A small cluster of severe thunderstorms that originated over southeast Missouri moved east-southeast across the southern tip of Illinois, then into the Paducah area of western Kentucky. An isolated damaging wind gust to near 65 mph was measured at the Paducah airport just before the storms weakened.
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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.
A small cluster of severe thunderstorms that originated over southeast Missouri moved east-southeast across the southern tip of Illinois, then into the Paducah area of western Kentucky. An isolated damaging wind gust to near 65 mph was measured at the Paducah airport just before the storms weakened. The storms occurred during the heat of the afternoon along a weakening surface trough that extended southward from the Great Lakes region. The storms were aided by a mid-level shortwave trough moving east-southeast toward the Lower Ohio Valley.
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 Aug 19, 2:15 PM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 315 PM CDT Tue Aug 19 2014 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Thursday night) Issued at 315 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 Cloud cover has held down heating across much of southern Illinois, and is likely a contributor to the lack of robust convection there. Not sure if the band of showers will ever outrun the clouds and get to the warmer air currently over southwest Indiana and the Pennyrile. The cluster of storms over Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties seems to be the anchor, representing the edge of the cap. Figure that the activity will increase in coverage as it moves east through 00Z, but still don't know if it will really morph into a solid line. Large hail has already been reported with the more isolated storms in southeast Missouri. That should be the main concern through much of the afternoon, but wind will begin to dominate if and when it grows upscale. The convection should be east of the area shortly after sunset, and really do not feel that there will be any further convection overnight. The upper ridge really builds over the region Wednesday through Thursday night. This should limit the convective activity to the EVV Tri State area for the remainder of the short term. The consensus of guidance focuses the best chances of convection in the Tri State Wednesday night, with minimal chances Thursday and Thursday night. In the absence of convection, a very low-level inversion will create disgustingly hot and humid conditions. With highs in the middle 90s and dewpoints in the low to mid 70s, heat indices will be in the 100 to 105 degree range. These conditions can be expected everywhere, but the EVV Tri State Wednesday afternoon, and throughout the area Thursday afternoon. Will continue to mention in the HWO, but will not issue a heat advisory at this time. .LONG TERM...(Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 315 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 It appears that last week's deterministic runs of the GFS may have been on target with the intensity of the ridge building/subsidence across the WFO PAH forecast area. The last two runs of the medium range deterministic GFS and ECMWF have been consistent with strong subsidence (roughly 3-7C cap through 925 mb by 00z during for the August 23rd-26th) in a robustly dry atmosphere over the area. Although there will be scattered antecedent precipitation and a moist boundary layer initially for the middle of this week, significant insolation and subsidence should help to dry out the lower atmosphere to support much warmer temperatures. The GFS Ensembles are suggesting mean 850 mb mean temperatures between 20-22 Celsius from next Sunday through next Tuesday and this is not even accounting for the five to seven degree Celsius increase near the apex of the subsidence inversion between 925-950 mb. Agree with WFO LMK to push maximum temperatures at or near the century mark early next week. Assuming a slight cold bias with the deterministic GFS, the forecast temperatures in this forecast package may be closer to the mark. Could see the potential for an multi-day heat advisory (or even an excessive heat warning for the WFO PAH forecast area give the duration) from this Friday through next Monday. Will definitely highlight this in the Hazardous Weather Outlook and may consider a Special Weather Statement as well. If there is more consistency in the next couple of model runs, an excessive heat watch may be warranted given the duration and intensity of the heat. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1250 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 An outflow boundary is expected to provide a focus for thunderstorm development over southern Illinois this afternoon. Best guess is that the storms would impact KEVV and KOWB around 00Z. With plentiful low-level moisture, fog development will be possible again tonight, but with some southwest wind expected, LIFR/VLIFR conditions are less likely. If they occur it would most likely be at KCGI. Just a few cu expected by midday Wednesday, along with modest west southwest to west winds. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DRS LONG TERM...Smith AVIATION...DRS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 337 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-201000- 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- 337 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS NEAR CAPE GIRARDEAU AS OF 330 PM WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIP OF ILLINOIS AND ACROSS MUCH OF WEST KENTUCKY THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...WHILE ALL OF THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST ACROSS THE EVANSVILLE TRI STATE AND THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WEST KENTUCKY WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS IS FORECAST FOR THE NORTHEAST HALF OF SOUTHWEST INDIANA THURSDAY. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED...BUT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED. AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL CLIMB INTO THE 100 TO 105 RANGE OVER MUCH OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY REACH INTO THE 95 TO 100 DEGREE RANGE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY. THESE TEMPERATURES, COMBINED WITH HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES, WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 105 TO 110 DEGREES ON THOSE DAYS. A HEAT ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA DURING THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIP OF ILLINOIS...WEST KENTUCKY AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. DRS/SMITH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1210 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0449 PM TORNADO ROBARDS 37.69N 87.56W
08/17/2014 HENDERSON KY NWS STORM SURVEY
CONFIRMED BY NWS STORM DAMAGE SURVEY. EF0-1 WITH PEAK
WIND 90 MPH. PATH LENGTH 2 MILES. PATH WIDTH 60 YARDS.
BEGIN 3.5 NE ROBARDS AND END 3.75 MILES ENE ROBARDS.
DAMAGE TO 3 HOMES AND A MOBILE HOME. NUMEROUS LARGE TREE
LIMBS BROKEN WITH A COUPLE TREES UPROOTED. CONVERGET
DAMAGE PATH IN CORN FIELD.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
249 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0245 PM HAIL SCOPUS 37.40N 89.92W
08/19/2014 M2.75 INCH BOLLINGER MO EMERGENCY MNGR
BASEBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN THE COMMUNITY. NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF HWYS B AND M.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
318 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0317 PM HAIL CAPE GIRARDEAU 37.31N 89.55W
08/19/2014 M0.88 INCH CAPE GIRARDEAU MO EMERGENCY MNGR
DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
332 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0331 PM LIGHTNING JACKSON 37.38N 89.65W
08/19/2014 CAPE GIRARDEAU MO EMERGENCY MNGR
SEVERAL TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES DOWN DUE TO NUMEROUS
LIGHTNING STRIKES IN THE COMMUNITY.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
345 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0320 PM HAIL CAPE GIRARDEAU 37.31N 89.55W
08/19/2014 M0.88 INCH CAPE GIRARDEAU MO BROADCAST MEDIA
DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED.
&&
SMITTYSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 430 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 ILZ094-KYZ005-192200- MASSAC IL-MCCRACKEN KY- 430 PM CDT TUE AUG 19 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL MASSAC COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...AND NORTHERN MCCRACKEN COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY UNTIL 500 PM CDT... AT 426 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF LA CENTER...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS OF 40-50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED INCLUDE... METROPOLIS...LONE OAK...PADUCAH...WEST PADUCAH AND BROOKPORT. LAT...LON 3723 8865 3703 8858 3704 8885 3724 8892 TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 274DEG 22KT 3711 8884 JP
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 0 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:41 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 63 mph was measured by the automated observing system at Barkley Regional Airport.
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, August 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: 531682.