Clusters of thunderstorms formed over central Kentucky and then pushed eastward into east Kentucky during the morning hours of April 17th. The thunderstorms produced isolated wind damage early in the morning in Letcher County, but the bigger impacts were from flash flooding later in the morning.
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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.
Clusters of thunderstorms formed over central Kentucky and then pushed eastward into east Kentucky during the morning hours of April 17th. The thunderstorms produced isolated wind damage early in the morning in Letcher County, but the bigger impacts were from flash flooding later in the morning. Flash flooding was reported in Estill, Owsley, Bell, and Harlan Counties, but the worst of it occurred in Clay and Knox Counties. Several people had to be rescued from the rising waters in the Brightshade area of Clay County and along Highway 223 near Scalf in Knox County.
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 Apr 17, 5:55 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 655 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 539 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 STORMS CONTINUE TO FIRE ON A STALLED SURFACE BOUNDARY DRAPED FROM NEAR LOUISVILLE SOUTHEASTWARD INTO EAST TENNESSEE...AND MOVE EAST INTO OUR AREA. WILL INCREASE RAIN CHANCES TODAY ALONG AND EAST OF I-75 BASED ON RECENT RADAR TRENDS. PRECIP COVERAGE WILL LIKELY DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT SHIFTS TO THE NORTH AND EAST THROUGH TIME. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 310 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 A SURFACE BOUNDARY IS DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA...ALTHOUGH OUTFLOWS FROM EARLIER CONVECTION HAVE CERTAINLY MUDDLED THE SURFACE CHART. WITH THE BOUNDARY IN THE AREA...PLENTY OF INSTABILITY AND NO CAP... AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY. THE BOUNDARY WILL LIFT NORTH DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. THIS WILL EFFECTIVELY END OUR PRECIP CHANCES BY EARLY EVENING. THE REST OF THE PERIOD WILL BE DRY AS LOW PRESSURE ORGANIZES OVER THE PLAINS AND THE RESULTING SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW OFF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS DRIES OUT OUR AIRMASS. IN FACT...THURSDAY WILL BE QUITE BREEZY WITH SOUTH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 30 MPH AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES TODAY ARE FAIRLY LOW CONFIDENCE AS THEY WILL DEPEND A LOT ON HOW WIDESPREAD THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ENDS UP BEING AND HOW MUCH CLOUD COVER HANGS IN THROUGH THE DAY. INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL THEN INFLUENCE LOWS TONIGHT...WHICH WILL BE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM THE MID 60S OVER THE LAKE CUMBERLAND REGION DOWN TO THE MID 50S IN OUR SHELTERED EASTERN VALLEYS. THURSDAY LOOKS VERY WARM WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND STRONG SOUTHERLY BREEZES. GFS MOS GUIDANCE TAKES HTS AND CRW TO 88 DEGREES AND I COULD EASILY SEE LOCATIONS IN THE BIG SANDY REACH THAT VALUE. MID 80S SHOULD SUFFICE FOR THE REST OF THE AREA...NOT TOO FAR FROM RECORDS (88F AT BOTH JKL AND LOZ). .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 310 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT ON PROGRESSIVE TROF MOVING EAST AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST. OPERATIONAL MODEL RUNS... ENSEMBLES AND LATEST WPC GUIDANCE AGREE ON SURFACE COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY FRIDAY MORNING. WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE EARLY IN THE DAY EXPECT INSTABILITY TO BE LIMITED. THIS IS SUPPORTED BY LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE. AT THIS TIME THE SEVERE THREAT ON FRIDAY LOOKS TO BE LIMITED. WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THE FOCUS OF THE FORECAST SHIFTS TO FROST AND FREEZE CHANCES OVER THE WEEKEND. GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT THAT 8H TEMPERATURES BY 12Z SATURDAY WILL BE ANYWHERE FROM -4 TO -6 C. HOWEVER...EVEN WITH RISING 8H TEMPERATURES AFTER THIS....THE COLDEST MORNING MINIMUMS...AT LEAST IN THE VALLEYS...WILL LIKELY COME SUNDAY MORNING WITH BETTER RADIATIONAL COOLING FOR THE SATURDAY NIGHT...SUNDAY MORNING PERIOD. ANOTHER SHORT WAVE AND SURFACE FRONTAL SYSTEM LOOKS TO AFFECT THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER TIMING ON THIS IS STILL UNCERTAIN AS HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST LOOKS TO STALL THE FRONTAL PROGRESSION. FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER IT LOOKS LIKE HIGH TEMPS WILL BE IN A FREEFALL TUMBLE EARLY IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. FRIDAY WILL STRUGGLE INTO THE MID 60S AND THEN SAT WILL ONLY GET TO THE MID 50S. EXPECT LOW TEMPS SUNDAY MORNING AS STATED EARLIER TO BE THE COLDEST OF THE WEEK WITH READINGS IN THE MID 30S. WITH GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING WE COULD SEE PATCHY FROST IN SOME OF THE DEEPER VALLEYS BY DAY BREAK ON SUNDAY. DAY TIME HIGHS ON SUN WILL SURGE TO THE LOWER 60S...THE UPPER 60S FOR MON AND THE LOWER 70S BY TUE. THEN THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL ONCE AGAIN COOL THINGS OFF AS THE RAIN MOVES IN AND HOLDS HIGH TEMPS ON WED TO JUST THE MID 50S. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 655 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FIRE AND MOVE EASTWARD INTO EAST KENTUCKY. A BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED IN HEAVY RAIN WHERE THE STORMS HIT. THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN PRODUCING VIVID CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND SMALL HAIL. THE RESPONSIBLE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL START TO NUDGE NORTHWARD IN THE AFTERNOON RESULTING IN A DECREASE IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE LATE IN THE DAY. DRY...VFR CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR MAY BECOME A CONCERN TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD AS SOUTH WINDS INCREASE JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE. WILL LET LATER SHIFTS REEVALUATE THE NEED TO CARRY THAT IN THE TAFS FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE SURFACE WINDS RESPOND AND GET GUSTY ON THURSDAY. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...ABE SHORT TERM...ABE LONG TERM...DUSTY AVIATION...ABE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 604 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-181100- 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- 604 AM EDT WED APR 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR TODAY. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL END DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SOUTH WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 30 MPH AT TIMES ON THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE AREA. FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY STRONG WINDS OR HAIL TODAY. ABE/DUSTY
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:01 UTC.
9 flood, 8 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
There were several inches of water standing on Blacklog Road.
Bull Creek Road had one lane flooded due to a backed up culvert.
Clear Creek Road and Dark Hollow Road were all closed at some point due to flooding. The end of Poplar Road in Ravenna was also closed for a time. This flooding was all due to water flowing across the roadways.
Walton Road closed due to flash flooding.
Several roads, homes, and barns were flooded from flash flooding from Goose Creek in Clay County. A water rescue took place near the intersection of Highways 1524 and Mill Creek Road.
Isonville Elementary School was evacuated due to water from a nearby creek threatening to flood the school.
A foot of water was flowing over May Street. A couple of mudslides and a flooded business were reported in the Middle of Harlan as well. Substantial damage was done to roads across the county, mainly from urban and small stream flooding and from ditches washing out.
Highway 119 in Baxter had one lane blocked due to flood water.
KY Hwy 1224 was flooded between mile markers 5 and 6 at Rockhouse, on the Tomahawk side.
Kentucky Hwy 40 was flooded between mile markers 4 and 5 at Tomahawk.
Hammons Fork had flood water over it that came up to the headlights of parked cars in the area.
A bridge on Victory Road was inundated by high water.
Water covered Hwy 221 and made it impassable for several hours.
Swift water rescue of three teens due to flash flooding of Stinking Creek on Highway 223. Several mobile homes and vehicles were flooded as well along Stinking Creek.
Highway 421 was flooded near Cranks.
State Hwy 421 was down to one lane at mile marker 2 due to flood waters on the road.
Six to 12 inches of water was flowing across Hwy 3346 at the Sugar Camp Church. Water was also flowing across Hwy 3347.
The roof of an administration building of a camp was damaged.
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: 439380, 439381, 439382, 441862, 439383, 439384, 439385, 439397, 439398, 439399, 439388, 439389, 439390, 439391, 441863, 439393, 439394, 439396.