Isolated thunderstorms pulsed up to severe levels during the heat of the afternoon. The storms developed on the northern fringe of an upper-level trough over the South.
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 thunderstorms pulsed up to severe levels during the heat of the afternoon. The storms developed on the northern fringe of an upper-level trough over the South. The wind flow near the surface was very weak.
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 Jul 18, 2:47 AM CST, 8 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 347 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 314 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 WELL...INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE LARGE H50 DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE NOW ENCOMPASSING A LARGE PART OF THE COUNTRY WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH FRIDAY...THO IT DOES BEGIN TO THIN OUT AND BREAK DOWN SOMEWHAT WITH TIME. ESSENTIALLY...WHAT THAT MEANS FOR US IS LIKELY A COUPLE OF REPEATS OF WEDNESDAY/YESTERDAY CONDITIONS. AFTERNOON TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO RUN IN THE 92 TO 96 RANGE...WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES UP AROUND 100 OR SO FOR SEVERAL HOURS BOTH DAYS. ISOLATED SMALL CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...BUT SHOULD BE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. LATEST MODEL RUNS DO SEEM TO BRING A BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF INTEGRATED MOISTURE WESTWARD UNDER THE BELLY OF THE H50 HIGH TODAY/FRI. IF THIS ENDS UP PRODUCING MORE CLOUDINESS...DAYTIME TEMPS COULD BE HELD DOWN A FEW DEGREES...AND THIS WOULD TAKE AN EDGE OFF THE HEAT. THE NEXT DECENT SHOT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY HOLD OFF UNTIL SAT/SAT NIGHT AS THE MID LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN AND A WEAK SURFACE FRONT SINKS SOUTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA. THIS FRONT SHOULD ARRIVE IN THE AFTERNOON ALONG THE I 64 CORRIDOR...THEN OVER WRN KY/SE MO LATE IN THE DAY OR SAT EVENING. THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRONT WILL LIKELY MARK THE BEST CHC FOR STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPS SHOULD HAVE A CHC TO HEAT BACK INTO THE 90S AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND SFC DEW POINTS WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S. THUS...NOT ONLY WILL HEAT INDICES APPROACH 100 AGAIN SAT...BUT THE AIR SHOULD BE QUITE UNSTABLE AHEAD OF THE FRONT SAT AFT. WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR A LEAST SOME SEVERE STORM POTENTIAL SAT INTO SAT EVENING. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 314 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 RAIN CHANCES SHOULD DECREASE DURING THE DAY SUNDAY...AT LEAST ACROSS THE NORTH PART OF THE FA...BEFORE INCREASING FROM THE WEST SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE SURFACE FRONT BEGINS TO LIFT BACK N AS A WARM FRONT. THE 18/00Z ECMWF IS LESS AGGRESSIVE IN THE COLD FRONT'S SOUTHWARD PROGRESS AND IN FACT ITS SOLUTION IS TO NEVER PUSH THE FRONT SOUTH OF OUR REGION AND PRETTY MUCH MAINTAINS A SOUTHERLY FLOW EXCEPT POSSIBLY ACROSS THE FAR NORTH PART OF THE FA. HAVE WEIGHED (BUT NOT FULLY ACCEPTED) THIS SOLUTION INTO THE SUNDAY-MONDAY FORECAST GIVEN THE CLIMATOLOGY OF SURFACE FRONTS LACK OF SOUTHWARD PROGRESSION IN MID JULY. THEREAFTER MUCH OF THE FORECAST FOR THE PERIOD WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE COMBINATION OF THE LINGERING SURFACE FRONT ACROSS THE AREA COMBINED WITH A SERIES OF 500MB SHORT WAVES PROGRESSING SE ACROSS THE FA. MODEL DISCREPANCY IS CONSIDERABLE ON RESOLVING THE MAGNITUDE AND TIMING OF THESE. THE ECMWF FAVORS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH THE GFS DEVELOPING A MORE PRONOUNCED 500MB SHORT WAVE TUESDAY/ TUESDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH APPEARING SUSPECT GIVEN IT HAS A QPF BULLS EYE OVER SOUTHERN IL TUESDAY NIGHT. ADJUSTED POPS SLIGHTLY (UP)FOR THE MONDAY-TUESDAY TIME FRAME. MODELS ARE A LITTLE MORE HARMONIZED WITH A SIGNIFICANT 500 MB SHORT WAVE MOVING SE ACROSS THE FA WED/WED NIGHT ALONG WITH A WEAK SURFACE COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH PART AND POSSIBLY ALL OF THE FA. THEREFORE...WILL KEEP SOLID CHANCE POPS FOR THAT PERIOD. && .AVIATION... ISSUED AT 617 PM CDT WED JUL 17 2013 DIURNAL CU WILL DISSIPATE WITH THE SETTING SUN...LEAVING MOCLEAR SKIES AND A CHANCE FOR SOME PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT. CU BASES WILL AGAIN DEVELOP TMRW IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY...AROUND 4K FEET. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...MEFFERT LONG TERM...RS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 414 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-190915- 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- 414 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HEAT INDICES WILL TOP OUT AROUND 100 DEGREES FROM AROUND NOON THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON TODAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING MAINLY ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAT INDICES WILL REACH AROUND 100 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY NIGHT WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES SLOWLY SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING SATURDAY. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION CANNOT BE RULED OUT SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1059 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 KYZ015-016-018-020-181645- HENDERSON KY-HOPKINS KY-MCLEAN KY-WEBSTER KY- 1059 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN HENDERSON...NORTHEASTERN HOPKINS...EASTERN WEBSTER AND WESTERN MCLEAN COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST KENTUCKY UNTIL 1145 AM CDT... AT 1057 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTH OF BEECH GROVE...OR 8 MILES WEST OF CALHOUN...MOVING WEST AT 10 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. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED INCLUDE... SEBREE...DIXON AND SLAUGHTERS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. 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.
The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:44 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Large tree limbs were blown down.
A microburst centered in the southwest part of Kirksey affected an area about 1.5 miles wide. About two dozen structures were damaged, and about 50 trees were blown down. Trees landed across roads and houses. Small sections of roof decking were blown off a few structures. At least two windows were blown out. Estimated peak winds based on damage photos were 95 mph.
Small and medium-size tree limbs were blown down by a wind gust measured at 59 mph.
There were several funnel cloud sightings west of Owensboro.
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, July 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: 459367, 459369, 459666, 459372.