Thunderstorms moved across western Kentucky in a very moist and moderately unstable air mass. A couple of the storms reached severe levels.
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 PAH wrote it up.
Thunderstorms moved across western Kentucky in a very moist and moderately unstable air mass. A couple of the storms reached severe levels. The storms attained some organization as a result of deep-layer shear values around 40 knots. A cold front moving across Missouri further aided storm development.
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 Jun 20, 11:52 PM CST, 7 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1252 AM CDT TUE JUN 21 2011 .DISCUSSION... APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL INCREASE CONVECTIVE CHANCES STEADILY UNTIL ITS PASSAGE. IT WILL CONTINUE A SLOW/STEADY EASTWARD PROGRESS TODAY-TONIGHT-WED. POPS WILL RISE TO LIKELY CAT AND STAY AROUND THERE TIL WE GET INTO THE UPPER CYLCONE DRIVEN CONVECTION WED LATE PM/EVENING. DUE TO WARMTH/INSTABILITY...WITH FRONT AND ENERGY AVAILABLE WITH LOW...WILL BE SEVERAL BOUTS OF POTENTIALLY STRONG-SVR WX WITH THIS SYSTEM PASSAGE. SPC OUTLOOKS SLGT RISK SVR THRU WED. AFTER WED...WE'RE IN A BIT OF A DIRTY PATTERN BETWEEN THE LOW TO THE EAST AND HIGH PRESSURE TO THE WEST. THE FIZZLE OUT OF THE BOUNDARY ALONG WITH LINGERING HIGH MOISTURE/WARMTH IN THE ATMOS COULD LEND TO SOME CONTINUATION OF AT LEAST SMALLISH POPS THRU THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AND EVEN INTO THE WEEKEND. THIS APPEARS ADEQUATELY REFLECTED IN THE PACKAGE AND LITTLE MORE THAN MINOR MASSAGING WAS NEEDED. && .AVIATION... THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL INCREASE TODAY ESP IN THE PM. THE MENTION OF VCNTY SHOWERS AND CB WERE ADDED FOR KCGI/KPAH IN THE LATE MORNING. THE MENTION OF SHRA AND CB CLOUDS WILL BE ADDED FOR KEVV/KOWB FOR AFTERNOON DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY. A COLD FRONT WILL VERY SLOWLY CROSS THE TAF REGION EVENING THROUGH WED...WHICH WILL BRING THE HIGHEST CHCS FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION. ANY THUNDERSTORMS AFTERNOON THROUGH WED COULD BE QUITE STRONG. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 404 AM CDT TUE JUN 21 2011 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-221000- 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- 404 AM CDT TUE JUN 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL INCLUDE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER. REFER TO RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR THE LATEST FLOOD INFORMATION. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS MAY INCLUDE SOME GUSTINESS IN THE 20S MPH TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THIS INCLUDES A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MAINTAIN ALERT STATUS IN CASE THEIR ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
The automated observing system at the Fort Campbell airfield measured a wind gust to 61 mph.
A trained spotter measured 0.60 inches of rain within 20 minutes.
A trained spotter measured 1.84 inches of rain in 30 minutes.
Trees were down across Highway 137 near U.S. Highway 60. The road was blocked.
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, June 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: 314574, 315047, 315046, 314576.