An isolated severe thunderstorms downed several trees across portions of Harlan County during the early afternoon hours of August 14th.
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 isolated severe thunderstorms downed several trees across portions of Harlan County during the early afternoon hours of August 14th.
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 Aug 14, 10:22 AM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1122 AM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED A FEW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSRA HAVE DEVELOPED THIS AM ALONG OR IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT THAT IS GRADUALLY WORKING ACROSS THE CWA. AS OF 15Z...THE FRONT EXTENDED SOUTH FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION DOWN THROUGH EASTERN OH AND INTO NORTHEASTERN KY BETWEEN FLEMINGSBURG AND KHTS. THE FRONT THEN EXTENDED SOUTH TO THE W OF JKL TO BETWEEN KLOZ AND KSME AND THEN SOUTH INTO TN. A VORT LOBE/SHORTWAVE MOVING AROUND THE MAIN CIRCULATION OVER OH APPEARED TO BE MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL KY ATTM AIDING IN SHRA/TSRA DEVELOPMENT ALONG/IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT. SOME CLEARING WAS NOTED IN ITS WAKE OVER CENTRAL KY. HOWEVER...AN ADDITIONAL SHORTWAVE WAS ROTATING DOWN ACROSS IL BEHIND IT WITH COOLER 8H AIR ASSOCIATED WITH IT. OVERALL...WITH THE INITIAL VORT LOBE/SHORTWAVE WORKING EAST...THIS SHOULD HELP PUSH THE FRONT THE REST OF THE WAY ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH ABOUT 19Z OR SO WITH CHANCES FOR SHRA/TSRA THE BEST AHEAD OF IT. SOME PARTIAL CLEARING AND SOME HEATING DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON WILL OCCUR BEHIND THE FRONT. IN ADDITION...THE APPROACHING SHORTWAVE AND COLD AIR ADVECTION ALOFT WILL ALSO SERVE TO STEEPEN UP LAPSE RATES AND SHOULD LEAD TO ADDITIONAL CU AND SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL STRATUS AND STRATOCU HAS LED TO A SLOW TEMPERATURE RISE IN SOME PLACES...WITH A FEW HOURS OF HEATING FROM AUGUST SUNSHINE...FEEL THAT THE PREVIOUSLY FORECAST NUMBERS ARE STILL REACHABLE. HOWEVER...ADJUSTED THE HOURLY T CURVE FOR LATEST TRENDS WITH A BIT SLOWER RISE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. AS FOR POPS... ADJUSTED THE FIRST COUPLE OF HOURS BASED ON THE LATEST TRENDS AND EXTRAPOLATED THAT OUT IN TIME. AFTER THAT POINT...BLENDED BACK IN WITH THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON SCATTERED POPS FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/ SFC ANALYSIS AT 07Z SHOWS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING THRU THE LOWER GREAT LAKES WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT ALONG THE OHIO VALLEY POISED TO BEGIN SWINGING THRU THE COMMONWEALTH. A BROKEN LINE OF TSTMS CONTINUES TO DRIFT SE TOWARDS THE CWA AHEAD OF THE FRONT ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN LOSING SOME OF ITS BITE ALONG THE WAY. ALOFT...LATEST WV/IR IMAGERY REVEALS THE PARENT UPPER LEVEL LOW ROUNDING THE BASE OF A POSITIVELY TILTED MID AND UPPER LEVEL TROF SLOWLY PIVOTING OVER THE GREAT LAKES. CLOSER TO HOME...CLOUDS HAVE THINNED OUT CONSIDERABLY OVER THE AREA...ALLOWING A FEW AREAS OF DENSE FOG TO DEVELOP AROUND SOME OF THE VALLEYS THIS MORNING. GUIDANCE REMAINS IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE LARGE SCALE FEATURES AND THERE IS SOME CONSENSUS BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND GFS WITH THE SFC FEATURES AS WELL. HAVE AGAIN USED A BLEND OF THE 00Z SUITE WHEN CONSIDERING THE INFLUENCE OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL FEATURES WITH A SLANT TOWARDS THE 14.02Z HRRR THRU THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON TODAY FOLLOWED BY A 00Z EURO/GFS BLEND FOR THE SENSIBLE WX THRU THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM. FOR TODAY...ALONG WITH THE COLD FRONT...A COUPLE OF VORTICITY LOBES ROTATING THRU THE COMMONWEALTH AROUND THE MAIN VORTMAX ASSOCIATED WITH THE H5 LOW WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH FORCING TO NECESSITATE KEEPING GOOD CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS THRU THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING. AM SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT OUR ERN MOST COUNTIES WILL HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SUFFICIENTLY DESTABILIZE BEFORE THE MORE FAVORABLE FORCING BEGINS TO KICK IN LATER THIS MORNING/AFTERNOON...BUT FEEL THAT A LACK OF DEEP LAYER MOISTURE IN ANY OF THE SOUNDINGS AND TIME/HEIGHTS WOULD FOR THE MOST PART PRECLUDE ANY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE THREATS. HAVE OPTED TO KEEP A MENTION OF THUNDER OVERNIGHT AS THE GUIDANCE POINTS TOWARDS SOME GREAT LAKES MOISTURE RETURNING TO THE MID LEVELS ON NNW FLOW THROUGH THE COLUMN AS THE MID LEVEL TROF BEGINS TO EXIT TO THE EAST. THE SLOWER CONSENSUS FINALLY BRINGS THE H7 TROF AXIS THRU THE COAL FIELDS BETWEEN 06 AND 12Z ON MONDAY AND THAT USUALLY SEEMS TO MARK THE END OF ANY LEGITIMATE CHANCES FOR THUNDER. WE COULD SEE ENOUGH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS OVERNIGHT TO HASTEN ANOTHER ROUND OF DENSE VALLEY FOG...AND WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THIS THEME IN THE FCST. HAVE REMAINED CONSERVATIVE ON MONDAY AND KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS...MAINLY IN THE MORNING. OTHERWISE...SFC HIGH PRESSURE COUPLED WITH RISING HEIGHTS ALOFT IN RESPONSE TO THE DEPARTING TROF SHOULD BRING ABOUT CLEARING SKIES TO END THE PERIOD. FOR TEMPS...USED A CONSENSUS BLEND WITH THE CURRENT FCST WHICH RESULTED IN MINIMAL CHANGES TO THE INHERITED HIGHS/LOWS THRU THE PERIOD. TEMPS TODAY/TONIGHT WILL BE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH CONVECTION ACTUALLY MATERIALIZES...BUT GENERALLY PREFERRED TO KEEP A MORE LIMITED DIURNAL CURVE WITH THE EXPECTED CLOUD COVER LINGERING INTO MONDAY. .LONG TERM.../TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/ THE MODELS ARE SHOWING GREATER CONSISTENCY AND STABILITY WITH THE LONG WAVE SCENARIO FOR THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST. FLAT RIDGING TEMPORARILY BUILDS EAST INTO KENTUCKY THROUGH MID WEEK IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING UPPER TROUGH. THERE IS NOW AGREEMENT AMONG THE VARIOUS MODELS THAT THIS WILL KEEP EAST KENTUCKY DRY AT LEAST INTO THURSDAY. FOLLOWING THIS...MORE ENERGY WORKS ITS WAY INTO THE OHIO VALLEY EMBEDDED WITHIN FAST NORTHWEST FLOW AS A BROAD TROUGH BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE OVER THE REGION. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SMALL TO DECENT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO CLOSE OUT THE WORK WEEK. THE INHERITED FORECAST GRIDS HAVE THIS IDEA WELL REPRESENTED...SO THAT ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE...PRIMARILY TO THE TIMING AND POSITION OF THE POP CHANCES FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THE PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... THE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE GENERAL LONG WAVE PATTERN THROUGH THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST...BUT CONTINUE TO DIFFER IN THE ALL IMPORTANT DETAILS. THE PATTERN WILL BEGIN WITH TROUGHING IN THE EASTERN CONUS AND RIDGING ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL CONUS. A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER NEAR THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...THE RIDGE ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST WILL INTENSIFY...WHILE THE TRAVERSING SHORT WAVE TROUGH HELPS TO REINFORCE AND BROADEN THE TROUGH IN THE EAST AND EXPANDS IT MORE INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY. AGAIN...THE DETAILS ON THE TIMING AND EVOLUTION OF ALL OF THIS REMAIN CHALLENGING THIS FAR OUT...SO HAVE RELIED ON AN ENSEMBLE APPROACH BETWEEN A BLEND OF THE GUIDANCE AND THE INHERITED FORECAST. EASTERN KENTUCKY WILL ENJOY DRY WEATHER THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BEFORE A PERIOD OF UNSETTLED WEATHER TAKES HOLD FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. DRY WEATHER WILL FOLLOW ONCE AGAIN BY SATURDAY. HAVE MAINTAINED THE 20-30 POPS...BUT HAVE CENTERED THE HIGHER VALUES AROUND THE THURSDAY TO THURSDAY NIGHT TIME FRAME. FOR TEMPERATURES...WILL CONTINUE TO STAY WELL BELOW THE GFS MOS...WITH READINGS NEAR OR JUST ABOVE SEASONAL VALUES THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ EXPECTING MORE SCATTERED TSTMS THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING E THRU THE AREA THIS MORNING...FOLLOWED BY AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE SLOWLY TREKKING UP THE OHIO VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. HAVE CARRIED VFR PREVAILING AFTER ABOUT 14Z WITH A SCT STRATO CU DECK BUILDING IN AROUND 3.5KFT. HOWEVER...THIS LAYER COULD BECOME MORE BKN THAN SCT BY LATE THIS MORNING...PARTICULARLY IN THE N. IFR CIGS/VSBYS WILL BE LIKELY IN/AROUND ANY TSTMS THAT DEVELOP DURING THE DAY. SLY WINDS AOA 5KTS WILL BEGIN TO VEER TO THE W AND STRENGTHEN TO AROUND 10 KTS DURING THE MORNING HOURS...THEN CONTINUE VEERING TO THE NW THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE SLACKENING OVERNIGHT. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...MB/JP LONG TERM....GEOGERIAN/GREIF AVIATION...MB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 441 AM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-151145- 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- 441 AM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. MB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 103 PM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 KYZ113-115-117-118-141730- KNOTT-LESLIE-LETCHER-PERRY- 103 PM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 130 PM EDT SUNDAY AFTERNOON... SOUTHERN KNOTT... EAST CENTRAL LESLIE... NORTHWESTERN LETCHER AND CENTRAL PERRY. AT 101 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR DIABLOCK...OR NEAR HAZARD...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...JEFF AROUND 105 PM EDT...CORDIA AROUND 110 PM EDT...RITCHIE AROUND 115 PM EDT... WISCOAL AROUND 120 PM EDT...SMITHSBORO AROUND 125 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES AROUND AN INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 30 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS AND SOME DITCHES COULD BRIEFLY OVERFLOW ONTO ROADWAYS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY. PELTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 106 PM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 KYZ085-087-088-117-118-141745- WHITLEY-LESLIE-LETCHER-BELL-HARLAN- 106 PM EDT SUN AUG 14 2011 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 145 PM EDT SUNDAY AFTERNOON... SOUTHERN LESLIE... EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LETCHER... EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WHITLEY... BELL AND HARLAN. AT 106 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CHAPPELL TO BALKAN TO FONDE...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11 MILES NORTH OF HARLAN TO 10 MILES EAST OF PINEVILLE TO 8 MILES WEST OF MIDDLESBORO...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...OAKS AROUND 110 PM EDT...LEWIS CREEK AROUND 115 PM EDT...NAPIER AROUND 120 PM EDT... WHITE STAR AROUND 125 PM EDT...BIG LAUREL AROUND 130 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES AROUND AN INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 35 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS AND SOME DITCHES COULD BRIEFLY OVERFLOW ONTO ROADWAYS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY. PELTON
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:38 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two trees were blown down near KY 1216 and KY 72.
Two trees were blocking KY 3001.
Two trees were blown down on KY987.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, August 2011
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: 331838, 331839, 331840.