A slow moving cold front interacted with a very warm, moist and unstable air mass to cause severe weather to break out across eastern KY during the afternoon and evening hours of May 14th. Most of the severe weather reports received at the weather office described hail ranging from 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
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 slow moving cold front interacted with a very warm, moist and unstable air mass to cause severe weather to break out across eastern KY during the afternoon and evening hours of May 14th. Most of the severe weather reports received at the weather office described hail ranging from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. There were also a few reports of downed trees and flash flooding.
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 14, 12:05 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 105 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 .SHORT TERM...UPDATED MESOSCALE UPDATE... WITH BUILDING SFC BASED INSTABILITY...A WEAKENING CAP AND SUFFICIENT MID LEVEL WINDS...STORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP TO OUR WEST AND SOUTHWEST AND MOVE INTO EAST KENTUCKY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL PROBABLY KICK OFF ADDITIONAL STORMS FROM THEIR CONVECTIVE OUTFLOWS. THE THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROFILES INDICATE THAT DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS...THOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. ACCORDINGLY...HAVE ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. UPDATES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE GRIDS AND ZONES WITH THE HWO TO FOLLOW. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /THE REST OF TODAY/ 13Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS A DIFFUSE COLD FRONT SETTLING INTO THE STATE AND LYING JUST NORTHWEST OF THE CWA. THIS HAS HELPED TO SPAWN A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST TO OUR SOUTHWEST EARLIER IN THE MORNING. THE ENVIRONMENT IS FAVORABLE FOR DEEP THUNDERSTORMS WITH DECENT INSTABILITY AND A WEAKENING CAP. HOWEVER...THE WIND FIELDS ARE FAIRLY UNIDIRECTIONAL AND NOT THAT STRONG...LIKELY HINDERING THE POTENTIAL FOR ORGANIZED STORM DEVELOPMENT. ADDITIONALLY...A MOIST ENVIRONMENT SHOULD LIMIT THE STRENGTH OF THE UPDRAFTS. EVEN SO...THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP COULD BECOME FAIRLY TALL WITH A POTENTIAL FOR WET MICRO-BURST STORMS...SHOULD THE THINNING DRY LAYER CREATE ENOUGH EVAPORATION WITHING A COLLAPSING CELL...ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN. ALSO WOULD NOT RULE OUT LARGE HAIL...BUT EVIDENCE THUS FAR THIS MORNING INDICATES THAT THIS MAY NOT BE THE PREFERRED SEVERE MODE. HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST MAINLY TO FINE TUNE POP AND SKY GRIDS...AS WELL AS TO BLEND THE CURRENT OBSERVATIONS WITH THE FORECAST GRIDS FOR TEMPERATURE...DEWPOINT AND WIND INTO THE AFTERNOON. DID ALSO HIT THE HUMIDITY HARDER IN THE ZONES BUT LEFT MOST OF THE WORDING THE SAME. UPDATES ARE ALREADY OUT. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/ A FRONTAL SYSTEM IS MOVING TOWARDS EASTERN KENTUCKY. AT 3 AM...THERE WAS A LINE OF THUNDERSTORM ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT THAT WAS EXTENDING FROM CLEVELAND TO SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI. THIS FRONT WILL BE MOVING TO THE SOUTH AND WILL BE MOVING ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY TODAY. THE BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER THE FRONT HOLDS TOGETHER AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. I AM A BIT PERPLEXED THAT THE MOS IS NOT VERY HIGH FOR THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION. CONSIDERING ALL THE INSTABILITY IN THE MODELS AND THE LIFT AVAILABLE...EVEN FROM A WEAK FRONT...EXPECT THAT THE POPS WILL BE AT LEAST LIKELY. SPC HAS EASTERN KENTUCKY IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER. WHEN LOOKING AT THE BUFR MODEL SOUNDINGS...EVEN THOUGH THERE IS PLENTY OF INSTABILITY...THERE IS NOT MUCH ROTATION...THERE IS LITTLE OR NO LOW LEVEL JET...AND THERE ARE NO DRY LAYERS ALOFT. WITH THIS TYPE OF SOUNDING WOULD EXPECT TO NOT SEE ANY SUPER CELLS AND SEE A PULSE TYPE THUNDERSTORM. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THERE WOULD BE A HANDFUL OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND THAT HAIL WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT. THE FRONT WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTH AND THEN WILL HAVE SOME PARTIAL CLEARING BEFORE THE FRONT MOVES BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. THERE IS STILL ENOUGH MODEL UNCERTAINTY THAT KEEP MY CONFIDENCE A BIT LOW. THE MODEL PREFERENCE IS THE ECMWF. DID NOT CHANGE THE TEMPS MUCH...HOWEVER DID TREND TOWARD CURRENT MODELS AND MOS. .LONG TERM.../MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/ A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE QUICKLY ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE WEST MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...BRINGING AN INCREASED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. IN FACT...THE LATEST MEXMOS AND HPC GUIDANCE...ALONG WITH THE LATEST GFS AND ECMWF RUNS...ALL SEEM TO SUPPORT MORE WIDESPREAD AND LONGER LASTING PRECIPITATION THE PREVIOUS FORECAST HAD BEEN SUGGESTING. THEREFORE...DECIDED TO INCREASE POPS FOR MONDAY THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT...GOING WITH A LIKELY CHANCE OF RAIN FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO LATE MONDAY NIGHT. AS UPSLOPE FLOW KICKS IN BEHIND THE DEPARTING FRONT ON TUESDAY... SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS AND PERHAPS AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN KY...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE WEATHER OFFICE. ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE BOARD TOWARD THE LATEST MEXMOS...WHILE KEEPING INTACT THE COOLER THAN MOS TREND FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST. ENOUGH CLOUD COVER AND PRECIP SHOULD OCCUR TO KEEP THINGS COOLER THAN THE LATEST MEXMOS FOR THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD DURING THE DAYTIME PERIODS. THE LATEST HPC GUIDANCE SEEMED WAY TOO COOL AND WERE THEREFORE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR IN LATEST FORECAST. WITH ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO THE POP FORECAST...QPF... WEATHER...AND SKY COVER GRIDS WERE ALSO MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE AFOREMENTIONED CHANGES. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ THERE ARE GENERALLY OVERCAST SKIES THIS MORNING. THE COLD FRONT IS SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD EASTERN KENTUCKY. AT 1130Z THE COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NW TN TO JUST WEST OF SDF THEN CONTINUED NW TO JUST NORTH OF CVG AND JUST WEST OF CMH. AN AREA OF PREFRONTAL CONVECTION HAS SET UP OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND IS INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY. THE 6Z NAM BUFR SOUNDING HAS A LIFTED INDEX OF -7.7 OVER LONDON AT 12Z ALREADY. IF THIS IS AN INDICATION...IT APPEARS THAT THE INSTABILITY WILL BE ENOUGH TO GET THE STORMS GOING EVEN WITH THE FRONT WELL TO THE NORTH. ADJUSTED THE TIMES OF THE TSTMS FOR THE TAF STATIONS DUE TO THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOSE STORMS OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY. EXPECT MOSTLY VFR...EXCEPT FOR SOME TEMPO MVFR VICINITY OF THE HEAVIER STORMS. PUT SOME HALF MILE FOG IN FOR LOZ AND SME. THIS WILL DEPEND A LOT ON THE POSITION OF THE FRONT AND THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION. THIS IS NOT A SLAM DUNK...SO WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THE PRECIP DEVELOPS AND HOW QUICKLY THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR KYZ044- 050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...JJ/GREIF LONG TERM....RAY AVIATION...JJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 110 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-152015- 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 110 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 170 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS THE MAIN THREATS. HOWEVER...A STRAY TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY SATURDAY MAINLY SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY AND AGAIN SUNDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT EAST KENTUCKY FROM TIME TO TIME SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. JJ/GREIF
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 142 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 KYZ079-141845- PULASKI- 142 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTY THROUGH 245 PM EDT FRIDAY AFTERNOON... NORTHERN PULASKI. AT 142 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF MAGNUM...OR 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF SOMERSET...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...MAGNUM AROUND 150 PM EDT...STAB AROUND 200 PM EDT...HOGUE AROUND 205 PM EDT... SCIENCE HILL AROUND 215 PM EDT...PULASKI AROUND 220 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. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY. SBH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 200 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 KYZ112-113-115-117-141830- BREATHITT-KNOTT-PERRY-LESLIE- 200 PM EDT FRI MAY 14 2010 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 230 PM EDT FRIDAY AFTERNOON... SOUTHERN BREATHITT... NORTHWESTERN KNOTT... NORTH CENTRAL PERRY AND EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL LESLIE. AT 200 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR WHICK...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF JACKSON...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...NOBLE AROUND 205 PM EDT...ARY AROUND 210 PM EDT...BUCK AROUND 215 PM EDT...ELMROCK AROUND 220 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. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY. SBH
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:21 UTC.
15 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
One tree was uprooted and multiple large branches were blown down in Ary.
Golf ball size hail was observed at mile marker 29 on I-75.
Trees were blown down in Ewing.
The Fleming county EOC reported hail up to one inch in diameter in Flemingsburg.
Quarter size hail fell at the high school in Flemingsburg.
Golf ball size hail was reported along US 23 south of Pikeville near Shelby Valley.
Several trees were blown down in Calvin.
The EOC reported that 2 feet of water was over Highway 26 at New Zion Road northeast of Williamsburg. There was also flooding reported along the lower end of Old Corbin Pike.
Streams in Pineville were over roads and bridges.
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: 228214, 228215, 228217, 228218, 228219, 228220, 228221, 228222, 228223, 228224, 228225, 228226, 228227, 228228, 228229, 228230, 228234, 228231, 228233, 228235.