Isolated strong thunderstorms dumped locally heavy rainfall on portions of Whitley county during the afternoon hours of August 5th. The heavy rain led to flash flooding and high water in Corbin and Faber.
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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.
Isolated strong thunderstorms dumped locally heavy rainfall on portions of Whitley county during the afternoon hours of August 5th. The heavy rain led to flash flooding and high water in Corbin and Faber.
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 Aug 5, 12:21 PM EST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 121 PM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 120 PM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 UPDATE INCLUDES ACCOUNTING FOR PRECIP AREAS AS OF 1 PM AND TIMING OF HIGH POPS...BUT NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE OVERALL POP FOR THE PERIOD. ALSO LOWERED SOME MAX TEMPS A BIT MORE DUE TO THE CLOUDS AND PRECIP HINDERING WARMING. UPDATE ISSUED AT 929 AM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 UPDATED BASED ON MORNING CONDITIONS...INCLUDING LOWERING MAX TEMPS FOR TODAY SLIGHTLY IN SOME AREAS DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND PRECIP. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 236 AM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 STILL CONCERNED WITH HEAVY RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH BASIN AVERAGES OVER AN INCH AND LOCALLY ACCUMULATIONS COULD REACH THREE TO FOUR INCHES BEFORE DAWN ON MONDAY. WILL CONTINUE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THRU 04Z ON MONDAY WHEN A CLEARER PICTURE OF TOTALS SHOULD EMERGE. CURRENTLY A WEAKENING MCS IS PUSHING THRU NERN OH AND A SECOND MCS IS OVER SRN ILL. BOTH SYSTEMS ARE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT THAT CURRENTLY RUNS FROM JUST SOUTH OF APN TO SBN TO SPI TO NEAR STL AND SGF. EXPECT THE NRN REACH OF THIS FRONT TO BE PROGRESSIVE AND CONTINUE TO MOVE TO ERN CANADA WHILE THE WRN PORTION IN MO/KS/OK WILL STALL AND CAUSE THE FRONT TO STRETCH INTO AN EAST/WEST BNDRY ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH TODAY. SKEW/T PLOTS DO NOT INDICATE THE TYPICAL DRY SLOT ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE WEATHER...RATHER A SKINNY CAPE ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY RAIN AND PW IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES. MODELS DO INDICATE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FRONT WILL BE SLOW MOVING THRU KY...IT WILL CONTINUE TO EASE SOUTH AND SHOULD BE NEARLY CLEAR OF THE STATE BY LATE MON AFTERNOON. CLOUDS AND ANTICIPATED RAIN WILL HOLD HIGH TEMPS TO THE MID 80S FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS WHILE MON MORNING LOWS WILL ONLY DROP INTO THE UPPER 60S WITH A NEARLY SATURATED AIR MASS. LOCATIONS THAT DO NOT HAVE RAIN FOR EVEN A SHORT PERIOD SUN NIGHT WILL LIKELY SEE CONSIDERABLE FOG. WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE DENSE FOG ADVISORY. FOR NOW THE HIGH POPS SHOULD KEEP THE AIR WASHED CLEAN OF FOG. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 315 AM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 THE PERIOD BEGINS WITH THE COLD FRONT POSSIBLY STILL LOITERING ABOUT THE KY/TN LINE THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE SHIFTING FAR ENOUGH SOUTH TO BECOME LESS OF A PLAYER AS PLAINS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS UP THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS SHOULD HELP KEEP THE THREAT OF RAIN TO A MINIMUM EARLY ON DESPITE WHATEVER POTENTIAL INFLUENCE THE FRONT MAY SERVE AS A TRIGGER FOR DIURNAL ACTIVITY...AS A PREVAILING NLY COMPONENT TO THE ENSUING NW FLOW ALOFT SHOULD HELP STEER ANYTHING THAT DOES DEVELOP IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT BACK DOWN TOWARDS TN. REGARDLESS...WILL PLAY IT SAFE FOR THE MOMENT AND KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THE SOUTH THROUGH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH A DIURNAL FLAVOR. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO POINT TOWARDS THE NEXT SHORT WAVE TROF DROPPING DOWN THE BACKSIDE OF THE PERSISTENT HUDSON BAY LOW DURING THIS TIME FRAME...REESTABLISHING THE NERN CONUS TROF OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AS THE SFC REFLECTION BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE OVER THE NRN PLAINS BEFORE MOVING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM INTO THE GREAT LAKES ON THURSDAY. THE COMBINATION OF THESE TWO FEATURES WILL BRING AN UNSETTLED PATTERN BACK TO THE AREA FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE PERIOD WITH CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOOKING TO RETURN BY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...THEN CONTINUING THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE OHIO AND TN VALLEYS. TEMPS WILL BE COOLER TO START THE PERIOD BUT SHOULD QUICKLY RETURN TO NORMAL BY WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS TOPPING OUT IN THE UPPER 80S THROUGH MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK BEFORE ANOTHER COOL DOWN ARRIVES WITH THE FRONT TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD...AS CURRENT PROGS WOULD SUGGEST HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOWER 80S BY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS LOOK TO FOLLOW A SIMILAR TREND...WITH LOWER TO MID 60S ON MONDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY TEMPS BOTTOMING OUT IN THE MID AND UPPER 60S THROUGH THE WEEK BEFORE TURNING SOUTH AGAIN LATE IN THE PERIOD AS COOLER AIR RETURNS WITH THE ANTICIPATED FRONT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 120 PM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 AND AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER THE SW PART OF THE FORECAST AREA AROUND KLOZ...KSME...AND KEKQ AT TAF ISSUANCE. IT WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY MOVE EAST. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON. LOCALLY HEAVY PRECIP WILL REDUCE CONDITIONS TO IFR IN SOME LOCATIONS. OTHERWISE A MIX OF MVFR AND VFR IS EXPECTED WELL INTO THE NIGHT. PRECIP WILL DIMINISH FROM NW TO SE TONIGHT. HOWEVER WIDESPREAD MVFR AND IFR IN BR IS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. VISIBILITY WILL IMPROVE LATE MONDAY MORNING...BUT MVFR CEILINGS MAY PERSIST. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && UPDATE...HAL SHORT TERM...DUSTY LONG TERM....MB AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 406 AM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-061115- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 406 AM EDT SUN AUG 5 2012 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN MOST LOCATIONS TODAY...AND TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL...WHICH COULD RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY...AND AGAIN FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY FLOODING...INCLUDING WATER FLOWING ACROSS A ROAD TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT JACKSON VIA THE SPOTTER HOTLINE...ESPOTTER...TWITTER OR FACEBOOK. DUSTY
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:28 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several streets were blocked by high water in town, including Master Street. the Cumberland Falls Hwy was also flooded near exit 25 of I-75.
Eatontown Rd was flooded and impassable.
Four to 6 inches of water were flowing across Hwy 26. Many area creeks and streams were also reported as bankfull.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, August 2012
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: 394403, 394406, 394409.