An isolated instance of flash flooding occurred in a small portion of Breathitt county during the late evening hours of August 9. The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall produced by isolated strong thunderstorms.
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The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
An isolated instance of flash flooding occurred in a small portion of Breathitt county during the late evening hours of August 9. The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall produced by isolated strong thunderstorms.
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 9, 6:20 PM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 720 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 720 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE TO EXPAND ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN KENTUCKY WITH IMPRESSIVE RAINFALL RATES NEAR 2 INCHES PER HOUR FAIRLY COMMON. GIVEN SOME LOWER FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES IN SOME AREAS...THIS COULD MEAN WE MAY EXCEED FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IN SOME PLACES. THUS...FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT THROUGH THIS EVENING. OPTING TO NOT FLIP FLOP ON ANY WATCH AND JUST ISSUE ANY WARNINGS AS NEEDED. LOOKS LIKE THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA WILL BE UNDER THE BIGGEST THREAT FOR ANY FLOODING. STILL UNCERTAIN WITH HOW THE REST OF THE NIGHT WILL PAN OUT...BUT THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS LOOKS VERY ACTIVE WITH LOTS OF RAIN FOR SOME OF THE AREA. WILL UPDATE GRIDS TO REFLECT THE BETTER RAIN CHANCES ACROSS THE SOUTH. UPDATE ISSUED AT 606 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 WITH THE FLOOD WATCH NOW HISTORY...SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE RAMPING UP ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. DO NOT HAVE A REAL GOOD FEEL FOR HOW THINGS WILL EVOLVE THIS EVENING. MODELS ARE ALL HANDLING THIS SYSTEM VERY POORLY...BUT BASED ON CURRENT RADAR TRENDS...IT LOOKS LIKE SOME BETTER RAIN SHOULD MOVE INTO MUCH OF EASTERN KENTUCKY INTO THE MID TO LATE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THIS MAY WEAKEN AS WE LOSE THE BETTER INSTABILITY...BUT WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHING INTO NORTHERN KENTUCKY...WE MAY SEE STUFF AT LEAST IN THE NORTH STAY ACTIVE WELL INTO THE NIGHT. AGAIN...UPDATED WILL BE NEEDED THROUGH THE NIGHT AS PRECIPITATION TRENDS BECOME BETTER DEFINED. FOR NOW...GOING TO UPDATE THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND BLEND INTO THE OLD FORECAST. MAY NEED TO WATCH THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING GIVEN THE IMPRESSIVE RAINFALL RATES BEING RECEIVED UPSTREAM OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE NDFD. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 410 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 A LINE OF CONVECTION WAS AT THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE FORECAST AREA AT MID AFTERNOON...WITH ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS OVER TN. MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS QUIET...ALTHOUGH A FEW SHOWERS WERE STRUGGLING TO GET GOING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS LOOKED FAVORABLE FOR ACTIVITY LATE TODAY...AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THIS IN THE FORECAST. HOWEVER...THE BEST SHOT AT RAIN LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. MODELS IN GENERAL HAVE POINTED TO THIS...BUT HAVE SHOWN POOR AGREEMENT/CONSISTENCY ON THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY PRECIP. IN LIGHT OF THIS AND HISTORY SINCE THE WATCH WAS ISSUED...WILL CANCEL THE WATCH WHICH WAS OTHERWISE SET TO EXPIRE AT 8 PM. WE ARE NOT COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WOODS WITH THE THREAT...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT THERE TO WARRANT AN EXTENSION. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH HAS BEEN HUNG UP JUST TO OUR NORTH MAY SINK A BIT FURTHER SOUTH ON SATURDAY NIGHT...AND SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...GUIDANCE IN GENERAL IS LIGHTER ON PRECIP AND MOS IS LOWER ON POPS...AND FOLLOWED THEIR LEAD FOR THE FORECAST. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 410 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE LONG TERM MODELS. THE CONSENSUS IS FOR A LARGE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS FROM SUNDAY ONWARD...WITH ITS ATTENDANT SURFACE COLD FRONT GETTING DRAGGED ACROSS THE OHIO AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS. BASED ON THE OVERALL MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION...BOTH AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT...ACROSS THE AREA...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BE ON TAP DURING FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE FRONT COULD GET HUNG UP A BIT AS IT ENCOUNTERS THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS...AND AS A RIDGE STUBBORNLY REMAINS IN PLACE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST. A SURFACE RIDGE WILL FINALLY STRENGTHEN ENOUGH BY THE END OF THE WEEK TO PUSH THE FRONT...AND ITS PRECIPITATION OUT OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES DURING THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK WILL RUN AT OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND PERIODIC PRECIPITATION. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 720 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ACTIVE PERIOD HEADING INTO THIS EVENING WITH SEVERAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES CONTINUING TO DEVELOP. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DROP VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS AT THE TAF SITES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...SO HAVE CRATERED VISIBILITIES AND DROPPED CEILINGS AS OF THE 00Z TAF ISSUANCE. AFTER AN INITIAL ACTIVE PERIOD...THINGS MAY SETTLE DOWN A BIT TOWARDS MIDNIGHT...BUT SOME FOG OR LOW CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT THROUGH THE NIGHT...ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FRESH RAINFALL. CONDITIONS MAY IMPROVE AFTER DAYBREAK TOMORROW MORNING...BUT THE THREAT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...KAS SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM...AR AVIATION...KAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 459 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-101100- 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 459 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES DURING THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HEAVY RAINFALL OF GREATER THAN AN INCH IN AN HOUR TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. HAL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 643 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 KYZ086-087-116-092315- KNOX-BELL-CLAY- 643 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 THROUGH 715 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING... EASTERN KNOX... EXTREME NORTHEASTERN BELL AND SOUTHERN CLAY. AT 642 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GREEN ROAD... OR 8 MILES NORTH OF BARBOURVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...COTTONGIN AROUND 650 PM EDT...SALT GUM AROUND 655 PM EDT...OGLE AROUND 700 PM EDT...BRIGHTSHADE AROUND 705 PM EDT...LIPPS AROUND 710 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT TORRENTIAL RAIN...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. SOME LOCALIZED NUSAINCE FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH CREEKS...DITCHES AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS RUNNING FULL. JACOBSON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 740 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 KYZ079-083-084-100030- MCCREARY-PULASKI-WAYNE- 740 PM EDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 830 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING... MCCREARY... SOUTHERN PULASKI AND EASTERN WAYNE. AT 739 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM FAUBUSH TO DENNEY TO MOUNT PISGAH...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 12 MILES WEST OF SOMERSET TO 9 MILES EAST OF MONTICELLO TO 13 MILES SOUTH OF MONTICELLO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...NANCY AROUND 745 PM EDT...SLAVENS AROUND 750 PM EDT...QUINTON AROUND 755 PM EDT... TATEVILLE AROUND 800 PM EDT...SOMERSET AROUND 805 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS. SMALL STREAMS...LOW WATER CROSSING AND DITCHES WILL RUN FULL. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY. JACOBSON
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:45 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The creek that runs along Hwy 52 west of Oakdale was out of its banks due to heavy rainfall. The low water crossing was full and part of the road was washed out.
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, August 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: 464849.