Isolated severe thunderstorms organized into a small bow echo as they crossed extreme southern Illinois, then moved east across the Ohio River into western Kentucky. The storms occurred along a cold front as it moved southeast across the Lower Ohio Valley.
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.
Isolated severe thunderstorms organized into a small bow echo as they crossed extreme southern Illinois, then moved east across the Ohio River into western Kentucky. The storms occurred along a cold front as it moved southeast across the Lower Ohio Valley. The activity was supported by a mesoscale vorticity center that was over southeast Missouri. Moderately strong southwest winds aloft (around 30 knots in the mid levels) contributed to storm organization.
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 Aug 9, 1:46 PM CST, 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 246 PM CDT Fri Aug 9 2013 .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Sunday night) ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 An MCV obvious in satellite imagery over Carter and Ripley counties in Missouri will push eastward across the area through the late afternoon and into the evening. Ahead of it a large mass of rain and some embedded thunder will continue to push to the northeast late this afternoon. Looks like we are just beginning to see the expected convective development over west Kentucky. Really do not feel there will be any development over southeast Missouri behind the rain shield, and feel that all other activity should be done and east of the area by sunset if not 00Z. Noticed a little wind in the line segment just northwest of KPAH, so will have to monitor the better cells for wind potential and of course heavy rainfall. Significant flooding does not seem to be a major concern due to the relatively quick motion of the convective cells. Looking farther west a larger mid/upper level disturbance over Kansas is expected to shear out as it moves eastward through our region late tonight and Saturday morning. The models generally keep the focus for precipitation/convection over the southern half of the area, near the weak frontal boundary and better low- level moisture. The main concern will be locally heavy rainfall and frequent lightning. The GFS is quite agressive in bringing in drier air for later Saturday and Saturday night, but the NAM and SREF are not as quick to dry us out. Really do not want to believe the drying until we see a significant northerly push across the area. Will keep some 20-30 pops over mainly the southwest Saturday night. A light south wind tries to develop Sunday ahead of our next disturbance in the cyclonic flow aloft and cold front. Will increase pops a bit Sunday and Sunday night, but they will still be mainly 20-30 percent and continue to emphasize the southwest. Temperatures will be modulated by convection, but should continue to be at least a few degrees below normal in most places. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 Not much change is anticipated through the weekend into early next week. The meandering boundary will continue to linger and hold nearly stationary across the lower Ohio and mid Mississippi river valley. As a result, any perturbations shooting out of the mean westerlies from the rotation of energy across the Great Lakes/long wave trof will ride overtop said boundary and result in much the same as we have seen all week...that is daily chances of showers and thunderstorms with rains/heavy rains the primary threat as forecast PW's remain high. Hope for change is coming, however, as both the 12z gfs and the 00z euro provide for a robust mid week frontal passage. The euro is moreso (robust) than the gfs, but both effectively end pcpn chances with passage Tue night. High pressure to the north then builds in cooler/drier/pleasantly less humid air for the Wed-Fri time period. Temps should cool 5-10F and Dew points nearly 10F will make for a welcome respite to the recent muggy warmth/humidity. && .AVIATION... ISSUED AT 1239 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 Looks like the weak surface boundary is located from near KCGI to near KOWB. A band of showers and a few thunderstorms over southeast Missouri will impact KCGI for the next couple of hours. Did not go lower than MVFR levels, but it may briefly go lower in a heavy downpour. After 20Z, expect most of the convective activity to be east of KCGI. Thunderstorm development is likely along and south of the boundary, but not sure if coverage will be focused along it or in the clearer, warmer air just south over west Kentucky. Decided to play it optimistically and just go with a VCSH at KPAH and KOWB for the mid and late afternoon. An upper level disturbance over the panhandle regions of Kansas and Oklahoma will shear out/weaken as it moves eastward through our region late tonight and early Saturday. This should impact only the southern half of the area, so will keep MVFR conditions confined to KCGI and KPAH, but will run them from the pre-dawn hours through the end of the forecast. KOWB will be on the edge and may see lower conditions than forecast, but confidence is not high enough to go lower at this time. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DRS LONG TERM...DH AVIATION...DRS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 326 AM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-101000- 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- 326 AM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCES OVER WEST KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND FAR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE ON AND OFF CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. AGAIN...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. RAINFALL REPORTS ARE ENCOURAGED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
306 PM CDT FRI AUG 09 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM TSTM WND GST 1 W ROUND KNOB 37.22N 88.75W
08/09/2013 M55 MPH MASSAC IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
DAVIDHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
307 PM CDT FRI AUG 09 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0306 PM HAIL 1 W ROUND KNOB 37.22N 88.75W
08/09/2013 M0.75 INCH MASSAC IL TRAINED SPOTTER
DIME SIZED HAIL
&&
DAVIDHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 322 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ILZ090-094-KYZ007-010-011-092100- CRITTENDEN KY-LIVINGSTON KY-LYON KY-MASSAC IL-POPE IL- 322 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN POPE AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSAC COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...AND SOUTHERN CRITTENDEN...NORTHWESTERN LYON AND CENTRAL LIVINGSTON COUNTIES IN WESTERN KENTUCKY UNTIL 400 PM CDT... AT 317 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURNA...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF PADUCAH...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED INCLUDE... BURNA...SALEM...SMITHLAND...DYCUSBURG AND KUTTAWA. THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
327 PM CDT FRI AUG 09 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0130 PM BLIZZARD CAPE GIRARDEAU 37.31N 89.55W
08/09/2013 CAPE GIRARDEAU MO PUBLIC
WATER OVER SOME ROADS
&&
DAVIDHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
327 PM CDT FRI AUG 09 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0130 PM FLOODING CAPE GIRARDEAU 37.31N 89.55W
08/09/2013 CAPE GIRARDEAU MO PUBLIC
WATER OVER SOME ROADS
&&
DAVIDHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
342 PM CDT FRI AUG 09 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0301 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 WSW ROUND KNOB 37.22N 88.74W
08/09/2013 MASSAC IL PUBLIC
2 FOOT DIAMETER TREE DOWN...SNAPPED.
&&
DAVIDHThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 43 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:40 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 60 mph was estimated by law enforcement personnel.
A cone-shaped funnel cloud was photographed.
A wind gust to 58 mph was measured by a trained spotter at Frances. A tree was blown down, blocking Kentucky Highway 70 near Mexico.
Local law enforcement officials reported flash flooding over portions of the county. Water was reported over U.S. Highway 641 between Marion and the county line. The highway was not closed.
Water was reported over some roads in Central City.
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: 468112, 468105, 468107, 468314, 468315.