Thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon into the evening hours in a very warm, moist and unstable air mass across eastern Kentucky during the 4th of July Holiday. Several of these thunderstorms became severe and downed trees and brought flooding.
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 JKL wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon into the evening hours in a very warm, moist and unstable air mass across eastern Kentucky during the 4th of July Holiday. Several of these thunderstorms became severe and downed trees and brought flooding.
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 4, 6:30 PM EST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 730 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 730 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 THE FORECAST HAS BEEN PRETTY MUCH ON TRACK SO FAR THIS EVENING SO NO UPDATE IS PLANNED AT THIS TIME. WILL BE EXPECTING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN SHOWERS DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING. INGESTED OBSERVATIONAL DATA INTO THE FORECAST GRIDS TO FRESHEN THINGS UP A BIT...BUT NO MAJOR CHANGES WERE NEEDED. WILL UPDATE AGAIN LATER IN THE SHIFT WHEN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS UPDATED. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 241 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 FEED OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF CONTINUES AROUND THE BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST. MODELS INDICATE WAVES ROTATING NORTH AND AN INCREASE IN RAINFALL WITH EACH WAVE. HEAVIEST RAIN LOOKS TO CONCENTRATE ALONG OUR WRN BORDER WITH CNTRL KY. FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES WITH THE PERIODIC RAIN AND WITH A FEW BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER...THUNDERSTORMS BECOME MORE LIKELY. THE ANCHORING LOW PRESSURE IN THE CNTRL PLAINS IS FCST TO FILL AND LIFT OUT TO THE GREAT LAKES LATER ON FRIDAY WITH THE UPPER PATTERN BECOMING MORE ZONAL ACROSS THE NRN CONUS BORDER. THIS SHOULD LEAD TO FEWER SHOWERS AND MAY GIVE ERN KY A SMALL WINDOW TO DY OUT BETWEEN BOUTS OF PCPN. EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE VERY STABLE AND SIMILAR TO RECENT VALUES. OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID 60S TO NEARLY MATCH EXPECTED DEW POINT VALUES AND HIGHS ON FRIDAY IN THE UPPER 70S IN OUR WRN HALF AND LOWER 80S EAST WITH THE EXPECTATION OF LESS RAIN AND MORE BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 317 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 THE MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE THE LONG WAVE PATTERN TO TRANSITION TO ZONAL FLOW THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH THE PESKY UPPER LEVEL LOW GRADUALLY FILLING AS THE SUB-TROPICAL RIDGE REASSERTS ITSELF. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...SOME AMPLIFICATION OCCURS ONCE AGAIN AS A NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH MOVES SOUTHEAST FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS...SHARPENING UP THE RIDGING ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS. THE LATEST MODEL BLEND CAME IN CLOSE TO THE INHERITED FORECAST...SO HAVE NOT STRAYED TOO FAR. LIKELY POPS WILL BE ON TAP FOR THE WEEKEND...WITH THE INFLUENCE OF THE UPPER LOW NEARBY. RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH FRIDAY WILL DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT AN EXTENSION OF THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WOULD BE NEEDED. PWATS WILL REMAIN HIGH...ALTHOUGH UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL BE GRADUALLY WEAKENING AS WELL...SO THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT WILL LIKELY BE MORE ISOLATED THIS WEEKEND. AS WE HEAD INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...MONDAY LOOKS TO BE THE DRIEST DAY OVERALL...AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE BUILDING IN...HOWEVER CAN NOT RULE OUT THE THREAT OF SOME WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION WITH LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...SO WILL KEEP SLIGHT TO CHANCE POPS GOING. BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THE RIDGE AXIS WILL HAVE FLATTENED OUT A BIT. THIS...COMBINED WITH A SURFACE FRONTAL BOUNDARY LINGERING NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER...WILL WARRANT LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE AREA...ALTHOUGH DID UNDERCUT THE BLENDED GUIDANCE A BIT WITH ORGANIZED TRIGGERS TOO HARD TO PIN DOWN AT THIS POINT. BY THURSDAY...A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL BE NEARING FROM THE NORTHWEST...BRINGING IN BETTER RAIN CHANCES OVERALL. FOR TEMPERATURES...WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL LINGER THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED...WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S AND LOWS IN THE 65 TO 70 DEGREE RANGE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 730 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 THE AVIATION FORECAST WILL FEATURE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS RAIN SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE END OF THE TAF VALID PERIOD. THERE MAY BE A LULL IN THE ACTION EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...WITH AN INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF SHOWERS AND STORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. AS FOR THE TAF SITES...MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE MOST PART...WITH OCCASIONAL OCCURRENCES OF IFR CONDITIONS WHERE SHOWERS AND STORMS DO NOT OCCUR FOR AWHILE TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120. && UPDATE...AR SHORT TERM...DUSTY LONG TERM...GEOGERIAN AVIATION...AR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 405 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-052315- 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 405 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT ALONG WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. THE HEAVY RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. GUSTY WINDS FROM THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO DOWN TREES IN AREAS WHERE THE SOIL IS SATURATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY...WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS AND TO REPORT ANY INSTANCES OF FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. ABE/DUSTY
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 605 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 KYZ069-080-116-042300- LAUREL-JACKSON-CLAY- 605 PM EDT THU JUL 4 2013 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 700 PM EDT THURSDAY EVENING... SOUTHEASTERN JACKSON... NORTHWESTERN CLAY AND EAST CENTRAL LAUREL. AT 605 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LIDA...OR 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LONDON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...MARYDELL AROUND 610 PM EDT...DEER LICK AROUND 615 PM EDT...PORTERSBURG AROUND 620 PM EDT...URBAN AROUND 625 PM EDT...SIDELL AROUND 630 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IN THESE AREAS. RICHEY
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:53 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down along Croley Bend Rd and Red Bird Rd.
A tree was blown down near mile marker 28 of I-75.
Six to eight inches of water were reported flowing across a half mile long stretch of Hwy 1240 in Denniston.
A tree was blown down on Curry Branch Rd.
A tree was blown down at the intersection of Hwy's 1350 and 577.
Trees were blown down along Jetts Creek Rd.
Three trees were blown down on a hillside and slid onto Hwy 30.
A tree was blown down at the intersection of Chapel Branch Rd and Hwy 1010.
A tree was blown down on Rexville Rd.
A tree was blown down at the intersection of Hwy's 705 and 460.
A tree was blown down on Frank Blevins Rd near Hwy 519.
Water was reported to have been flowing over portions of both East and West College Avenue and Airport Rd in Stanton. The roads were temporarily impassable.
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: 459120, 459121, 459122, 459124, 459126, 459127, 459128, 459129, 459130, 459132, 459133, 459134.