A moist airmass combined with a shortwave in the upper level flow sparked showers and thunderstorms across central KY early May 24. Though most of the storms remained elevated, there were a couple of isolated damaging wind reports.
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 LMK wrote it up.
A moist airmass combined with a shortwave in the upper level flow sparked showers and thunderstorms across central KY early May 24. Though most of the storms remained elevated, there were a couple of isolated damaging wind reports.
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 24, 5:13 AM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 713 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011 ...MESOSCALE UPDATE... STORMS COMING IN FROM THE SOUTH A RESULT OF SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY AND STRONG COLD POOL COMING IN FROM CENTRAL TENNESSEE. STRONGER CELLS THAT FORM LIKELY WILL YIELD AT LEAST QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND MAY SEE SOME SEVERE WINDS PUNCH THROUGH THE STABLE BOUNDARY LAYER AS WELL. THE SOUTHEAST CWA MAY GET JUST ENOUGH INSOLATION AHEAD OF THE LINE TO BECOME SURFACE-BASED IN ALBANY AND RUSSELL COUNTIES. SEVERE STORM WATCH BOX IS OUT AND HAVE UPDATED THE ZONES FOR THIS CHANGE. .SHORT TERM (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY ENHANCING STORMS OVER NORTHERN ARKANSAS WILL PUSH SLOWLY EAST THIS MORNING. EXPECT A ROUND OF SHOWERS AND STORMS TO DEVELOP IN THE MOIST AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING. ALREADY SEEING SOME DEVELOP CREEP IN FROM EXTREME WESTERN KENTUCKY. NOT EXPECTING SEVERE WEATHER WITH THIS ACTIVITY...AS EXPECT ELEVATED CONVECTION. ANOTHER DIFFERENCE WITH YESTERDAY AT THIS TIME IS THE WIND SHEAR PROFILE. WINDS AT 2 KFT AREAWIDE YESTERDAY WERE 50 KNOTS...WHEREAS THIS MORNING WINDS RANGE FROM 25 KNOTS AT KVWX TO 40 KNOTS AT KHPX. BEST ESTIMATE AT THIS POINT IS THAT CONVECTION WILL END BY LATE MORNING AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING MOVES IN. THEN WITH DAYTIME HEATING BRINGING TEMPS BACK INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S SHOULD SEE SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE IN THE THE MID EVENING HOURS. ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDING SHOULD BE PRETTY UNSTABLE WITH THIS HEATING...WITH CAPES LIKELY JUMPING INTO THE 2000-3000 J/KG RANGE. THUS LOOKING AT ANOTHER THREAT FOR STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. SHEAR NOT OVERLY STRONG...SO TORNADO THREAT IS LOW HERE. OVERNIGHT ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY ROTATES AROUND WHAT WILL BE AN UPPER LOW OVER CENTRAL KANSAS BY 12Z WEDNESDAY. ISENTROPIC LIFT ACROSS THE REGION SHOULD RESULT IN SOME LIGHT RAIN AND POSSIBLE EMBEDDED STORMS. AGAIN SOUNDINGS INDICATE LITTLE SEVERE POTENTIAL WITH THESE STORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT FALL MUCH WITH LOWS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY - MONDAY)... A VIGOROUS CYCLONE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST OVER THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY EARLY WEDNESDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE OUR UNSETTLED WEATHER WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF STORMS EXPECTED. SOME OF THESE STORMS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS MAY BECOME SEVERE. LOW PRESSURE ON WEDNESDAY WILL BOTTOM OUT BELOW 995MB OVER KANSAS LATE WEDNESDAY AS A SEASONABLY STRONG JET BEGINS TO WRAP AROUND THE EASTERN SIDE OF A DEEP TROUGH OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...THIS OCCLUDED SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO FILL AS IT SLOWLY MOVES EAST. BY LATE THURSDAY..THIS SYSTEM WILL CROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AS A WEAKENING OPEN 500MB WAVE. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH INTO SOUTHERN OHIO AND SOUTHERN INDIANA DURING THE MORNING HOURS WEDNESDAY. INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS AND MOISTURE WILL BRING MODEST ELEVATED INSTABILITY DURING THE MORNING HOURS. FEEL THAT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY WITH MORE ISOLATED STORMS NEAR TENNESSEE. WARM AND MUGGY CONDITIONS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AS THE COMMONWEALTH WILL LIE WITHIN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE BY NOW OCCLUDED CYCLONE FORECAST OVER WESTERN MISSOURI. ALTHOUGH VERY STRONG INSTABILITY WILL DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON...EXPECT ONLY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON AS THE GREATER LIFT WILL REMAIN TO OUR WEST CLOSER TO UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS AND THE FRONT. EXPECT THAT STORMS CHANCES WILL INCREASE QUITE A BIT BY LATE EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF INSTABILITY...DIFFLUENCE ALOFT AND STRENGTHENING MID LEVEL WINDS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE WEDNESDAY THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY THREATS WITH THESE STORMS. PERIODS OF CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY AS THE SLOW MOVING OCCLUDED FRONT APPROACHES. WITH HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER AVAILABLE AND THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER LOW...LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT FRIDAY TO DRY OUR AS ZONAL FLOW BRIEFLY DEVELOPS. TEMPERATURES FRIDAY WILL COOL DOWN INTO THE 70S ALONG THE BACK SIDE OF THE DEPARTING TROUGH. A FAST MOVING LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE WILL SCOOT ACROSS THE GREAT WESTERN LAKES SATURDAY. SCATTERED STORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE ECMWF AND THE GFS BOTH ADVERTISE A STRONG RIDGE DEVELOPING BY MEMORIAL DAY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES. THIS WILL BRING 500MB HEIGHTS MORE TYPICAL OF MID-SUMMER ACROSS THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. RAIN CHANCES WILL DIMINISH MARKEDLY AFTER SUNDAY MORNING. HIGHS COULD EASILY MOVE INTO THE LOWER 90S FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION (12Z TAF ISSUANCE)... STORMS NOW LOOK JUST TO AFFECT KBWG THIS MORNING AND HAVE TEMPO GROUP IN FOR THAT LINE. KSDF AND KLEX LIKELY WILL SEE SOME LIGHT RAIN...BUT THINK CAN KEEP TS OUT FOR THE MORNING. EXPECT A RESPITE FROM THE RAIN BY LATE MORNING THEN ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. TIMING AND CONFIDENCE STILL SOMEWHAT LOW BUT HAVE GONE WITH VICINITY STORMS FOR NOW STARTING AROUND 22Z. FOR SIMPLICITY IN TAFS FOR KBWG AND KLEX AND TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS UNCERTAINTY JUST KEPT VICINITY STORMS THROUGH THE NIGHT...THOUGH EXPECT A LULL BETWEEN THE EVENING/S RAINS AND NEW STORMS BY DAYBREAK. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && MESOSCALE......RJS SHORT TERM.....RJS LONG TERM......JSD AVIATION.......RJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 409 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-250815- 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- 409 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011 /309 AM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL ENHANCE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITHIN A WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION. THE FIRST WILL BRING SOME RAIN AND EMBEDDED STORMS THIS MORNING. THE SECOND WILL BRING STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THESE STORMS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...HEAVY RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL INCREASE LATE WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG INSTABILITY AND STRENGTHENING WINDS ALOFT WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS LATE WEDNESDAY WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE. REPEATED EPISODES OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY BRING LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL AND A THREAT FOR MINOR FLOODING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON. RJS/JSD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 545 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011 INZ077>079-091-092-241230- WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SALEM...SCOTTSBURG...MADISON... NEW ALBANY...JEFFERSONVILLE 545 AM EDT TUE MAY 24 2011 ...PATCHY FOG FOR THE MORNING COMMUTE... A FEW OF THE TRAFFIC WEB CAMERAS ALONG INTERSTATE 65 IN SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA INDICATE SOME REDUCED VISIBILITIES EARLY THIS MORNING. EXPECT FOG TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO BEFORE DISSIPATING...WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE MORNING COMMUTE. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FOG REMEMBER TO SLOW DOWN...KEEP PLENTY OF DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF YOU...AND USE YOUR LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS. RJS
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:23 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down on a power line on Highway 449.
A lightning strike caused a barn to catch fire and burn down.
Trees were blown down near Dale Hollow lake.
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: 316153, 316155, 316156.