Isolated strong thunderstorms produced sub-severe hail, heavy rain and some flooding for portions of eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of May 6, 2013.
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.
Isolated strong thunderstorms produced sub-severe hail, heavy rain and some flooding for portions of eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of May 6, 2013.
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 May 6, 2:57 PM EST, 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 357 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 355 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 A CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW NOW OVER MIDDLE TN WILL MEANDER ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND INTO THE CAROLINAS THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL DROP SOUTH INTO NE AL TONIGHT AND THEN MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL GA AND INTO WESTERN SC BY EARLY MON MORNING. THIS WILL WILL THEN MOVE NORTH ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA...AND ACTUALLY MAKE ANOTHER CLOSER APPROACH TO EAST KY LATE AS IT MOVES INTO THE BLUE RIDGE REGION OF VA...IF NOT WEST OF I 81 CORRIDOR. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE THE PRIMARY WEATHER MAKER THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH RAIN CHANCES MORE OR LESS DIURNALLY DRIVEN EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY TUE NIGHT WHERE RAIN CHANCES WILL LINGER...ESPECIALLY SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH THE NIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM ROTATES A DISTURBANCE INTO THE APPALACHIANS AS WILL NEAR THE AREA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOP OVER PARTS OF THE UPPER CUMBERLAND REGION AND KY RIVER BASINS SOUTHEAST INTO VA...NE TN AND WESTERN NC. WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND COLD AIR ALOFT FROM UPPER LEVEL LOW TO OUR SOUTHWEST...THE INTENSITY OF THESE AND COVERAGE SHOULD PEAK OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS WE ARE NEARING PEAK HEATING. SOME SMALL HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE AND THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. A FEW MORE VIGOROUS STORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL A BIT LARGER ON THE ORDER OF THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH TO ONE INCH...BUT THIS WILL LIKELY BE VERY ISOLATED. MUCH OF THE LOW CLOUDS THOUGH SOME DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM PM CONVECTION MAY LINGER FOR A TIME INTO THE NIGHT SHOULD ERODE THROUGH THE EVENING INTO THE PAST MIDNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. DRIER AIR SHOULD WRAP IN FROM THE SOUTH FROM TN AND THIS SHOULD LEAD TO COLDEST LOWS TONIGHT CLOSER TO THE TN BORDER AND A BIT HIGHER FURTHER NORTH AND EAST WHERE DEWPOINTS WILL REMAIN HIGHER...CLEARING AND WEAKENING OF GRADIENT WILL BE SLOWER. DESPITE THIS...FOG SHOULD DEVELOP IN THE VALLEYS AND IF CLEARING IS RATHER EXTENSIVE...IT MAY BECOME RATHER WIDESPREAD AND POSSIBLY DENSE IN MANY AREAS OVERNIGHT. CONFIDENCE IS NOT EXTREMELY HIGH IN DEGREE OF CLEARING...SO CONFIDENCE IN HOW DENSE THE FOG WILL BE IS NOT EXTREMELY HIGH. TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH AS NOTED EARLIER HIGHEST POPS AFTER THIS EVENING ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON...THOUGH CHANCES WILL REMAIN IN MORE SOUTHEASTERN AREAS INTO TUE NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 315 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 A PESKY SLOW MOVING STACKED LOW PRESSURE SHOULD BE JUST TO OUR EAST AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...GRADUALLY WEAKENING AND MOVING AWAY TO THE NORTHEAST. IT WILL STILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH FOR DAYTIME HEATING TO CREATE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON. THEY SHOULD THEN DIE OUT IN THE EVENING WITH LOSS OF HEATING AND GRADUAL WARMING ALOFT AS GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHTS CLIMB. ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE NW COUPLED WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL BRING ANOTHER POTENTIAL FOR SHOWER/THUNDERSTORMS. DAY TIME HEATING AND ITS INSTABILITY WILL ALSO ADD TO THE POTENTIAL. A COLD FRONT TRAILING FROM THE LOW WILL SLOWLY APPROACH OUR REGION ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...PROLONGING THE POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. MODELS DEVELOP DIFFERENCES REGARDING THE FINER DETAILS AT THIS LONGER TIME FRAME. THIS LARGELY CONCERNS TIMING AND STRENGTH OF COLD FRONTS. AN INITIAL WEAK COLD FRONT WHICH WAS JUST REFERENCED MAY PASS THROUGH ON SATURDAY... LIKELY FOLLOWED BY A STRONGER FRONT ON SATURDAY NIGHT AS A DEEP UPPER TROUGH DROPS INTO THE EASTERN CONUS. ANY PRECIP LINGERING BEHIND THE FRONT OR FRONTS SHOULD END ON SUNDAY AS MUCH DRIER AND COOLER AIR ARRIVES. IN FACT...THE AIR MASS LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE COLD ENOUGH FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT SOME FROST EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...WITH GREEN-UP OF VEGETATION AND THE ASSOCIATED EVAPOTRANSPIRATION...IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT WITH PASSING TIME TO MAINTAIN LOW DEW POINTS SO THAT WE DO NOT FOG AT NIGHT INSTEAD OF FROST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 155 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 MVFR TO VFR CIGS IN CU AND CB ARE CURRENTLY OBSERVED ACROSS THE REGION AND THIS TREND SHOULD CONTINUE. AREAS FROM IO TO K22 TO EXTREME SOUTHEAST KY WILL INITIALLY IMPROVE FROM IFR INTO THE MVFR RANGE. EARLY IN THE PERIOD...LOZ SHOULD EXPERIENCE A THUNDERSTORM ON STATION AND OVER THE NEXT 4 TO 6 HRS THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT LOZ...AND SME AND WELL AS THE ENTIRE REGION. THE STRONGEST STORMS MAY BE NEAR JKL OR BETWEEN LOZ AND JKL. ONCE PEAK HEATING IS LOSS IN THE EVENING...AFTER ABOUT 23Z OR SO...SOME PARTIAL CLEARING TONIGHT COULD LEAD TO SOME LOCALLY DENSE FOG LATE TONIGHT. THIS FOG WOULD THEN LIFT AND DISSIPATE DURING THE 12Z TO 18Z PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...JP LONG TERM...HAL AVIATION...JP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 421 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-072330- 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- 421 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING MAY BECOME STRONG...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH. LOCALLY DENSE FOG...REDUCING VISIBILITIES UNDER A QUARTER MILE AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN THE VALLEYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LOCALLY DENSE FOG IS EXPECTED EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS...PLEASE RELAY ANY REPORTS OF HAIL OR STRONG WINDS TODAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON. KAS/JP
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
343 PM EDT MON MAY 06 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0339 PM HAIL CLIMAX 37.47N 84.23W
05/06/2013 E0.75 INCH ROCKCASTLE KY TRAINED SPOTTER
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TBREWERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
350 PM EDT MON MAY 06 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0340 PM HAIL THOUSANDSTICKS 37.19N 83.43W
05/06/2013 E0.88 INCH LESLIE KY TRAINED SPOTTER
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TBREWERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 404 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 KYZ108-112-062045- WOLFE-BREATHITT- 404 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 445 PM EDT MONDAY AFTERNOON... SOUTHERN WOLFE AND CENTRAL BREATHITT. AT 404 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR WILSTACY...OR NEAR JACKSON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...HAGINSVILLE AROUND 410 PM EDT...NOCTOR AROUND 415 PM EDT...ELKATAWA AROUND 420 PM EDT...KECK AROUND 425 PM EDT...SEWELL AROUND 430 PM EDT. RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT BRIEF 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. THE HEAVY RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY. RAY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
414 PM EDT MON MAY 06 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0351 PM HAIL MCKEE 37.43N 84.00W
05/06/2013 E0.25 INCH JACKSON KY 911 CALL CENTER
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TBREWERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 415 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 KYZ058-068-069-062045- ESTILL-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON- 415 PM EDT MON MAY 6 2013 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM TO AFFECT THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES THROUGH 445 PM EDT MONDAY AFTERNOON... NORTHERN JACKSON... NORTHEASTERN ROCKCASTLE AND SOUTHWESTERN ESTILL. AT 416 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MCKEE...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 20 MPH. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...COLLINGSWORTH AROUND 425 PM EDT...SANDGAP AROUND 430 PM EDT...ALCORN AROUND 435 PM EDT...KERBY KNOB AROUND 440 PM EDT... RESIDENTS SHOULD EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 1 INCH 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. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO DRIVE CAREFULLY. GEOGERIAN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
419 PM EDT MON MAY 06 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0416 PM HAIL 3 NE JACKSON 37.59N 83.34W
05/06/2013 E0.50 INCH BREATHITT KY NWS EMPLOYEE
OCCURRED AT THE JACKSON WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
&&
TBREWERThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:34 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Three inches of rain fell in Smilax over a two hour period. Small streams in the area were at bank full as a result of the rainfall.
Bull Creek Road was closed due to flash flooding.
A water rescue took place for a resident living along Hwy 1482.
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, May 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: 444216, 444219, 444221.