The temperatures reached into the mid 80s during the afternoon of May 21 with a high temperature of 87. A child left in a car for an unknown number of hours died from the heat.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 LMK wrote it up.
The temperatures reached into the mid 80s during the afternoon of May 21 with a high temperature of 87. A child left in a car for an unknown number of hours died from the heat.
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 May 21, 12:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 145 PM EDT SAT MAY 21 2011 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... NARROW UPPER RIDGE WILL KEEP THE WARMUP GOING TODAY AS IT DRIFTS EASTWARD. AT THE SURFACE...FLOW WILL INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH TODAY AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS STATES. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BRING IN SOME MOISTURE FROM THE GULF. LATEST SPC PRECIPITABLE WATER ANALYSIS OVER STORMS IN ARKANSAS INDICATE VALUES AROUND 2 INCHES. GIVEN FORECAST TRAJECTORIES...THINK MOST OF THIS MOISTURE WILL GET DEFLECTED NORTH AND WEST OF THE REGION. HOWEVER...WITH TEMPERATURES RISING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S TODAY WE SHOULD SEE SOME SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP...MAINLY WEST OF THE I-65 CORRIDOR BY LATE AFTERNOON. THE THREAT FOR STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING OVER THIS REGION...SO HAVE RAISED POPS A LITTLE. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN. TEMPS ALOFT LOOK TOO WARM TO SUPPORT HAIL AND SHEAR LOOKS TO WEAK FOR A TORNADIC THREAT. MULTIPLE WAVES ROTATING AROUND A LARGE UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL PUSH/ERODE THE RIDGE OVER US TODAY. MODELS HINT AT ONE OF THESE WAVES COMING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY...SO WILL KEEP IN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT OVER THE SW CWA. FOR TEMPERATURES...HAVE GONE FOR HIGHS TODAY IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S...QUITE THE SWITCH FROM EARLIER IN THE WEEK. GIVEN EXPECTED CLOUD COVER AND INCREASED MOISTURE CONTENT...LOWS TONIGHT LIKELY WILL NOT FALL TOO FAR. HAVE GONE WITH MID 60S AREAWIDE. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY - FRIDAY)... WELL THE RIDGE OVERHEAD WILL SLIDE EAST ON SUNDAY AS AN UPPER LOW TRAVERSES THE UPPER MIDWEST AND ANOTHER YET LARGER UPPER LOW ENTERS THE PAC NW. WITH THE LACK OF A RIDGE OVERHEAD AND THE LOW OVER MINNESOTA GETTING CLOSER ON SUNDAY...NOT TO MENTION THE OPEN GULF AND GOOD SOUTHERLY WARM/MOIST LOW-LEVEL FLOW...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS SHOULD FORM ON SUNDAY...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON BUT CAN/T RULE OUT MORNING CONVECTION. DEEP LAYER SHEAR SHOULD BE MODERATE WITH MARGINAL INSTABILITY IN PLACE. WITH THE DEEP MOISTURE THOUGH...A FEW STRONG TO EVEN SEVERE STORMS COULD BE POSSIBLE IF ANY ORGANIZATION CAN OCCUR. BUT THINK COVERAGE WILL BE LACKING GIVEN THE OVERALL LARGE SCALE/BROAD LIFT AND THE MAIN FORCING WELL TO OUR NW. HENCE THE LOWER CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IF STRONG/SEVERE STORMS SHOULD FORM...THINKING WET MICROBURSTS/DMG WINDS WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT ALTHOUGH NOT OVERLY IMPRESSED WITH MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. HARD TO TELL IF THE ACTIVITY WILL WANE SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE UPPER LOW TO OUR NW GETS CLOSER...BUT ANY CONVECTION WILL CERTAINLY LOSE ITS LUSTER AFTER SUNSET. WILL KEEP SMALL POPS IN OVERNIGHT WITH THE HIGHEST OVER THE NW. BY MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...THE RIDGE OVER THE EAST/SOUTHEAST REALLY FLATTENS OUT AS TROUGHING PUSHES INTO THE WRN CONUS AND SWRLY FLOW DOMINATES OVERHEAD. THE UPPER MIDWEST LOW WILL DROP A WEAK BOUNDARY SOUTHWARD TOWARD OUR CWA LATE MONDAY...AND WITH A WARM/MUGGY SWRLY FLOW THIS COULD PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR MORE SHOWERS/STORMS MONDAY THRU TUESDAY. THE BETTER CHC OF PRECIP WILL BE OVER OUR NRN/NWRN CWA CLOSER TO THE BOUNDARY AND WILL INCREASE POPS DURING THIS TIME FRAME. THINK LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY STORMS DURING THIS PERIOD...BUT AT TIMES THE LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES TO 35-40 KTS WHICH COULD HELP ORGANIZE A FEW STORMS WHERE ISOLATED STRONG-SEVERE WET MICROBURSTS WOULD BE POSSIBLE. WHILE THIS CONVECTION IS OCCURRING...THE WRN CONUS UPPER LOW WILL BE DEVELOPING A SFC LOW OVER THE SRN PLAINS PUSHING IT TOWARDS THE OHIO/TENNESSEE VALLEYS BY WED INTO THRS. THIS SYSTEM NOT ONLY SHOULD PROVIDE EVEN MORE COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS...BUT THE LOW WILL TRAVERSE OUR AREA WITH A DECENT UPPER TROUGH TRAILING IT. THINK THE BEST CHC OF RAIN WILL BE LATE WED THRU MUCH OF THRS-THRS NIGHT...WITH PROBABLY THE BEST CHANCE FOR AN ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT (AGAIN WITH THE MOIST ENVIRONMENT...DMG WET MICROBURSTS SHOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT). THEREAFTER...WE SHOULD SEE A QUICK BREAK AND COOLING ON FRIDAY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM. UP UNTIL FRIDAY THOUGH...TEMPS WILL BE WARM AND ABOVE NORMAL...WITH LOW TO MID 80S THROUGHOUT THOUGH SUNDAY SHOULD BE THE WARMEST DAY WITH MID TO UPPER 80S LIKELY. WITH INCREASING POPS WED-THRS...UPPER 70S TO THE LOW 80S WILL BE MORE LIKELY. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE 60S. && .AVIATION (18Z TAF ISSUANCE)... FOR THE REST OF TODAY...HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL PUSH OFF TO THE EAST AS SFC WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST BRINGING IN INCREASED WARMTH AND MOISTURE AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE PLAINS. BECAUSE OF THIS...WE COULD SEE SOME STORMS DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON DURING THE PEAK HEATING HOURS. LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATES SCATTERED STORMS COULD REACH AS FAR EAST AS LEX...BY EARLY EVENING...SO WILL KEEP VCTS IN AT SDF AND BWG EARLIER IN THE PERIOD AND INSERT THE SAME AT LEX BY 22Z. STORMS SHUD BE WANING IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY BY LATE EVENING WITH LIGHT S/SW FLOW CONTINUING IN THE WAKE OF A WARM FRONT OVERNIGHT. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SHORT TERM........RJS LONG TERM.........AL AVIATION..........DK/11
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 1140 AM EDT SAT MAY 21 2011 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-220830- 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- 1140 AM EDT SAT MAY 21 2011 /1040 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS COMBINED WITH SURFACE WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY TODAY WILL BRING IN WARM AIR AS WELL AS MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE COMBINATION WILL BRING SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE INTERSTATE 65 CORRIDOR. THE MAIN THREATS FROM TODAY'S STORMS WILL BE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONGER WINDS ALOFT COMBINED WITH WARM AND MOIST CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO A FEW STRONG TO ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY...WITH HEAVY RAINFALL BEING THE MAIN THREAT. MORE WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS WELL AS HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY STRONG WIND GUSTS AND/OR WIND DAMAGE REPORTS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE. DK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
A two year old child was found unresponsive in a hot car. It is unclear how long the child had been in the car. The coroner ruled the child died from overheating. The peak temperature during the afternoon was 87.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Heat, Jefferson | 2011-05-21 | 2 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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, May 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: 317168.