Small, low-topped thunderstorm line segments moved northeast in a region of strong vertical wind shear and very weak instability. These line segments produced a few short-track, weak tornadoes and isolated wind damage.
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 PAH wrote it up.
Small, low-topped thunderstorm line segments moved northeast in a region of strong vertical wind shear and very weak instability. These line segments produced a few short-track, weak tornadoes and isolated wind damage. The tornadoes formed from mesovortices embedded within the line. There was little if any lightning associated with the convection. The storms occurred along a cold front that extended southward from a low pressure center in northern Illinois.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 18, 1:01 PM CST, 6 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
201 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013
.SHORT TERM...(THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 1139 AM CDT THU APR 18 2013
CONVECTIVE LINE IN TWO PARTS. THE NORTHERN PART ACCELERATED A
LITTLE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE...REACHING ACROSS THE WABASH THIS MORNING
BUT STAYING NORTH OF US. NOW THE LINE IS CLOSER TO ORIGINAL TRACK
SINCE UPPER SPEED CORE IS DIGGING TROF A LITTLE TO THE SOUTH AND
WEST. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE LIFTING ACROSS MO AND 2ND PART OF LINE
IS MOVING INTO SEMO WITH IT. THIS IS THE MAIN THRUST AREA FOR SVR
CONVECTION FOR NOW. FURTHER EAST...BREAKS IN CLOUDS ARE ALLOWING
THE FARTHEST EASTERN PTNS OF THE FA TO HEAT UP CLOSE TO THE FREE
AMBIENT/CONVECTIVE TEMP. CURRENT WATCH EXTENDS TO ABOUT THIS
AREA...AND POINTS EAST MAY BE INCLUDED IN A NEW WATCH LATER. WILL
CONTINUE TO MONITOR CLOSELY.
12Z MODELS ARE IN SYNC..WITH FRONT/CONVECTION STILL POISED TO
MAKE WAY THRU FA BY MID EVENING...AND HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS BEHIND
FRONT CONTINUING THRU NIGHT BUT ENDING BY/BEFORE 12Z FRIDAY.
COOLER AIR WILL BE USHERED IN ITS DEPARTING WAKE TOMORROW.
STRONG WINDS/GUSTS IN TIGHT GRADIENT OF WARM SECTOR WILL CONTINUE
WITH WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THRU MIDNIGHT...THIS WILL COVER THE
STILL TIGHT GRADIENT FIRST FEW HOURS AFTER FROPA AS WELL.
.LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 200 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT...AND GUIDANCE
HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY INDICATING LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 30S FOR
THE ENTIRE PAH FORECAST AREA FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WILL CONTINUE TO
KEEP FROST MENTIONED FOR LATE FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH A FROST ADVISORY
POSSIBLY ISSUED TONIGHT OR TOMORROW.
QUIET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SUNSHINE ON
SATURDAY WILL HELP HIGH TEMPERATURES BE 5 TO 8 DEGREES WARMER THAN
FRIDAY. EVEN A BIT WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON SUNDAY WITH
WINDS TAKING ON A MORE SOUTHERLY COMPONENT AS THE HIGH MOVES EAST.
HIGHS WILL REACH NEAR NORMAL READINGS IN THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70
DEGREES ON MONDAY AS WINDS INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH.
ECMWF AND GFS ARE STILL IN TIMING DISAGREEMENT WITH OUR WEATHER
SYSTEM EARLY/MID NEXT WEEK. GFS TAKES A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FA
ON TUESDAY...WHILE ECMWF IS ABOUT 12 HOURS SLOWER AND TAKES THE
FRONT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. WENT WITH SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCES POPS
MONDAY NIGHT FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE
OHIO RIVER. WENT WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS TUESDAY INTO
TUESDAY NIGHT...WHEN BOTH MODELS SHOW THE HIGHEST QPF AMOUNTS.
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT COOL DOWN IS EXPECTED FOR
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL.
&&
.AVIATION...
ISSUED AT 1139 AM CDT THU APR 18 2013
VFR DECKS WILL PREVAIL TIL THE CONVECTIVE LINE MAKES ITS PUSH
ACROSS THE FLIGHT TERMINALS. WHILE WE CANNOT RULE OUT DEVELOPMENT
AHEAD OF THE LINE...AT THIS WRITING...IT APPEARS THE INTRO OF MVFR
CIGS WILL COME WITH THE LINE ITSELF...LATE THIS PM. IFR VSBYS MAY
ACCOMPANY THE LINE IN THE HEAVIEST STORM PERIOD FOR A COUPLE OF
HOURS AS THE FRONT MAKES PASSAGE...FOLLOWED BY CONTINUED MVFR
CIGS/VSBYS IN THE POST FRONTAL RAIN SHOWERS THAT WILL LAST 1 TO 3
HOURS AS WELL. STRONG GRADIENT WINDS AHEAD OF THE INCOMING SYSTEM
WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE GUSTS INTO THE 40S KTS AND A CONVECTIVELY
AIDED BURST COULD GO HIGHER.
&&
.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT FRIDAY FOR ILZ075>078-080>094.
MO...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT FRIDAY FOR MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114.
IN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT FRIDAY FOR INZ081-082-085>088.
KY...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM CDT FRIDAY FOR KYZ001>022.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 517 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-191000- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 517 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF HEAVY RAINFALL...WHICH COULD PRODUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS OR AT LEAST PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY STRONGER STORMS. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE UNTIL MIDNIGHT. REFER TO THE ADVISORY FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTER THIS STORM SYSTEM PASSES...MUCH COOLER AIR WILL INFILTRATE THE REGION FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR FROST FORMATION LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AS LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 30S ARE FORECAST WITH CLEARING SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...AND THERE IS A SMALL POTENTIAL OF ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS. DUE TO LIMITED MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WITH THIS SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO BE LOWER THAN TODAY AND TONIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND ANY WEATHER FROM STORMS.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
224 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0224 PM HAIL BENTON 38.01N 88.92W
04/18/2013 E0.25 INCH FRANKLIN IL EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
K. SMITHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
231 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0231 PM FUNNEL CLOUD ORIENT 37.92N 88.98W
04/18/2013 FRANKLIN IL EMERGENCY MNGR
LAW ENFORCEMENT RELAYED REPORT OF ROTATING WALL CLOUD
NEAR ORIENT...NORTHWEST OF WEST FRANKFORT.
&&
K. SMITHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
540 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0220 PM TSTM WND DMG GAGE 36.99N 88.89W
04/17/2013 BALLARD KY EMERGENCY MNGR
CORRECTION....IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS NOT A
WEATHER EVENT.... EVENT CAUSED BY VEHICLE ACCIDENT. FOUR
POWER POLES SNAPPED.
&&
SMITTYThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:22 UTC.
4 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The weak tornado briefly touched down, removing a few shingles from two homes. One home had soffit damage. A couple large branches were blown down. Peak winds were estimated near 75 mph. The average path width was about 100 yards.
Several large branches were blown down. The average damage path width was 100 yards and the peak winds were 75 mph.
Downed trees were reported along Highway 1124 along the Graves County line.
There was shingle and soffit damage to several homes. Several trees were snapped, and large branches were blown down. The average damage path width was 150 yards, and the peak winds were about 80 mph. The tornado moved into Marshall County near the community of Oak Level.
The tornado continued from Graves County into Marshall County. There was shingle and soffit damage to a few homes. Several trees were snapped, and large branches were blown down. The average damage path width was 150 yards, and the peak winds were about 80 mph.
A couple of trees were blown down along Kentucky Highway 95 in Calvert City. A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph near Sharpe.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kentucky, 2013Warnings 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: 439511, 439512, 439516, 439513, 439514, 439515.