An area of low pressure and its associated cold front help produce scattered strong thunderstorms on May 12th. The largest hail observed ranged from one quarter to one half of inch with only a few reports received.
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.
An area of low pressure and its associated cold front help produce scattered strong thunderstorms on May 12th. The largest hail observed ranged from one quarter to one half of inch with only a few reports received. The primary issue with this group of storms was flash flooding, which affected 3 counties along and north of the I-64 corridor.
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 12, 10:05 AM EST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1105 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED 14Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS A QUASI STATIONARY BOUNDARY LYING JUST NORTH OF THE CWA. TRAINING MCS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE ROLLING EAST ALONG THIS BOUNDARY SPREADING FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINS INTO THE REGION. EXPECT THIS AREA TO EXPAND A BIT TO THE SOUTH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS ENCOMPASSING MORE OF OUR NORTHERN CWA. TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH WAS ISSUED VALID THROUGH 8 PM EDT...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64. IN ADDITION...THE AREA TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONT...DESPITE THE DEBRIS CLOUD CONTAMINATION IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. BASED ON MOSAIC RADAR LOOPS AND NEAR TERM MODELING THE TAIL OF THE INITIAL MCS LOOKS LIKE IT WILL PUSH INTO THIS PART OF THE CWA IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON WITH A POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND/OR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. THIS MCS STRUCTURE APPEARS TO BE BEING PUSHED BY AN MCV OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS WHICH WILL HELP IT TO SUSTAIN ITSELF. ACCORDINGLY...HAVE RAISED POPS AND THUNDER CHANCES THROUGH THE ENTIRE CWA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL AS INCREASED THE WIND SPEEDS AND FINE TUNED THE MAX T TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PCPN COOLING IN THE NORTH. THE UPDATES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SENT AND THE HWO UPDATED TO BEEF UP THUNDERSTORM AND FLOOD THREATS THIS AFTERNOON AND HIGHLIGHT THE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THURSDAY. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/ CURRENT POSITION OF THE FRONTAL BNDRY EXTENDS FROM NERN OH TO SCNTRL MO. THIS KEEPS THE BNDRY AND ASSOCIATED PCPN WELL NORTH OF THE OH RVR. DO EXPECT THE BNDRY TO SAG SOUTH AS A S/WV TRACKS NE ALONG THE FNT. THIS WILL BRING PCPN TO ERN KY BUT OUR NRN COUNTIES WILL HAVE A BETTER CHC OF RECEIVING MEASURABLE PCPN THAN THE SRN HALF. HAVE CURRENTLY KEPT LIKELY POPS ALONG OUR NRN CWFA BNDRY... RAPIDLY DECREASING TO ONLY 40 POP BY THE TIME YOU PROCEED SOUTH TO THE MTN PKWY AND LOW CHC ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PKWY. HAVE CHOSEN TO FOLLOW THE MORE CONSERVATIVE AND CONSISTENT ECMWF MODEL WHICH KEEPS ERN KY IN A DRY PATTERN FOR WED NITE AND THU BEFORE BRINGING THE NEXT S/WV INTO THE PICTURE LATE THU NITE. WITH THE AREA SOLIDLY IN THE WARM SECTOR SOUTH OF THE FNTL BNDRY... THE SW WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FEED WARM AIR INTO THE AREA AND IN SPITE OF THE PERSISTENT CLOUD COVER PROVIDED BY THE NEARBY FNT... EXPECT DAYTIME HIGHS TO INCREASE A COUPLE OF DEG EACH DAY WITH TODAY SEEING NUMEROUS LOW 80S IN THE SOUTH AND THE ENTIRE CWFA WELL INTO THE 80S BY THU. .LONG TERM.../FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/ DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND GFS CONTINUE WITH THE GFS BEING MORE PROGRESSIVE AND THE ECMWF MUCH SLOWER. GIVEN THE RECENT SLOWER EVOLUTION OF THINGS IN GENERAL OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...WILL FAVOR THE ECMWF. AS SUCH...ONLY MINIMAL CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE EXISTING FORECAST. THE LATEST MEX NUMBERS ALSO JIVED MUCH BETTER WITH THE INHERITED NUMBERS...KEEPING A MORE DIURNALLY LIMITED TEMPERATURE RANGE GOING THROUGH THE PERIOD IN GENERAL WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY NEAR. THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS BELOW... THE MODELS START THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST WITH CONSIDERABLE DISAGREEMENT IN THE PATTERN ALOFT...PARTICULARLY WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. THE NAM AND GFS ARE MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THIS FEATURE THAN THE EARLIER ECMWF AND GEM. THE U.S. MODELS MAY BE ONTO SOMETHING WITH THEIR MORE PROGRESSIVE TROUGH COMING OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS...BUT PREFER TO STILL LEAN BACK TOWARD THE SLOWER SCENARIO PRESENTED BY THE ECMWF GIVEN THE AMPLIFIED PATTERN. THE WAVE THAT IS AT THE ROOT OF THE DISAGREEMENT IS TOPPING A STRONG RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE NATION. THIS CREATES A TILTED PATTERN OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONTINENT AND PROVIDES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF DEEP SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. A PORTION OF THIS FLOW WILL HAVE TRAJECTORIES OUT OF THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO MAKING AN EASY GLIDE PATH FOR MOISTURE TO INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN OVER THE OHIO VALLEY. EVEN AFTER THAT MAIN WAVE PASSES TO THE NORTHEAST OF KENTUCKY LATE IN THE WEEK...RELATIVELY FAST FLOW WILL SEND ADDITIONAL...LESS WELL DEFINED...WAVES OF ENERGY THROUGH THE REGION OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE SOUTHEAST RIDGE WEAKENS AND GIVES WAY. TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEKEND...ENERGY WILL BEGIN TO CONSOLIDATE OVER THE HIGH PLAINS AND START TO CARVE OUT A NEW...AND MUCH FURTHER SOUTH...TROUGH. DESPITE THE DISAGREEMENT EARLY IN THE EXTENDED...THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE FAIRLY CLOSE WITH THIS EVOLUTION ON MONDAY...AS WELL AS ITS SWING INTO THE WESTERN TENNESSEE VALLEY FOR TUESDAY MORNING. THIS TROUGH CLOSES OFF TO SOME EXTENT IN BOTH MODELS AND THEY BOTH HAVE ITS TIMING AND STRENGTH SIMILAR. THIS RESULTS IN A DEGREE OF GREATER CONFIDENCE IN THE LATTER PORTIONS OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST THAN IN THE FIRST PART. THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST THE ECMWF WAS PREFERRED WITH ONLY SOME MINOR BLENDING WITH THE MORE PROGRESSIVE NAM AND GFS EARLY ON. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE A COLD FRONT...FROM THE PASSING TROUGH TO THE NORTH...DROPPING THROUGH EAST KENTUCKY ON FRIDAY WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS THEN STALLS ALONG OUR BORDER WITH TENNESSEE...OR JUST TO THE SOUTH...FOR SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY WITH A GREATER CHANCE FOR CONVECTION THIS WEEKEND OCCURRING OVER OUR SOUTHERN TIER NEARER THAT BOUNDARY. MEANWHILE...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH WILL ATTEMPT TO KEEP NORTHERN REACHES OF THE CWA DRIER THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEKEND. ON SUNDAY...THE DEVELOPING TROUGH TO THE NORTHWEST WILL SPAWN A SFC WAVE WELL TO OUR WEST...BUT THIS SHOULD START TO SEND THE BOUNDARY BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT RETURNING DECENT CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST BY EVENING....PARTICULARLY OVER OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES. THE SLOW NATURE OF THE AMPLIFYING UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL MEAN A SLOW PROGRESSION OF THE SFC LOW EASTWARD ON MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. THIS SHOULD MAINTAIN A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA TO CLOSE OUT THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST. THE CLOUDY AND WET PATTERN FOR THE EXTENDED WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL FOR HIGHS AND SLIGHTLY MILDER THAN NORMAL FOR LOWS. THIS WILL ALSO LIMIT THE RIDGE TO VALLEY TEMPERATURE SPLITS THROUGH THE FORECAST. SPECIFICALLY...FOR TEMPERATURES...FOLLOWED A BLEND OF HPC AND THE INHERITED GRIDS WITH ONLY MINOR TERRAIN BASED ADJUSTMENTS THROWN IN. AS FOR POPS...ENDED UP FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE MEX NUMBERS... EXCEPT NOT SO HIGH FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...YET. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ RADAR IMG HAS SHRA/TSRA ALONG A NEARLY STATIONARY BOUNDARY ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING ALONG THE BOUNDARY TO THE EAST WITH A FEW STORMS TRACKING ACROSS OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES. A RATHER LARGE DISTURBANCE HAS FORMED OVER THE MID MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND IS TRACKING TOWARDS CVG WITH NUMEROUS STORMS SPILLING INTO NORTHERN KY... SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY. EXPECT JKL TO BEGIN TO BE AFFECTED BY THE STORMS THIS MORNING WITH LOZ/SME TO REMAIN MOSTLY SOUTH OF THE STORM TRACK. EXPECTING ALL STATIONS TO REMAIN VFR WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF JKL GOING BRIEFLY MVFR VSBY WITH THE HEAVIER SHRA/TSRA. WINDS TO BECOME GUSTY FROM THE SOUTH AS THE LOW LEVEL WINDS INCREASE FROM THE SW IN RESPONSE TO THE DAYTIME HEATING AND THE INFLOW TO THE LARGE DISTURBANCE. AFTER THE STORM PASSES TO OUR EAST THE SKY SHOULD BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY AND THE WINDS WILL QUIET AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR KYZ044-050>052- 104. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY/GREIF LONG TERM....GEOGERIAN AVIATION...DUSTY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1015 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 KYZ058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-106>120-131715- ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE- MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN- FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-KNOTT-OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN- PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...HINDMAN... BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG...INEZ... PIKEVILLE 1015 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG WITH SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS THE MAIN THREAT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF THE MOUNTAIN PARKWAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY. A FEW OF THESE COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. KYZ044-050>052-104-131715- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ELLIOTT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...SANDY HOOK 1015 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY. THE TRAINING OF THESE STORMS AND THE HEAVY RAIN THAT WILL RESULT COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING OF SMALLER STREAMS AND BASINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG WITH SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY. A FEW OF THESE COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON FOR FLASH FLOODING OR STORM REPORTS. DUSTY/GREIF
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1034 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 KYZ044-121515- FLEMING- 1034 AM EDT WED MAY 12 2010 ...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTY THROUGH 1115 AM EDT WEDNESDAY MORNING... FLEMING. AT 1034 AM EDT...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED NEAR NEPTON...OR 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF FLEMINGSBURG...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...FLEMINGSBURG AROUND 1040 AM EDT...MOUNT CARMEL AROUND 1045 AM EDT...AND PLEASUREVILLE AROUND 1050 AM EDT. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN LIGHTNING IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE A HAZARD. GREIF
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:15 UTC.
9 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was reported across a road on Mockingbird Hill in Flemingsburg.
Water was reported over Hwy 344 in front of the Baptist Church in Foxport.
Water was reported over the road in the city of Flemingsburg.
Water was reported over the road where Hwy's 60 and 799 intersect in the community of Gates.
Water was reported over the road on Hwy 32 near the Guardian Factory in Morehead.
Water was reported over the road on Hwy 1902 in Mt Carmel.
Water was over the road on Hwy's 367, 170, and 165.
A trained spotter reported that water was over the road at mile marker 11 on Hwy 504 with half inch hail in his front yard 4 miles north northeast of Sandy Hook.
Water was over US 60 in Salt Lick.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, 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: 228202, 228204, 228208, 228209, 228210, 228211, 228212, 228206, 228213.