Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms produced wind damage across portions of eastern Kentucky on December 17, 2012.
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.
Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms produced wind damage across portions of eastern Kentucky on December 17, 2012.
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 Dec 17, 3:04 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 304 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 303 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 THE PRIMARY WEATHER ISSUE FOR THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING WILL BE THE APPROACH OF A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT IS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO ENTER THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES OF THE FORECAST AREA BETWEEN 3 AND 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING MOSTLY DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL. A COUPLE OF THE STORMS HAVE DROPPED SOME QUARTER SIZE HAIL VERY RECENTLY...SO THEY WILL BEAR WATCHING AS THEY MOVE OUR DIRECTION. THESE STORMS ARE FLOURISHING IN AN AREA OF CLEARING ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND ARE FEEDING OFF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FEED OFF THE GULF OF MEXICO. THESE STORMS ARE ALSO INITIATING ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY LATER THIS EVENING...AS A LARGE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE EJECTS OUT OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS AND ACROSS CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. BASED ON CURRENT UPSTREAM CONDITIONS...THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN THEIR CURRENT LEVEL OF INTENSITY UNTIL AROUND SUNDOWN. AFTER THAT...THE STORMS SHOULD WEAKEN FAIRLY QUICKLY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 683 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8PM EST TO ADDRESS THESE STORMS. THE CURRENT ZONE FORECAST TEXT PRODUCT AND HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK HAVE BOTH BEEN UPDATED TO ADDRESS THE STORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING. A GRAPHICAL NOWCAST OUTLINING THE TIMING OF ARRIVAL AND PASSAGE OF THIS LINE OF STORMS HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED. WILL INCLUDE A PRE FIRST PERIOD TO ACCOUNT FOR THE STORMS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. AS FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM...MADE A FEW CHANGES TO THE TIMING OF WHEN PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO EXIT THE AREA ON TUESDAY. THE LATEST RUNS OF THE NAM12...SREF...AND GFS MODELS ALL HAVE PRECIPITATION LINGERING BEHIND THE FRONT IN WEAK WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW UNTIL AROUND 15Z TOMORROW...AS AN UPPER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE EXITED THE AREA BEFORE THEN...BUT OUR HIGHER ELEVATION COUNTIES COULD SEE PESKY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS HANGING AROUND UNTIL 15Z OR SO ON TUESDAY DUE TO TERRAIN ENHANCEMENT. ALSO CREATED A NEW CLOUD COVER FORECAST BASED ON THE SAME CONDITIONS MENTIONED ABOVE...WITH LOW AND MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUD COVER PERSISTING ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MILD THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WITH CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION ACTING TO KEEP TONIGHTS LOWS AND TOMORROWS HIGHS RIGHT AROUND THE LATEST MOS GUIDANCE. DECIDED TO KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS A DEGREE OR TWO WARMER THAN MOS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE INSULATING AFFECT OF CLOUD COVER. HIGH PRESSURE WILL FINALLY SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW NIGHT...BRINGING COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER TO THE AREA. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL ONLY MAKE IT TO AROUND 50 WITH LOWS TOMORROW NIGHT DROPPING INTO THE MID TO UPPER 30S. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 303 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR THE LOCAL AREA...BUT BEGIN TO SHOW NOTABLE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES BEFORE THE WEEKEND IS FINISHED. BENIGN WEATHER IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY...AS WE AWAIT THE EFFECTS OF A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM TAKING SHAPE OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL CONUS. IT WILL BECOME VERY INTENSE AS IT MOVES RAPIDLY NORTHEAST OVER THE GREAT LAKES. ITS COLD FRONT SHOULD PASS THROUGH FROM WEST TO EAST ON THURSDAY. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WITH ENOUGH INSTABILITY ALSO PRESENT FOR A RISK OF THUNDER. A MUCH COLDER AIR MASS ARRIVES BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH A POSSIBILITY OF SNOW OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THIS WOULD BE DUE TO A COMBINATION OF THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE COMMA HEAD UNDER THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS PASSING OVER DURING PERSISTENT COLD UPSLOPE FLOW. WILL STICK WITH 20-30 PERCENT POPS AT THIS POINT...WITH ANY PRECIP AMOUNTS BEING LIGHT. THE LARGE STORM SYSTEM SHIFTS FURTHER EAST ON FRIDAY...LEAVING DRY BUT STILL COLD CONDITIONS. EARLY NEXT WEEK THE OPERATIONAL GFS SHOWS A SUBSTANTIAL WARM-UP NOT PRESENT IN THE ECMWF. THIS IS DUE TO THE ECMWF SHOWING A STRONGER LARGE CLOSED UPPER LOW LINGERING FURTHER WEST OVER THE NORTHEAST CONUS THAN IN THE GFS. THIS ALLOWS THE ECMWF TO BRING DOWN ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD AIR. IT IS NOTED THAT THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN IS COLDER THAN THE OPERATIONAL GFS...BUT ITS MEMBERS STILL SHOW A LARGE DEGREE OF SPREAD. EVEN SO...NONE OF THE AVAILABLE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE AS COLD AS THE 00Z ECMWF. WITH ALL THIS IN MIND...IT WILL BE LOW CONFIDENCE TEMPERATURE FORECAST BASED ON BLENDED DATA. IN ANY SCENARIO...THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE MUCH PRECIP POTENTIAL. A BIT OF SNOW COULD NOT BE RULED OUT IN A COLD UPSLOPE FLOW SCENARIO...BUT ANY AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIGHT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1230 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 IFR CIGS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AT JKL...AS LOW LEVEL CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER ALONG THE AREA RIDGETOPS NOW THAT THE RAIN HAS BEGUN TO SLACK OFF. LOZ AND SME WILL NOT BE QUITE AS BAD WITH CIGS BETWEEN 1000 AND 1500 FEET THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS FORMED ALONG THE OHIO RIVER AND WESTWARD INTO WESTERN KENTUCKY ALREADY THIS AFTERNOON...ALONG AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. AS OF TAF ISSUANCE...CONDITIONS APPEAR CONDUCIVE TO THE FORMATION OF HAIL WITH THESE STORMS...SO THAT WILL BE A CONCERN FOR LOZ AND SME AS THE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THAT AREA LATER TODAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS WITH THE STRONG STORMS. THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FINALLY EXIT LOZ AND SME AROUND 4Z TONIGHT...AND JKL BETWEEN 6 AND 7Z. ALL THREE TAF SITES COULD EXPERIENCE IFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 8 AND 12Z TONIGHT...BEFORE CONDITIONS BEGIN TO IMPROVE AGAIN AFTER 13 OR 14Z. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...AR LONG TERM....GREIF AVIATION...AR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1253 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 KYZ052-060-080-084>088-104-106>120-182100- ROWAN-MENIFEE-LAUREL-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...MOREHEAD...FRENCHBURG...LONDON... 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 1253 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. KYZ044-050-051-058-059-068-069-079-083-182100- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ESTILL-POWELL-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-PULASKI- WAYNE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...IRVINE...STANTON...MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET... MONTICELLO 1253 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 683 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY INSTANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. AR
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 354 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 KYZ068-069-079-080-083>086-111-114-116-172200- MCCREARY-PULASKI-ROCKCASTLE-WAYNE-WHITLEY-LAUREL-KNOX-JACKSON-OWSLEY- LEE-CLAY- 354 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 500 PM EST MONDAY AFTERNOON... WEST CENTRAL KNOX... JACKSON... MCCREARY... WESTERN OWSLEY... PULASKI... ROCKCASTLE... WAYNE... WESTERN WHITLEY... EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LEE... NORTHWESTERN CLAY AND LAUREL. AT 353 PM EST...SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EUBANK TO 32 MILES WEST OF SUNNYBROOK...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 14 MILES WEST OF MOUNT VERNON TO 24 MILES WEST OF ALBANY...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...WOODSTOCK AROUND 400 PM EST...LEVEL GREEN AROUND 405 PM EST...BLOSS AROUND 410 PM EST...CEDARVILLE AROUND 415 PM EST...BILLOWS AROUND 420 PM EST... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EST MONDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY. SHALLENBERGER
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 447 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-108-111-172245- MENIFEE-MONTGOMERY-POWELL-ROWAN-BATH-ESTILL-FLEMING-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-WOLFE-LEE- 447 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 545 PM EST MONDAY AFTERNOON... NORTHWESTERN JACKSON... MENIFEE... MONTGOMERY... POWELL... EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL ROCKCASTLE... WESTERN ROWAN... WESTERN WOLFE... LEE... BATH... ESTILL AND FLEMING. AT 446 PM EST...SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES NORTH OF NEPTON TO 7 MILES WEST OF ALGER...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 15 MILES NORTH OF FLEMINGSBURG TO 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF BEREA...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...WINSTON AROUND 455 PM EST...WITT AROUND 500 PM EST...POWELL VALLEY AROUND 505 PM EST...VAUGHNS MILL AROUND 510 PM EST...CRAIGS AROUND 515 PM EST... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO TWO INCHES PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EST MONDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KENTUCKY. SHALLENBERGER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
459 PM EST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0452 PM HAIL SOMERSET 37.08N 84.61W
12/17/2012 E0.25 INCH PULASKI KY TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
TBREWERThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts caused damage to roofing material siding on a structure on Main Street in Jeffersonville.
Trees were blown down across both lanes of Mount Pleasant Road in Pine Knot.
Trees were blown down at the intersection of Highways 979 and 680 near Galveston.
Trees were blown down on Highways 122 and 610 near the Virgie community.
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, December 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: 419277, 419278, 419279, 419280.