSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding of the Ohio River occurred around Newburgh. Bottomland fields and some woodlands were inundated.
Minor flooding of the Ohio River occurred around Mt. Vernon. Farmland and a few roads were flooded in places southwest and west of Mt. Vernon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, May 2010
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: 228170, 228175.