A cold front stretched across central Kentucky during the afternoon of September 11. East of this front, moist unstable air was in place.
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 LMK wrote it up.
A cold front stretched across central Kentucky during the afternoon of September 11. East of this front, moist unstable air was in place. Multiple storms formed in this atmosphere with damaging winds reported in multiple counties.
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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 11, 12:24 PM CST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 224 PM EDT SAT SEP 11 2010 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND SUNDAY)... CURRENTLY A COLD FRONT IS EXTENDING FROM ROUGHLY SDF TO WEST OF BWG...FROM A SFC LOW LOCATED JUST NNE OF SDF. CURRENT LAPS ANALYSIS SHOWS LI'S ACROSS THE SRN CWA DOWN TO -4 TO -6. THUS THE REASON FOR THE SCATTERED-NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS POPPING UP FROM SHELBYVILLE SW TO E-TOWN AND DOWN TO LOGAN COUNTY. SINCE COLD FRONT IS ALREADY THRU OUR NWRN CWA...POP CHANCES HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO SLIGHT CHC SHOWERS OR NADA...WITH GUSTY NW WINDS ENSUING AND CLOUDY SKIES CONTINUING...AT LEAST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. ALONG AND EAST OF 65 FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...MARGINAL SHEAR AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO MULTI-CELLULAR CONVECTION (PERHAPS A LINE SEGMENT HERE AND THERE) ALONG THE COLD FRONT AS IT TREKS EAST ACROSS THE CWA. GIVEN THE HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT AND UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR...THINK A FEW WET DOWNBURSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE STRONGEST STORMS. A FEW/ISOLATED DMG WIND GUSTS/WET MICROBURSTS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. FOR NOW...IT APPEARS THE FRONT AND ITS STORMS WILL EXIT THE CWA TO THE EAST QUICKLY...MOST LIKELY PRIOR TO 23-00Z...THOUGH THE SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF THE FRONT MAY GET HUNG UP AND LAY OUT MORE. HAVE HIGH LIKELIES EAST TO HIGH CHC POPS OVER AREAS WHERE FRONT IS CURRENTLY LOCATED. MAY HANG ONTO SLT CHC POPS OVER THE FAR EAST IN CASE THE LINE TAKES LONGER TO PASS THRU...AND OVER THE SRN/SWRN CWA IN CASE FRONT HANGS UP...WHICH IS WHAT THE PAST TWO MODEL RUNS OF THE HRRR HAS INDICATED (THIS FIRST WAVE ALONG THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON...AND THEN ANOTHER WEAKER WAVE LATE THIS EVENING MAINLY OVER THE KY/TN BORDER). ALL POPS END BY 03Z TONIGHT...BUT AGAIN SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD END SOONER THAN THAT. GIVEN THE HIGHER BL WINDS AND AMPLE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...THINK STRATUS OR STRATO-CU WOULD CONTINUE BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT RATHER THAN FOG DEVELOPMENT BUT CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE OVER THE NW TOWARDS SUNRISE...BUT LEAVE PARTLY CLOUDY WORDING OVER THE E AND SE. FOR SUNDAY...CLEARING WILL CONTINUE AND MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WILL BE THE RULE WITH A FEW CU POSSIBLE/PERHAPS MORNING STRATO-CU OVER THE BLUEGRASS. SHOULD HAVE HIGHS TOMORROW IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S WITH MUCH DRIER AIR IN PLACE. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY - FRIDAY)... SUNDAY NIGHT - WEDNESDAY... WE/LL BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD IN A DRY ZONAL FLOW. HOWEVER...BY TUESDAY A RIPPLE IN THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL HAVE ROUNDED THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF A REX BLOCK OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND WILL ENTER THE PLAINS STATES. AS IT DOES SO...IT WILL DEVELOP LOW PRESSURE AND A SFC FRONT ACROSS THE PLAINS. MEANWHILE...WE/LL REMAIN DRY AND SUNNY IN KENTUCKY AND INDIANA. A FEW MORE CLOUDS WILL BE NOTED ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A WEAK COOL FRONT MOVES OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUITE PLEASANT IN THE UPPER 70S TO MID 80S FOR HIGHS MON-WED. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 50S AND LOW 60S. THE WARMEST DAY IN THE LONG TERM PERIOD LOOKS TO BE MONDAY AHEAD OF THE WEAK COOL FRONT IN WHICH TEMPS WILL TOP OUT IN THE MID 80S. THURSDAY - SATURDAY... THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW PRESSURE AND SFC FRONT DEVELOPING MID WEEK IN THE PLAINS WILL AFFECT OUR AREA BY LATE WEEK. LOW CHANCE POPS FOR THU-FRI STILL LOOK GOOD. THE MODELS HAVE WAVERED ON THE BEST TIME FOR PRECIP DURING THIS PERIOD WITH THE 0Z ECMWF BEING A BIT FASTER THAN THE 12Z GFS. WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THE TRENDS WITH THIS SYSTEM. NEVERTHELESS...IT SHOULD GIVE US A DECENT SHOT OF RAIN LATE IN THE WEEK AS WELL AS REINFORCING COOL AIR BEHIND THE FRONT. LOOK FOR TEMPS TO STAY AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL THU-SAT. && .AVIATION (18Z TAF ISSUANCE)... CURRENTLY A QUICKLY APPROACHING COLD FRONT IS LOCATED JUST EAST OF OWB...WITH SOUTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT FOR BWG/SDF/LEX AND WINDS BEHIND GUSTING OUT OF THE NORTHWEST. BWG HAS CLEARED OUT THOUGH AS THE FRONT APPROACHES...SCT-BKN LOW CLOUDS SHOULD DEVELOP AS WELL AS SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA...THOUGH REALLY THINK THIS ACTIVITY WOULD MAINLY AFFECT AREAS EAST OF BWG SO WILL ONLY CARRY A VCTS OR TEMPO THERE. THE LOW PRESSURE SHOULD RIDE EASTWARD ALONG OR CLOSE TO THE OHIO RIVER...SO SDF WILL SOON BE AFFECTED BY THE IFR-LIFR CIGS APPROACHING RAPIDLY. ALTHOUGH BASED ON UPSTREAM OBS FROM EVV AND HNB...MAY NEED TO INCLUDE IFR VSBYS..BR AND VLIFR CIGS IN A TEMPO FOR SDF...ROUGHLY FROM 18-20Z. BEHIND THE FRONT IN THE NORTHWEST GUSTY WINDS...STRATO-CU WILL IMPROVE CONDITIONS TO POSSIBLY LOW MVFR BUT HIGH IFR WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. WILL LIKELY ONLY CARRY VCSH AND MAYBE A CB MENTION IN AT SDF BRIEFLY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. FOR LEX...THEY WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR SHRA/TSRA MAINLY AFTER 20Z AS UNSTABLE AIR WORKS NORTHEAST IN THE BLUEGRASS. MVFR CIGS ARE PRESENT THERE BUT SHOULD SCATTER OUT BEFORE THE FRONT APPROACHES...WHERE IFR-MVFR CIGS WILL RETURN AND SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA. WILL INCLUDE AT LEAST A TEMPO MENTION IN AT LEX. FRONT SHOULD PASS THRU ALL SITES BY 00-03Z TONIGHT...WITH CLOUDS STILL AMPLE BEHIND THE FRONT THOUGH CLEARING WILL LIKELY HAPPEN LATE TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KY...ESPECIALLY BWG...WHERE SOME BR DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE. ONCE ANY SUNDAY MORNING LIGHT FOG/BR BURNS OFF...VFR CONDITIONS AND GENERALLY CLEAR SKIES WILL PREVAIL THOUGH LEX COULD STILL SEE STRATO-CU SCT-BKN IN THE IFR-MVFR CATEGORIES EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SHORT TERM........AL LONG TERM.........AML AVIATION..........AL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 1124 AM EDT SAT SEP 11 2010 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-121530- ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN- CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY- BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY- JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY- SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY- FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY- MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY- GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-BUTLER KY-EDMONSON KY-HART KY-GREEN KY- TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-LINCOLN KY-LOGAN KY-WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY- ALLEN KY-BARREN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY-ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY- CUMBERLAND KY-CLINTON KY- 1124 AM EDT SAT SEP 11 2010 /1024 AM CDT SAT SEP 11 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. CLEARING SKIES AND AMPLE MOISTURE HAVE LED TO UNSTABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY. BECAUSE OF THIS INSTABILITY AND A QUICKLY APPROACHING COLD FRONT...A LINE OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE EAST OF I-65...WITH THE LINE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BEFORE 2PM EDT. GIVEN THE INSTABILITY AND MODERATE WINDS ALOFT...A FEW STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT...WITH ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. ALL THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE FOR THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON. DK/JSD/AL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
224 PM EDT SAT SEP 11 2010
KYZ071-073-074-111900-
ALLEN-BARREN-WARREN-
124 PM CDT SAT SEP 11 2010
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...AND
GUSTY WINDS...
AT 122 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR THREE SPRINGS...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN WITH RAINFALL RATES OF AROUND ONE
INCH PER HOUR REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE...AND GUSTY
WINDS OF AROUND 35 TO 40 MPH...ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
HEAVY RAINFALL IS OCCURRING. EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON LOCAL
ROADWAYS. DRIVERS SHOULD SLOW DOWN AND TURN ON THEIR HEADLIGHTS IF
ENCOUNTERING HEAVY RAINS.
&&
LAT...LON 3681 8641 3681 8642 3683 8653 3698 8656
3701 8605 3679 8606
TIME...MOT...LOC 1824Z 270DEG 24KT 3690 8640
AMLThe Nashville radar (KOHX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:46 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down on Cemetery Rd., KY 234, near the Warren and Allen county line.
A tree was blown down just south of the city.
Two trees were reported down in the city along with some power lines.
A tree was blown down in Russell Springs.
Trees were blown down near Lake Cumberland.
Trees were blown down in Bug, KY.
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, September 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: 261954, 261955, 261966, 261967, 261969, 261968.