Isolated storms developed within a highly unstable environment across central Kentucky during the afternoon on April 17th. One storm remained nearly stationary for an hour over southern LaRue County, bringing localized flash flooding.
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.
Isolated storms developed within a highly unstable environment across central Kentucky during the afternoon on April 17th. One storm remained nearly stationary for an hour over southern LaRue County, bringing localized flash flooding. A similar storm in Madison county sent water over roads in and near Richmond.
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 Apr 17, 5:53 AM EST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 653 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .Forecast Update... Issued at 645 AM EDT Wed Apr 17 2013 Well, the convection continues to fire up, now even over the southwest forecast area, as the first upper level disturbance is taking awhile to clear the region. Still expect a brief break in new storms by late morning, with additional development later in the afternoon. Have bumped up pops some to account for ongoing trends. && .Short Term (Now - Thursday)... Issued at 310 AM EDT Wed Apr 17 2013 Some isentropic lift is noted on the 300K theta surface, which combined with a shortwave trough moving across southern Illinois this hour, an old outflow boundary from last night's storms, and moisture pooling across a stationary boundary to our north is allowing for scattered thunderstorms to develop early this morning. As can be expected with so many variables in play, the models, even higher res ones, are not handling the current situation well. Thus have to base the forecast on how these features are expected to move through the day today. We should get on the subsidence side of that shortwave trough later this morning, bringing at least a brief period without storms, though those models seem to be ignoring this. The focus for the isentropic lift looks to shift farther north today as the stationary front over the Ohio River becomes a warm front and starts lifting northward. As for upper level energy, another disturbance moving in from the southwest should help to focus storms along the slow-moving front later this afternoon. With all of this in mind, have scattered storms in for the early morning hours roughly across the northern two-thirds of the forecast area, then tapering down to only scattered across mostly my southern Indiana zones. Later in the afternoon have a brief enhancement with daytime heating, but only over the northern third of the region. This activity should die out with loss of heating as the warm front gets farther away from our region. Wind fields do not look overly impressive with today, but we may still some wet microbursts out of the stronger storms this afternoon. Thursday looks mostly to be dry but windy and warm. Forecast grids go up to 20 knots on average in the afternoon as a deepening low pressure system moves northeast across the Midwest. A Wind Advisory may be required should we be able to mix down some of the stronger gusts indicated by forecast soundings. Cloud cover ahead of the front may inhibit heating somewhat, but these gusts from the south still should help us get up into the 80s areawide. .Long Term (Thursday Night through Tuesday)... Issued at 320 AM EDT Wed Apr 17 2013 ...Strong to Possibly Severe Thunderstorms Expected Thursday Night... A deep low pressure system and potent cold front will approach the lower Ohio Valley late in the day Thursday. The surface low will track northeastward from eastern Kansas to the Great Lakes by late Thursday evening. The associated cold front will plow through the forecast area from west to east Thursday night. It certainly appears the convection will grow upscale into a QLCS, which will be the main event for us. The wind shear values are quite impressive. The NAM is showing 55+ knots at 925 hPa while the GFS is even stronger with 65+ knot winds and the 0-6 km bulk shear values range between 60 and 90 knots. The huge question mark remains the overall amount of instability. The storms passing through the area overnight adds some degree of reduced instability, which is evident in the low-level lapse rates. Soundings also indicate mid-level lapse rates are not too impressive. If any of the stronger winds at 925 hPa could reach the surface, then damaging winds will be the primary threat. At this time, believe the QLCS will approach our area in a strong yet weakening state. The best chance of severe winds would be roughly along and west of the I-65 corridor, with a continued weakening trend as it pushes east. However, if a significant cold pool can be maintained, then a severe threat will continue into the Bluegrass region. Stay up-to-date with the latest forecasts, as a lot of the critical severe weather parameters can change within the next day or so. The one thing that does appear certain will be heavy rain. With the forward progression of the line, do not anticipate major flooding issues, but ponding of water in low-lying areas and normally flood-prone locations seems likely. The convection will depart the area during the first half of the day Friday. Temperatures Thursday night will remain elevated ahead of the front, but will drop from west to east as the front moves through. The warmest temperatures Friday will occur early in the day, with temps holding steady in the upper 40s and lower 50s or slowly dropping through the afternoon. Low clouds will linger behind the front and should last through at least some of the overnight hours. Winds will be breezy to locally windy Thursday night and Friday, with speeds decreasing Friday night. Winds appear to remain in the 3-8 mph range Friday night. Temperatures Friday night will drop into the middle 30s, but believe the aforementioned clouds and winds will reduce optimal radiational cooling conditions for frost generation. Expect a dry Saturday through Monday, although the GFS tries to develop afternoon convection across the Ohio Valley. Believe moisture return will be quite limited for our area, so will keep it dry. As for temperatures, only expect low to mid 50s for highs Saturday, with temps moderating to the mid and upper 60s for Monday. Overnight lows will be chilly once again Sunday morning, with mid and upper 30s anticipated. Winds will be lighter, but there are indications more mid- and upper-level clouds may be present. So, not expected patchy frost this night either, but will continue to monitor. Our next frontal boundary will approach the Ohio Valley Tuesday, as low pressure passes by to our north once again. By the afternoon hours we could have enough moisture and instability to spark a few storms across mainly our western CWA. The front will then move across the forecast area Tuesday night and early Wednesday. At this time, this system does not appear to be anywhere near as strong as the Thursday night system. Temperatures should be able to reach the upper 60s and perhaps lower 70s Tuesday afternoon after starting out in the upper 40s and lower 50s. && .Aviation (12Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 650 AM EDT Wed Apr 17 2013 Have a slow-moving upper disturbance that continues to fire off new showers and storms across the region this hour. Still expecting a break in coverage, but that break may not happen over the northern half of the forecast area (for SDF), closer to a stalled frontal boundary. We may get some brief MVFR conditions out of these storms. Winds will pick up from the south today as that front starts to lift north as a warm front. Winds will pick up more Thursday morning as a cold front gets ready to come through the region late Thursday night. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. KY...NONE. Update...........RJS Short Term.......RJS Long Term........MJP Aviation.........RJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 406 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-180815- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PAOLI...SALEM...SCOTTSBURG...MADISON... JASPER...MARENGO...TELL CITY...CORYDON...NEW ALBANY... JEFFERSONVILLE...HAWESVILLE...HARDINSBURG...BRANDENBURG... BEAVER DAM...LEITCHFIELD...ELIZABETHTOWN...FORT KNOX... MOUNT WASHINGTON...SHEPHERDSVILLE...LOUISVILLE...LA GRANGE... BEDFORD...NEW CASTLE...SHELBYVILLE...FRANKFORT...GEORGETOWN... CYNTHIANA...TAYLORSVILLE...LAWRENCEBURG...VERSAILLES...LEXINGTON... PARIS...CARLISLE...BARDSTOWN...SPRINGFIELD...HARRODSBURG... NICHOLASVILLE...WINCHESTER...HODGENVILLE...LEBANON...DANVILLE... LANCASTER...RICHMOND...MORGANTOWN...BROWNSVILLE...MUNFORDVILLE... GREENSBURG...CAMPBELLSVILLE...LIBERTY...STANFORD...RUSSELLVILLE... BOWLING GREEN...FRANKLIN...SCOTTSVILLE...GLASGOW...TOMPKINSVILLE... EDMONTON...COLUMBIA...JAMESTOWN...BURKESVILLE...ALBANY 406 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 /306 AM CDT WED APR 17 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS A STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE OHIO RIVER STARTS TO LIFT NORTHWARD. THE MAIN THREATS FROM TODAY'S STORMS WILL BE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. A LINE OF STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...ESPECIALLY WITHIN ANY BOWING SEGMENTS THAT DEVELOP. CURRENTLY THE BEST LOCATIONS FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65. HEAVY RAINFALL LEADING TO PONDING OF WATER IN LOW-LYING AREAS AND NORMALLY FLOOD-PRONE LOCATIONS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY HAIL OR DAMAGING WINDS THEY OBSERVE TODAY AS WELL AS BE PREPARED FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTS THROUGH FRIDAY. RJS/MJP
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
805 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM HAIL PAOLI 38.56N 86.47W
04/16/2013 E1.75 INCH ORANGE IN CO-OP OBSERVER
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300180
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
941 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0649 PM HAIL 2 NE MADISON 38.78N 85.35W
04/16/2013 M0.88 INCH JEFFERSON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300181
JDGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
944 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0718 AM FLOOD 3 NE PARIS 38.24N 84.22W
04/17/2013 BOURBON KY BROADCAST MEDIA
A COUPLE OF ROADS EXPERIENCED MINOR FLOODING ON US 68
BETWEEN MILLERSBURG AND PARIS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300182
SCHOETTMERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
946 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0600 PM HAIL SALEM 38.60N 86.10W
04/16/2013 E0.70 INCH WASHINGTON IN COUNTY OFFICIAL
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300183
MRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1012 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0826 PM HAIL ROLAND 38.60N 86.68W
04/16/2013 E1.00 INCH ORANGE IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CORRECTED EVENT TIME
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300166
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1018 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0849 PM HAIL 3 N MADISON 38.80N 85.38W
04/16/2013 E1.00 INCH JEFFERSON IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CORRECTED EVENT TIME
EVENT NUMBER LMK1300173
LGThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:59 UTC.
5 hail, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Local media relayed a report of flooding on Union City and Red House Roads near Richmond. The emergency manager reported a road closed in Richmond.
The Madison County emergency manager reported that a portion of State Highway 25 south of Richmond was closed by high water.
Tate's Creek overflowed, briefly closing a portion of Tate's Creek Road.
A spotter reported 1 inch hail around 8 miles south of Hodgenville.
A spotter located 6 miles west-southwest of Hodgenville reported one inch hail.
The public reported water flowing over Cruse Road, located 1 mile north of Maxine. Nearby, at around the same time, a spotter reported water flowing over Parker Grove Road. An unofficial report from the public mentioned that around 5 inches of rain fall within a 2 hour period over an isolated location near Magnolia.
Ping pong to golf ball sized hail fell in Hensley.
Broadcast media relayed a report of quarter-sized hail south of Irvington.
Ping pong sized hail fell in Irvington.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, April 2013
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: 435228, 435239, 435240, 435217, 435218, 435214, 435219, 435220, 435221.