Training thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to portions of eastern Kentucky during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 21st.
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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.
Training thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to portions of eastern Kentucky during the late afternoon and evening hours of July 21st.
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 Jul 21, 2:25 PM EST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 325 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 325 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 MORNING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE SHIFTED OFF TO THE SOUTH...BUT THANKS TO SOME HEATING ACROSS THE EAST...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED TO THE EAST OF JACKSON...TOWARDS PRESTONSBURG AND INEZ. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SLOWLY PUSH EAST THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING BEFORE EXITING EASTERN KENTUCKY. IN THE WAKE OF THIS ACTIVITY IT LOOKS LIKE A FAIRLY QUIET MID TO LATE EVENING IS ANTICIPATED AS SUBSIDENCE AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING TROUGH AXIS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS TAKES HOLD. HRRR IS IN LINE WITH CONDITIONS QUIETING DOWN THIS EVENING. WITH THE SYNOPTIC FORCING OVERSPREADING THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING...WILL BRING A PERIOD OF HIGH POPS BACK INTO THE FORECAST. GIVEN THE RAIN THIS AFTERNOON...AND POTENTIAL HEAVY RAIN WITH THE SYNOPTIC FEATURE LATE TONIGHT...GOING TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH. IN FACT...THE NAM SPITS OUT MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN ACROSS A GOOD CHUNK OF THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...SO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH PWATS SITTING UP AROUND 1.8-2.0 INCHES. GOOD SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE SHOULD CONTINUE TOMORROW AS THE MID LEVEL WAVE PUSHES EAST ACROSS THE AREA. COVERAGE SHOULD DIMINISH TOMORROW EVENING INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS...ALTHOUGH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT AS WELL. CERTAINLY AN ACTIVE PERIOD SETTING UP. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 325 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 THE MODELS ESSENTIALLY AGREE ON THE GENERAL EVOLUTION OF MID LEVEL TROUGHING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND GREAT LAKES THROUGH THE EXTENDED. HOWEVER...THERE REMAINS MUCH DISAGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO TIMING AND TRACKS OF THE VARIOUS SHORTWAVES THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATER THIS WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND. THE ECMWF TAKES A KEY ONE OF THESE INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON WEDNESDAY HELPING TO BOTTOM OUT THIS FIRST ITERATION OF A TROUGH. ANOTHER FOLLOWS...THOUGH...RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THE FIRST...THAT NIGHT WHICH WILL SERVE TO SHIFT THE TROUGH EAST OF KENTUCKY ALLOWING SOME BRIEF HEIGHT RISES INTO THE CWA TO CLOSE OUT THE WORK WEEK. HEIGHTS WILL START TO FALL AGAIN ON SATURDAY WHEN A RATHER STRONG WAVE WILL MOVE DUE EAST OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND TOWARD THE OHIO VALLEY. UNLIKE YESTERDAY...THIS FEATURE HAS GAINED SOME SUPPORT FROM THE GFS...JUST NOT AS STRONG. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS SATURDAY WAVE...ANOTHER SWEEPS DOWN FROM SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA LATER THAT NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY RESTORING A DEEP TROUGH OVER THE REGION. GIVEN THE SIMILARITIES IN THE OVERALL PATTERN...WILL FAVOR A CONSENSUS OF THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND ECMWF SOLUTIONS AS A STARTING POINT FOR THE EXTENDED GRIDS. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE A CONTINUATION OF THE SOUPY AND UNSETTLED CONDITIONS FROM THE SHORT TERM INTO THE DAY TUESDAY. THIS WILL MEAN A THREAT OF CONVECTION AND POSSIBLY EXCESSIVE RAIN FALL. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL START TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA LATER THAT NIGHT AND ON WEDNESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE CONSOLIDATES OVER THE MID ATLANTIC COASTAL STATES. HIGH PRESSURE AND SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO KENTUCKY ON THURSDAY AND PROVIDE A WELCOMED CHANGE OF AIR MASS AND BREAK FROM THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM THREATS. THIS HIGH WILL MOVE EAST ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AS A NEW AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TAKES SHAPE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS LOOKING TO SLIP INTO KENTUCKY ON SATURDAY. THIS WILL BRING RENEWED CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO EAST KENTUCKY FOR THE WEEKEND...ALONG WITH SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPS. THE SFC LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOOKS TO PASS THROUGH ON SUNDAY WITH THE BEST PCPN EXITING LATER IN THE DAY...WHILE THE COOLER AIR REMAINS TO START THE NEW WORK WEEK. THE CR GRID LOAD CAME IN REASONABLE CONSIDERING THE DIFFERENCES IN THE SPECIFICS FROM THE MODELS. DID NUDGE DOWN POPS A BIT FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT...MORE TOWARD THE 00Z OPERATIONAL ECMWF. ALSO...ADJUSTED OVERNIGHT LOWS A TAD FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHTS TO HIGHLIGHT RIDGE AND VALLEY TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 135 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 A FRONTAL BOUNDARY DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE REST OF TODAY. WHILE A BREAK MAY OCCUR THIS EVENING...A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY BRINGING MORE WIDESPREAD RAIN TO THE AREA. AS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...BASED ON CURRENT RADAR TRENDS...WOULD NOT ANTICIPATE MANY RESTRICTIONS AT THE TAF SITES AS KLOZ AND SME ARE STUCK IN LIGHT RAIN AT THE MOMENT. BETTER VISIBILITY/CEILING RESTRICTIONS WILL ARRIVE WITH THE SHORTWAVE LATE TONIGHT AND DROPPED VISIBILITIES TO BETWEEN 1 AND 3 MILES WITH SOME LOWER CIGS. WE WILL PROBABLY SEE A PERIOD OF LOWER VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS BUT WILL LET FUTURE TAF FORECAST HANDLE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...KAS LONG TERM...GREIF AVIATION...KAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 401 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-230000- 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 401 PM EDT SUN JUL 21 2013 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. STORMS MOVING OVER THE SAME AREAS COULD PRODUCE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THURSDAY AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY. THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...STORMS MOVING OVER THE SAME AREAS COULD PRODUCE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS...PLEASE RELAY ANY RAINFALL AMOUNTS GREATER THAN AN INCH OR ANY FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON. KAS/GREIF
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:04 UTC.
3 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A foot of water was running across Weddington Lane in Emma.
A foot of water from a nearby creek was flowing across Corn Fork Hollow Rd.
A total rainfall of 3.77 inches was reported in Ezel.
Water overflowed the banks of a creek and flooded a road in Bethany.
Highway 191 was impassable for a time due to flood waters.
A nearby creek spilled its banks and began running across Jump Off Rd in Pomeroyton at the residence of the 911 dispatcher. A yard was reported to have been flooded and a garden got washed out. Tree branches and other debris were left behind on the road after the flood waters receded.
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: 463977, 463979, 463983, 463980, 463981, 463982.