A fast moving line of strong to severe thunderstorms downed numerous trees across portions of eastern KY during the overnight hours of May 26th. The majority of the damage occurred in Pulaski, Laurel, Wayne, and Clay counties.
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.
A fast moving line of strong to severe thunderstorms downed numerous trees across portions of eastern KY during the overnight hours of May 26th. The majority of the damage occurred in Pulaski, Laurel, Wayne, and Clay counties.
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 May 26, 12:56 AM EST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 156 AM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT/ UPDATED TO ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY CLEAR SKIES WHICH WERE PRESENT TO START THE EVENING. CONVECTIVE LINE OVER WESTERN KY WILL MOVE EAST DURING THE NIGHT AND OUR CLOUDS WILL EVENTUALLY INCREASE. HOWEVER...THE AXIS OF MAX THETA E AND MAX DEW POINTS WAS OVER THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE...AND THE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD LESS UNSTABLE AIR. THE 00Z NAM IS CONSISTENT WITH THE 18Z RUN IN SHOWING THE LINE WEAKENING AS IT APPROACHES AND NEARLY DYING BEFORE IT GETS HERE. HAVE MADE SLIGHT POP ADJUSTMENTS TO REDUCE LIKELY POPS TO HIGH CHANCE ON OUR WESTERN BORDER FOR LATE TONIGHT. HAVE ALSO LOWERED TEMPS IN OUR EASTERN VALLEYS...WHERE LACK OF CLOUDS HAS ALLOWED SOME LOCATIONS TO FALL TO THE MID 60S ALREADY AT MID EVENING. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/ A POTENT STORM SYSTEM LOCATED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL GRADUALLY WORK ITS WAY EASTWARD THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AND BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MUCH OF THE AREA BY THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS WOUND UP QUITE TIGHT AND AS SUCH BANDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONLY GRADUALLY SHIFT INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. INFLUENCE OF THIS SYSTEM WILL LINGER INTO FRIDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER LOW OPENS UP INTO A WAVE AND MERGES BACK INTO THE MAIN CORE OF WESTERLIES LATE IN THE PERIOD. FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER...ONGOING CONVECTION TO OUR WEST WILL SWING EASTWARD THROUGH THE COMMONWEALTH AND TOWARDS EASTERN KENTUCKY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. HOWEVER...ANY CONVECTION THAT PUSHES EASTWARD OR THAT DEVELOPS WILL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH A WEAK BUT SIGNIFICANT MID LEVEL CAP AND DRIER AIR AT THE SFC. AS SUCH KEPT THE BULK OF ANY RAIN CONFINED TO MAINLY OUR WESTERN ZONES OVERNIGHT THOUGH SOME ISOLATED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE POSSIBLE JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP MAY PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS IN THE HWO. OTHERWISE...TEMPS SHOULD BE QUITE MILD TONIGHT AS A LIGHT BUT STEADY SOUTHERLY GRADIENT WIND SHOULD HELP KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS UP. ONLY EXCEPTION AND CONCERN WOULD BE OUR DEEPER EASTERN VALLEY LOCATIONS WHERE LOWER DEW POINTS...AROUND 60 AND A NOCTURNAL INVERSION MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE BOUNDARY LAYER TO TOTALLY DECOUPLE. EXPECT A DECENT GRADIENT TO HIGHS ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AS THICKER CLOUD COVER AND RAIN COOLED AIR TO OUR WEST GRADUALLY SHIFTS ACROSS THE CWA. COOLER AIR WILL BEGIN TO FILTER INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT BEHIND A SFC COLD FRONT THAT WILL TRANSIT THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. CONSALL...OR THE MODEL CONSENSUS LOOKED VERY APPEALING FOR MAX/MINS AND AS SUCH GENERALLY TWEAKED TEMPS TOWARDS THOSE NUMBERS. .LONG TERM.../FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/ WHILE THE MODELS ARE NOT IN TERRIFIC AGREEMENT INITIALLY...THE ALL HAVE HONED IN ON A MAJOR PATTERN CHANGE THAT PORTENDS A MUCH DRIER... WARMER...AND HUMID PERIOD OF WEATHER FOR THE BULK OF THE EXTENDED. THE PATTERN CHANGE SHOULD ALSO BRING RELIEF FROM THE VICIOUS BOUTS OF SEVERE WEATHER THAT HAVE RAVAGED THE PLAINS AND POINTS EAST FOR THE PAST MONTH OR SO. SPECIFICALLY...THE EASTERN TROUGH OVERHEAD AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED WILL OPEN UP AND SLIP EAST ON FRIDAY. THE LATEST...12Z...ECMWF IS A BIT SLOWER AND STRONGER WITH THIS TROUGH THAN THE OTHER MODELS. IN ITS WAKE...THE HEIGHTS WILL RISE THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE NATION WHILE THE STRONG WESTERLIES RETREAT TO THE NORTH. AS THIS HAPPENS...SOME MID LEVEL ENERGY WILL PASS THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY ON SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...A BUILDUP IN RIDGING THROUGHOUT THE HEART OF THE SOUTHEAST WILL COMMENCE FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEKEND SPREADING ITS PROTECTIVE SHIELD OF MID LEVEL WARMTH OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY IN THE PROCESS. ALL MODELS THEN SHOW THIS RIDGE BECOMING DOMINANT OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE NEW WORK WEEK. THE GFS IS THE STRONGEST WITH THIS AND WOULD SUPPORT THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES...WHILE THE ECMWF DOES ATTEMPT TO UNDERCUT THE RIDGE BY MID WEEK. ACCORDINGLY...THE PATTERN BECOMES A BIT MORE IFFY BY WEDNESDAY WITH THE GFS BRINGING ENERGY INTO THE AREA FORM THE NORTH AND THE ECMWF SLIPS IT IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST. HAVE GONE WITH A BLENDED SOLUTION ALOFT THROUGH THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST WITH WEATHER DETAILS FROM THE ECMWF FOLLOWED MOST CLOSELY. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE THE SFC REFLECTION OF THE WEAKENING UPPER TROUGH MOVING OUT OF THE AREA TO THE NORTHEAST ON FRIDAY WITH POPS TAPERING OFF IN THE NORTHEAST LASTLY FRIDAY EVENING. FOR SATURDAY...A DEVELOPING WARM FRONT LIFTING BACK NORTH THROUGH EAST KENTUCKY WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST AS WARMER WEATHER ENSUES. THIS BOUNDARY CLEARS THE AREA BY SUNDAY ALLOWING FOR A MORE SUMMER-LIKE PATTERN WITH BUILDING HEAT AND HUMIDITY THROUGH MID WEEK. EXPECT A DIURNAL PATTERN TO THE CU AND LOW POP CHANCES FOR MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BUT KEPT THE CONVECTION OUT OF THE FORECAST UNTIL ANOTHER BOUNDARY APPROACHES FOR MID WEEK. THAT SAID...WITH THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME ISOLATED STRONG STORMS DEVELOP ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY AFTERNOON...MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE SOUTHEAST. AT NIGHT...ANTICIPATE A DECENT RIDGE TO VALLEY TEMPERATURE SPLIT IN THE MUGGY AIR MASS WITH THE THERMAL BELT ABOUT 5 DEGREES OR SO WARMER THAN THE VALLEYS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MIDWEEK. FOR TEMPERATURES...USED A BLEND OF THE MAV GUIDANCE AND THE INHERITED GRIDS EARLY ON AND THEN LEANED MORE TOWARD CONSALL AND HPC FOR THE LATTER PORTION OF THE FORECAST...ALONG WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED TERRAIN BASED ADJUSTMENTS EACH NIGHT. AS FOR POPS...ENDED UP LOWER THAN MEX NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST...EXCEPT SIMILAR ON WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION.../06Z TO 06Z/...UPDATED VFR CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT AREA WIDE TO START THE PERIOD. A WEAKENING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE AND JUST ABOUT TO ENTER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS LINE WILL PROGRESS EAST DURING THE NIGHT AS IT CONTINUES TO SHOW AN OVERALL WEAKENING TREND. THE BIG UNCERTAINTY IS WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL DIE OUT BEFORE IT MAKES IT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE REGION. SUSPECT KSME AND KLOZ WILL SEE AN HOUR OR TWO OF PRECIP/THUNDER WITH SOME INITIAL WINDS GUSTS AROUND 30KT DURING THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF THE TAF PERIOD. THINK THAT THERE WILL NOT BE MUCH MORE THAN ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS LEFT BY THE TIME THE LINE REACHES OUR EASTERN COUNTIES AROUND 09Z. ONCE THIS OVERNIGHT CONVECTIVE SYSTEM PASSES OR FADES...THERE SHOULD BE A LULL IN THE WEATHER UNTIL HEATING TAKES PLACE DURING THE DAY AND ADDITIONAL STORMS FIRE UP. AT THIS POINT...TIMING IS TOO UNCERTAIN TO PLACE STORMS CATEGORICALLY IN THE TAFS. HAVE USED A LONG PERIOD OF VCTS...ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AT SOME POINT IN THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. ANY STORMS SHOULD FADE TO SCATTERED SHOWERS FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER 00Z AFTER A COLD FRONT PASSES. OUTSIDE OF PRECIP OR LOCALIZED EARLY MORNING VALLEY FOG...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE PERIOD. THUNDERSTORMS COULD BRING IFR OR WORSE. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RAY/HAL LONG TERM....GREIF AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1242 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-261100- 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- 1242 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED...MAINLY THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. AR/RAY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1028 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0909 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 W YEADDISS 37.07N 83.26W
05/24/2011 LESLIE KY COUNTY OFFICIAL
LESLIE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR REPORTED 2-3 TREES
DOWN ON CARS ALONG KY 3427 NEAR WOLFE CREEK. TIME EST
FROM RADAR.
&&
MBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1035 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0334 PM TSTM WND DMG GOLDBUG 36.79N 84.17W
05/24/2011 WHITLEY KY DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREES DOWN ALONG HWY 25W NEAR MM16. TIME EST FROM RADAR.
&&
MBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1038 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0343 PM TSTM WND DMG EMLYN 36.70N 84.14W
05/24/2011 WHITLEY KY DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
SEVERAL TREES DOWN ALONG KY 628 AND KY 2996 NEAR EMLYN.
TIME EST FROM RADAR.
&&
MBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1040 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0409 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 S GOINS 36.69N 83.94W
05/24/2011 WHITLEY KY DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREES DOWN OVER KY 92. TIME EST FROM RADAR.
&&
MBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1042 PM EDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0343 PM TSTM WND DMG WILLIAMSBURG 36.74N 84.17W
05/24/2011 WHITLEY KY DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
TREES DOWN OVER RT 856 AROUND THE WILLIAMSBURG AREA. TIME
EST FROM RADAR.
&&
MBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 202 AM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 KYZ068-069-079-083-084-260645- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-WAYNE-MCCREARY-JACKSON- 202 AM EDT THU MAY 26 2011 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 245 AM EDT THURSDAY MORNING... EXTREME NORTHWESTERN JACKSON... ROCKCASTLE... PULASKI... WAYNE AND SOUTHWESTERN MCCREARY. AT 200 AM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF EUBANK TO 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF MAGNUM TO 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAINS STORE TO 11 MILES WEST OF CABELL TO 27 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SUNNYBROOK...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DANVILLE TO 19 MILES NORTHWEST OF SOMERSET TO 18 MILES NORTHWEST OF MONTICELLO TO 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF ALBANY TO 21 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALBANY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...MAGNUM AROUND 215 AM EDT...FAUBUSH AROUND 220 AM EDT...ZULA AND MONTICELLO AROUND 225 AM EDT...SUSIE AROUND 230 AM EDT...SUNNYBROOK AROUND 235 AM EDT...SOMERSET AROUND 240 PM EDT. THESE STORMS WILL ALSO IMPACT LAKE CUMBERLAND. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS AS HIGH AS 40 TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IN THESE AREAS. DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN LIGHTNING IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE A HAZARD. PELTON
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:45 UTC.
15 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A barn was blown into KY 200 near Hwy 167 southwest of Monticello.
A tree was blown down and onto a house along Hwy 1546 in Murl.
Trees were blown down onto a trailer home on Evelyn Ave in Monticello.
Trees were blown down on Hwy 80 just west of Somerset.
A large limb was broken off of a walnut tree and blown down the street. Pea sized hail was almost entirely covering the ground.
Power outages were reported in Burnside.
Trees were blown down in a persons yard.
Power outages were reported in Mt. Victory.
A tree was blown down outside of the jail in London.
Three large trees were blown down and across Hwy 1227.
A power line was blown down on Laurel Rd in Keavy.
A tree was blown down on Hwy 577 East in Chestnutsburg.
A tree was blown down on State Route 638.
A tree was blown down on Grannys Branch Rd.
A 61 mph wind gust was measured.
Mostly pea size hail nearly covering the ground in Somerset. A few of the largest stones were the size of quarters.
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: 306742, 306743, 306748, 306749, 306750, 306753, 306755, 306756, 306757, 306759, 306760, 306762, 306763, 306764, 306766, 306768.