Thunderstorms intensified within a zone of strong southerly low level winds that provided abundant warmth and moisture. The storms formed near a warm front that was draped across southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and western Kentucky.
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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 PAH wrote it up.
Thunderstorms intensified within a zone of strong southerly low level winds that provided abundant warmth and moisture. The storms formed near a warm front that was draped across southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and western Kentucky. The storms occurred within a moist and moderately unstable air mass along and behind the warm front. The strong moisture feed contributed to torrential downpours that produced isolated flash flooding in the Henderson and Owensboro areas.
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 Apr 3, 2:43 AM CST, 6 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 343 AM CDT Thu Apr 3 2014 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday night) Issued at 315 AM CDT THU APR 3 2014 The potential still exists for numerous severe thunderstorms later this afternoon and tonight with damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes all possible, esp over southeast MO, sw IL and far wrn KY. Moreover, a few significant, long-track tornadoes cannot be ruled out. Models continue to show decent agreement with the timing, amplitude and general character of the main short wave trof that will finally lift ne into the lower/mid MS Valley tonight. This trof should take on a slightly negative tilt, leading to strong diffluence/upward motion Thu aftn/night. Surface dew points are already in the lower half of the 60s and more than ample shear values later today and tonight suggest the potential for a few significant, long-track tornadoes. Scattered discrete, rotating storms are expected to develop later this afternoon in the warm sector well ahead of the sfc cold front. In addition to these storms, other severe convection should get going along the front itself today over wrn MO/AR. This activity should eventually morph into one or more severe MCS's and traverse the forecast area overnight as the front accelerates eastward. The cold front should finally clear the region by around sunrise Friday, taking the severe threat with it. Much cooler and drier air will quickly overspread the region Friday and Friday night as Canadian high pressure pushes southeast through the northern Plains. In fact, temperatures may not rise too much from morning lows at many locations. Blustery west winds of 15 to 20 MPH will bring an added chill to the air Friday. A frost or freeze will also be possible Friday night, before things begin to warm a bit on Sunday. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Wednesday) Issued at 315 AM CDT THU APR 3 2014 Medium confidence in the extended. Sunday appears to be dry but that will soon change Sunday night. A surface low that was originally progged to move through the Gulf states is now tracking through the Jackson Purchase area of KY. Although there is very little surface based instability. Elevated instability is spreading over wrn KY with showalters now going below zero due to the more northerly track of the low. Thus in anticipation of this trend continuing went ahead and included the fa in isolated thunder Sunday night. By sunrise Monday this instability will be exiting the northeast with current model trends and will reduce pops accordingly. Models due indicate some lingering moisture albeit light at best with the passage of the upper level trough Tuesday. Thus kept a slight chance in Tuesday after a dry Monday night. Otherwise temperatures will be a category or two below normal with high around 60 and lows around 40. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1221 AM CDT THU APR 3 2014 An increasing low level jet will result in continued late night showers/tstms that will restrict cigs to MVFR, and vsbys to IFR at times. Rainfall is expected to continue for at least part of the morning Thu, under IFR cigs. During Thu afternoon, some strong to severe thunderstorm activity is possible in scattered/isolated fashion, with not enough timing/placement certainty to mention in the TAFs at this time. Stronger action is expected with system passage tomorrow night, in a more consolidated form, starting near midnight. Meanwhile, southerly winds will increase in speed and become gusty Thursday, on approach of a fast-moving cold front. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...MEFFERT LONG TERM...KH AVIATION...DB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 914 AM CDT THU APR 3 2014 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-041000- 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- 914 AM CDT THU APR 3 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCE TIME PERIOD FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...WHEN THE COLD FRONT MAKES ITS APPROACH AND PASSAGE. IN ADDITION...HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES MEANS THUNDERSTORMS ARE VERY EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCERS TODAY AND TONIGHT. RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES AN HOUR ARE OCCURRING AND REPEATING OVER THE SAME AREAS IN MANY INSTANCES. WITH MORE HEAVY RAIN ON THE WAY...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF THE QUAD STATE...INCLUDING THE SOUTHEAST MISSOURI COUNTIES ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...AND EXTENDING EASTWARD TO INCLUDE ALL OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT. NO SEVERE STORMS ARE ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... FLOOD AND SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS ARE ENCOURAGED TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH SPOTTER ACTIVATION.
The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:58 UTC.
3 flash flood, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was over several intersections along U.S. Highway 41A in Henderson.
Numerous roads were under water throughout the county.
A side street was flooded in Stanley. Cars were turning around.
Some roads were flooded and impassable from the heavy rain over the previous 24 hours. These roads included a few main roads. U.S. Highway 60 was closed near the Union County line. A mudslide closed Kentucky Highway 414 for several hours.
Heavy rain over the previous 24 hours caused flooding of some roads, a few of which were impassable.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, April 2014
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: 508205, 508206, 508207, 508316, 508317.