Hail, Lawrence
- When
- April 9, 12:45 PM EST
- Where
- Lawrence County, 8 mi S of Louisa
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 38.004, -82.600
Hail in Kentucky, April 9, 2011
A mesoscale convective complex moved southeast out of Indiana across eastern Kentucky and into southern West Virginia. With ample moisture, instability, and lift, new storms formed ahead of the initial complex.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS RLX wrote it up.
A mesoscale convective complex moved southeast out of Indiana across eastern Kentucky and into southern West Virginia. With ample moisture, instability, and lift, new storms formed ahead of the initial complex. Several of the leading cells showed signs of mid level rotation, but that rotation did not translate to the lower levels.
What forecasters said that day
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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 9, 11:57 AM EST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 9, 11:57 AM EST, 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 1257 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A WARM FRONT MOVES NORTH THROUGH THE AREA TODAY INTO TONIGHT. A WARM SOUTHWEST FLOW IN ITS WAKE PREVAILS INTO MONDAY...WHEN A COLD FRONT CROSSES. HIGH PRESSURE CROSSES TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... UPDATED TO INCLUDE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH SOUTHERN HALF OF AREA THIS AFTERNOON...INCREASING POPS FURTHER NORTH PER RADAR TRENDS OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION MAINTAINING NORTH OF WARM FRONT. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... MORNING UPDATE WAS TO CONCENTRATE HIGHEST POPS THIS AFTERNOON ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE NORTHWARD ADVANCING WARM FRONT...IE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR CWA. MCV AND ASSOCIATED SQUALL LINE OUT WEST IN SRN INDIANA AND NCNTRL KY NOT SHOWING SIGNS AS YET OF TURNING TO THE RIGHT...SO LOOKS LIKE SQUALL LINE WILL BE CLOSELY LINKED WITH THE WARM FRONT. HIGH POPS AS FAR NORTH AS I64 CORRIDOR WHERE WARM FRONT AND CLEARING WILL OCCUR IN TIME FOR THE CONVECTION. LINE EXPECTED TO REACH FAR WEST PORTION OF CWA AROUND 1PM...AND ADVANCE EAST SOUTHEAST ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT INTO THIS EARLY EVENING. RAMPING UP INTENSITY OF STORMS ON MORNING UPDATE...HAVE INCLUDED GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL SOUTH HALF...IN ANTICIPATION OF POSSIBLY A WATCH THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... SFC LOW TO LIFT NWD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES WITH ATTENDANT COLD FRONT FRONT PUSHING ACROSS THE CWA ON MONDAY. NOTED MINOR TIMING DIFFERENCES IN OPERATIONAL MODELS IN TIMING THE FEATURE ACROSS KY AND WV. LATEST NAM HAS THE MORE PROGRESSIVE SOLUTION IN TERMS OF THE EVOLUTION OF SFC LOW AS IT LIFTS NORTH OF THE GREAT LAKES...WITH THE GFS AND ECMWF OFFERING SLIGHTLY LOWER MOVEMENT. DESPITE THE FASTER MOVEMENT OF THE SFC LOW...THE THE NAM STILL SUPPORTING A SLIGHTLY SLOWER MOVEMENT OF THE COLD FRONT ACROSS WV INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THE GFS/ECMWF BOTH LEAN TOWARDS A MONDAY AFTERNOON PASSAGE. CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE LEANS TOWARD THE FASTER ECMWF AND GFS SOLUTION IN TERMS OF TIMING FRONTAL PASSAGE. BUMPED POPS AND QPF VALUES UPWARD FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD MOVES ACROSS. DRYING FROM THE WEST TAKES PLACE ON TUESDAY...WITH LINGERING POPS ACROSS THE NE MOUNTAINS OF WV. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... FOLLOWED HPC THINKING WITH SOME MINOR TWEAKS. SYSTEM WILL PUSH EAST TUESDAY...ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD INTO THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS HIGH WILL THEN PUSH EAST THURSDAY...ALLOWING A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO BEING TO APPROACH THE AREA. AS A RESULT...PRECIP CHANCES WILL END TUESDAY...WITH DRY WEATHER ANTICIPATED INTO THURSDAY. EXPECT PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL THEN INCREASE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS WESTERN SYSTEM APPROACHES. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... 15Z SATURDAY THRU 12Z SUNDAY... AREAS OF LOW CLOUD AND FOG ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT AND...IN SOME AREAS...A RESULT OF RAIN FRI AND LAST NT...IS CURRENTLY MIXING OUT THIS MORNING ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I64 CORRIDOR AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS SLOWLY NORTH. LOW CLOUDS WILL BE SLOWER TO ERODE IN THE NORTH. A SQUALL LINE CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHERN INDIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS NORTHEAST KY...SOUTH HALF OF WV AND SW VA THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE ON THE STRONG SIDE...A FEW POSSIBLY SEVERE. SOME SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDER FURTHER NORTH THIS AFTERNOON TO THE NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT. EXPECT GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT FROM THE SOUTH...OUTSIDE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...TO VFR CEILINGS THIS AFTERNOON...LAST TO IMPROVE IN THE NORTH. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL MOVE OUT OF THE AREA THIS EVENING. AREAS OF IFR LOW CLOUD AND FOG TONIGHT...MAINLY IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE THE RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: LOW TO MEDIUM. ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING AND AREAL EXTENT OF THE FOG AND STRATUS AND ITS EVAPORATION IS IN QUESTION. ALSO IN QUESTION IS TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF CONVECTION. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. UTC 1HRLY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 EDT 1HRLY 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 CRW CONSISTENCY L M L L H H H H H H H H HTS CONSISTENCY M M M H H H H M M M M M BKW CONSISTENCY L M M M H H H M M M M M EKN CONSISTENCY M M H L H M H H H H H H PKB CONSISTENCY L L M M H H H H H H H H CKB CONSISTENCY M M H H H L H H H H H H AFTER 18Z SUNDAY... IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN SITES AFTER THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT SAT NT. IFR POSSIBLE IN BRIEF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...NONE. OH...NONE. KY...NONE. VA...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...KMC/TRM NEAR TERM...JMV SHORT TERM...KMC LONG TERM...JSH AVIATION...JMV
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 9, 4:05 AM EST, 8 hours 40 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 505 AM EDT SAT APR 9 2011 KYZ101>103-105-OHZ083-086-087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>008-013>016-024>027- 033>037-100915- GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-GALLIA-DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-WAYNE- CABELL-MASON-LINCOLN-PUTNAM-KANAWHA-ROANE-MINGO-LOGAN-BOONE-CLAY- MCDOWELL-WYOMING-RALEIGH-FAYETTE-NICHOLAS- 505 AM EDT SAT APR 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA...SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD AFFECT THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. OHZ066-067-075-076-084-085-WVZ009>011-017>020-028>032-038>040-046- 047-100915- PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-VINTON-MEIGS-WOOD-PLEASANTS-TYLER- WIRT-CALHOUN-RITCHIE-DODDRIDGE-BRAXTON-GILMER-LEWIS-HARRISON-TAYLOR- WEBSTER-UPSHUR-BARBOUR-POCAHONTAS-RANDOLPH- 505 AM EDT SAT APR 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST OHIO...CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD AFFECT THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 9, 11:30 AM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1230 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011
KYZ101>103-105-WVZ005-091730-
BOYD KY-CARTER KY-GREENUP KY-LAWRENCE KY-WAYNE WV-
1230 PM EDT SAT APR 9 2011
...THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT BOYD...CARTER...GREENUP...NORTHERN
LAWRENCE AND NORTHWESTERN WAYNE COUNTIES...
AT 1228 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE FROM 35 MILES
NORTHWEST OF MOREHEAD TO 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF MOREHEAD TO MOREHEAD
TO 4 MILES NORTH OF WEST LIBERTY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND HAIL UP TO NICKEL SIZE ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS. VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL FROM THESE STORMS...AND WILL
CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND
SMALL STREAMS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR GLOBE AROUND 1245 PM...GRAHN AROUND 100
PM...HOPEWELL AROUND 115 PM AND WURTLAND AROUND 130 PM.
THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING INTERSTATES...I-64 BETWEEN MILE
MARKERS 149 AND 191 IN KENTUCKY...AND BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 1 AND 5 IN
WEST VIRGINIA.
EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE ELEVATED LEVELS ON
SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...AND PONDING OF WATER IN URBAN AREAS...
HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS WELL AS OTHER POOR DRAINAGE
AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.
PLEASE REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.
LAT...LON 3834 8324 3842 8324 3856 8310 3872 8304
3876 8289 3859 8284 3854 8270 3847 8261
3842 8260 3841 8253 3824 8236 3799 8302
3803 8301 3811 8290 3817 8292 3818 8306
3826 8316 3819 8327 3832 8334
30The radar
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:43 UTC.
Event by event
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 9, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, April 9 to 10, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 9, 2011
- Wildfire in Texas, April 9 to 10, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, April 9, 2011
- Wildfire in Texas, April 9 to 29, 2011
- Marine Strong Wind in Eastern Pacific Coastal Waters, April 9, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 9, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kentucky, April 9, 2011
- Wildfire in Texas, April 9 to 30, 2011
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Illinois, April 9, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, April 9, 2011
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, April 2011
Sources
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: 288475.