S. coast.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 PAH wrote it up.
Strong southwest winds developed between low pressure over the central Plains and high pressure along the southeast U.S. coast. Over portions of the Pennyrile region of western Kentucky, winds gusted to about 45 mph. Elsewhere, peak wind gusts were mostly between 30 and 40 mph across western Kentucky. The highest measured wind gust was 45 mph, which was observed by a spotter on a hill in Central City (Muhlenberg County). A few small tree limbs about three inches in diameter were blown down, and patio furniture was moved.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 5:50 AM CST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 550 AM CST THU FEB 17 2011 .UPDATE... UPDATED AVIATION SECTION FOR 12Z TAF ISSUANCE. THE DISCUSSION SECTION IS UNCHANGED. && .DISCUSSION... FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS TODAY WILL BE THE WIND. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS TODAY...WHILE A HIGH SITS OFF THE EAST COAST. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN EVEN MORE AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY...MAKING FOR SOME PRETTY GUSTY WINDS. LOOKING AT FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND LOW LEVEL WIND FORECASTS...WE COULD END UP GUSTING TO 30 TO 40 MPH AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON. THAT WILL PUT US CLOSE TO ADVISORY...BUT FOR NOW WILL HIGHLIGHT IN HWO (HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK). WE SHOULD SEE TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 70S TODAY...WHICH WILL LIKELY TIE OR EXCEED RECORDS. (RECORDS HIGHS FOR TODAY...PADUCAH: 70 IN 1986; EVANSVILLE: 71 IN 1911) THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE TOWARD THE AREA TODAY AND INTO THIS EVENING. MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH BRINGING THE FRONT INTO THE AREA BY 12Z FRIDAY AND EXITING BY THE END OF THE DAY. TIME HEIGHT CROSS SECTIONS REVEAL THAT MOISTURE IS LIMITED TO 850MB AND BELOW...SO THIS FRONT DOES NOT HAVE MUCH TO WORK WITH. NONETHELESS...THE LOW LEVELS ARE VERY MOIST AND THIS COULD PROVE TO AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW...AS OMEGA FIELDS ARE SHOWING SOME DECENT LIFT. EVEN THOUGH THE NAM/ECMWF ARE A BIT SLOWER IN DRYING THE ATMOSPHERE OUT DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...BY 00Z SATURDAY...WE SHOULD SEE CLEAR SKIES ALMOST AREA WIDE...AS HIGH PRESSURE FILTERS BACK INTO THE REGION. IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG FOR THAT AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE TO GET SHUNTED TO THE EAST OF THE AREA. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THE HIGH SHIFTS EAST INTO EASTERN KY AS ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS OVER THE ROCKIES. MOISTURE STREAMS BACK INTO THE REGION AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH INTO THE AREA. THE GFS HINTS AT SOME POSSIBLE RAIN OVER SEMO...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT AN INCLUSION IN THE FORECAST ATTM. THE FRONT CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTH SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE FOCUS FOR PRECIPITATION WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME NORTH OF OUR AREA...AS WE BECOME ENTRENCHED IN THE WARM SECTOR. ON SUNDAY...THE FRONT TO OUR NORTH SLIPS A LITTLE TO THE SOUTH BUT VERY SLOWLY...AS THE UPPER FLOW BECOMES PARALLEL TO IT. THE GFS INDICATES A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL DEVELOP AND THIS INDUCES A SFC LOW TO FORM ON THE FRONT. THIS LOW MOVES EAST INTO MISSOURI OR ARKANSAS BY MONDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN MOVES JUST SOUTH OF OUR AREA ON MONDAY EVENING. THEREFORE...PRECIP CHANCES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THAT LOW MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. GFS ENSEMBLES LEND CREDENCE TO THIS IDEA DUE TO THE CLUSTERING OF THE PRECIP FIELDS AT THAT TIME. THE 12Z ECMWF SHOWED A VERY SIMILAR SOLUTION BUT THE 00Z RUN DOES NOT DEPICT SUCH A SCENARIO. THE 00Z ECMWF INDICATES THAT THE FRONT WILL SLOWLY BUT SURELY JUST CONTINUE TO SLIP SOUTH INTO THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY. THIS SEEMS A LITTLE FAR FETCHED GIVEN THE NEARLY PARALLEL FLOW. NONETHELESS...THE MAIN TIME FRAME FOR PRECIPITATION STILL APPEARS TO BE SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY. WE WILL NEED TO CLOSELY WATCH HOW THINGS EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUNS BECAUSE WE COULD SEE A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW ACROSS OUR FAR NORTHERN AREAS LATE IN THE DAY ON MONDAY AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY MONDAY EVENING IF THE GFS IS ONTO SOMETHING. THE ECMWF HAS MOST OF THE MOISTURE OUT OF THE AREA BEFORE TEMPS DROP ENOUGH TO BE A CONCERN FOR SNOW. IN ADDITION...TEMPERATURES FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL HAVE TO BE LOWERED QUITE A BIT FROM PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION... SOUTH WINDS HAVE GUSTED 15 TO 25KTS OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA THROUGH THE NIGHT. THEY ARE LIKELY TO GUST 20 TO 25 OVER THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY. WIDESPREAD 4KFT CEILINGS SPREADING OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE QUAD STATE BY 12Z...ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. THESE LOWER CEILINGS MAY HAMPER HEATING AND MIXING TODAY...WHICH SHOULD KEEP GUSTS UNDER 30KTS TODAYS. HOWEVER...IF SIGNIFICANT BREAKS DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA...GUSTS OVER 30KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE OTHER AVIATION CONCERN TODAY IS POTENTIAL FOR MVFR OR LOWER CEILINGS. FEEL THAT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI IS MOST LIKELY TO SEE PERSISTENT MVFR CEILINGS...WHILE KEVV AND KOWB MAY SEE THEM FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OR TWO MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON. OVERALL MORE BREAKS EXPECTED EAST...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT THAT GREAT. MUCH OF THE MODEL DATA AVAILABLE IS HINTING AT LOWERING CEILINGS LATE TONIGHT...AS THE SURFACE COLD FRONT ENTERS THE FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. CANNOT RULE OUT IFR CEILINGS...AS MOISTURE POOLS AND PRESSURE FALLS NEAR THE FRONT...BUT SETTLE FOR LOW MVFR CEILINGS FOR NOW. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. && PUBLIC.....CW AVIATION...DRS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 359 AM CST THU FEB 17 2011 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-181100- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 359 AM CST THU FEB 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR EAST AND AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT FROM THE WEST WILL INCREASE TODAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN STRONGER SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO 15 TO 25 MPH THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH POSSIBLE. THESE WINDS IN ADDITION TO LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE A HEIGHTENED FIRE DANGER AS WELL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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, February 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: 283868, 283869.