A deep slow moving upper level trough located over the Lower Mississippi Valley led to the development of low pressure, which moved from western Tennessee to just west of Louisville on May 14th. Ahead of this cyclone, ample moisture brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to central Kentucky, beginning during the early morning hours.
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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 LMK wrote it up.
A deep slow moving upper level trough located over the Lower Mississippi Valley led to the development of low pressure, which moved from western Tennessee to just west of Louisville on May 14th. Ahead of this cyclone, ample moisture brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to central Kentucky, beginning during the early morning hours. Shortly after dawn, a line of thunderstorms began to train along a thin strip over Hancock County, Kentucky, and extending northwards into southern Indiana. Three to as much as 4 inches of rain fell within a 2 hour period, leading to flash flooding. Later in the day, modest instability developed across the Bluegrass Region and east central Kentucky. A couple of waves of thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours, bringing several rounds of heavy rain and isolated severe weather.
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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 4:56 AM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 656 AM EDT Wed May 14 2014 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .SHORT TERM (Now through Thursday)... Issued at 300 AM EDT Wed May 14 2014 Surface front has hung up somewhere in the I-65 corridor, with the wind shift a bit farther east and the actual temp/dewpoint discontinuity hanging back to the west. Sharp upper trof is still over the Plains, with a respectable moisture feed fueling convection over the Mississippi Valley, and hints of a surface wave developing over the Deep South. Most of central Kentucky and southern Indiana are currently rain-free, but scattered showers and a few T-storms have started to blossom over middle Tennessee within the last hour. Low-level jetting isn't too impressive, but there is plenty of low-level moisture to sustain any showers that try to push north out of Tennessee this morning. The upper trof will deepen as it pushes east, and with the resulting deepening of the surface wave, the boundary will lift north and west again, putting more of central Kentucky into the warm sector. Will carry categorical POPs, as multiple waves of showers and storms will move through today and into tonight. Forecast soundings show decent unidirectional shear, but anywhere that surface winds back in response to the deepening of the surface low, some directional shear will develop, and it will be concentrated in the lowest 1-2 km. Rotating storms will be possible, and the main limiting factor in their severe potential will be how much instability develops. Average QPF on the order of an inch is not a big deal, but with multiple rounds of precip, any location that sees training storms could easily get 2+ inches as PWATs will be solidly above the 75th percentile for May. By Thursday the moisture feed is shunted off to the east, but the upper low will close off over Wisconsin. Cold pool aloft will keep us quite cloudy, and 850mb temps could plunge as low as +1 to +3C. If this verifies our current max temp forecast in the lower 60s could even be generous. .LONG TERM (Thursday night through Tuesday)... Issued at 300 AM EDT Wed May 14 2014 A deep mid-level trough will push south and east over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley late this week. Ahead of this trough scattered showers will be possible late Thursday night and Friday. There could be a brief period for thunder Friday afternoon before capping works in aloft, but the chance seems fairly isolated at this time. As the trough lifts to the northeast through the weekend, any afternoon instability showers that develop will be mainly across our north and northeastern forecast area Saturday. As we head from Sunday into the new work week, warm-air advection on the back side of this upper trough should result in isentropically forced showers and perhaps storms early Sunday morning. The latest guidance keeps most of this activity across the Tennessee Valley, generally well south of our area. However, the GFS brings some of the precip across our southern counties. We already had slight chance PoPs going, so will keep those in place for now. If this trough is more amplified/deeper Saturday night than what the GFS depicts, then all precip will be south of the forecast area. Will keep an eye on trends the next day or so. The trough moves east Monday and Tuesday, with heights aloft increasing as ridging pushes east from the Plains. Expect the dry conditions to continue through Tuesday with a warming trend on tap. With the deep, anomalous trough axis aloft during the beginning of the long-term period, temperatures Friday and Saturday will be some 10-15 degrees below normal for this time of year. High temperatures are only expected to reach the lower to middle 60s, with overnight lows in the 40s. Then we will begin to warm into next week. Highs of middle and upper 70s Sunday will give way to low and middle 70s by Tuesday. && .AVIATION (12Z TAF Update)... Issued at 655 AM EDT Wed May 14 2014 Surface boundary is hung up just east of LEX, with light NNW winds at all 3 terminals. SW flow aloft is providing a healthy moisture feed, with a fairly solid area of showers and embedded T-storms pushing north from BWG, and expected to be into SDF shortly after issuance time. This precip is cutting north just hard enough that it will most likely skirt LEX, making for a rather challenging forecast. Expect intervals of showers and storms for most of the valid TAF period. IFR ceiling and/or vis will be likely whenever the heaviest showers affect a terminal, but timing of that is too uncertain to go prevailing. Still expect fuel-alternate MVFR ceilings for most of the TAF, and will carry VCSH or VCTS most of the day, with emphasis on this morning and this evening as the most likely times for prevailing rain, and for VCTS. Winds will switch a couple different times, first going southerly later this morning as the front waves back to the north and west, and then around to WSW after midnight tonight as the cold front moves through. Speeds will be 10 kt or less through the valid TAF period. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && Short Term........RAS Long Term.........MJP Aviation..........RAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 348 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-150800- ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN-CRAWFORD IN- PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY-BRECKINRIDGE KY- MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY-JEFFERSON KY- OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY-SCOTT KY- HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY-FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY- NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY-MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY- LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY-GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-BUTLER KY- EDMONSON KY-HART KY-GREEN KY-TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-LINCOLN KY-LOGAN KY- WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY-ALLEN KY-BARREN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY- ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY-CUMBERLAND KY-CLINTON KY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PAOLI...SALEM...SCOTTSBURG...MADISON... JASPER...MARENGO...TELL CITY...CORYDON...NEW ALBANY... JEFFERSONVILLE...HAWESVILLE...HARDINSBURG...BRANDENBURG... BEAVER DAM...LEITCHFIELD...ELIZABETHTOWN...FORT KNOX... MOUNT WASHINGTON...SHEPHERDSVILLE...LOUISVILLE...LA GRANGE... BEDFORD...NEW CASTLE...SHELBYVILLE...FRANKFORT...GEORGETOWN... CYNTHIANA...TAYLORSVILLE...LAWRENCEBURG...VERSAILLES...LEXINGTON... PARIS...CARLISLE...BARDSTOWN...SPRINGFIELD...HARRODSBURG... NICHOLASVILLE...WINCHESTER...HODGENVILLE...LEBANON...DANVILLE... LANCASTER...RICHMOND...MORGANTOWN...BROWNSVILLE...MUNFORDVILLE... GREENSBURG...CAMPBELLSVILLE...LIBERTY...STANFORD...RUSSELLVILLE... BOWLING GREEN...FRANKLIN...SCOTTSVILLE...GLASGOW...TOMPKINSVILLE... EDMONTON...COLUMBIA...JAMESTOWN...BURKESVILLE...ALBANY 348 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014 /248 AM CDT WED MAY 14 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT AS STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH ACROSS KENTUCKY. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. A FEW LOCATIONS COULD ALSO SEE TRAINING STORMS...WHICH WOULD RESULT IN HEAVY RAINFALL AND SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT ANY HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...OR HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT WEATHER.GOV/LOUISVILLE. RAS/MJP
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
844 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0842 AM HEAVY RAIN TELL CITY 37.95N 86.76W
05/14/2014 M1.65 INCH PERRY IN PUBLIC
A WEATHERBUG SITE IN TELL CITY REPORTED 1.65 INCHES OF
RAIN IN 1 1 2 HOURS. RAIN HAS DIMINISHED BUT NOT ENDED.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400542
JSDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
847 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0846 AM FLASH FLOOD TELL CITY 37.95N 86.76W
05/14/2014 PERRY IN EMERGENCY MNGR
EMERGENCY DISPATCH REPORTED THAT MANY ROADS ACROSS
PERRY COUNTY ARE FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400543
JSDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
908 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0906 AM HEAVY RAIN TELL CITY 37.95N 86.76W
05/14/2014 M3.27 INCH PERRY IN TRAINED SPOTTER
A SPOTTER MEASURED 3.27 INCHES OF RAIN THAT FELL IN
LESS THAN 2 HOURS IN TELL CITY. HE LIVES ON FRANKLIN
STREET.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400544
JSDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
914 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0858 AM FLASH FLOOD TELL CITY 37.95N 86.76W
05/14/2014 PERRY IN TRAINED SPOTTER
3.25 INCHES SINCE 630 EDT. FLOWING WATER ON FRANKLIN
ST.... WINDY CREEK OUT OF ITS BANKS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400545
CMCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
926 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0923 AM FLOOD W HAWESVILLE 37.90N 86.76W
05/14/2014 PERRY KY EMERGENCY MNGR
THE EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED THAT WATER COVERED THE
WESTBOUND LANE OF STATE HIGHWAY 60 NEAR THE VASTWOOD
ROAD EXIT. WARNING BARRICADES HAD BEEN POSTED.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400546
JSDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
954 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0911 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 W BANDON 38.13N 86.64W
05/14/2014 M2.54 INCH PERRY IN OTHER FEDERAL
A RAWS SITE LOCATED NEAR TIPSAW LAKE MEASURED 2.56
INCHES OF RAIN IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LMK1400547
JSDThe Louisville radar (KLVX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:06 UTC.
4 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The County Road Commission reported that Tom Bolin Road near State Highway 271 was closed due to high water.
An EF-0 tornado with estimated winds between 65 and 80 mph touched down and snapped a tree at a residence along Lotus Street. It then moved northeast and removed several shingles from another home along this same street. Several large branches were downed near this home as well. Several trees were also toppled in a wooded area behind this home. A neighbor along Deatsville Road had a tree fall and crush a trampoline. Farther north along Deatsville Road, a resident lost a large section of a tree and had minor siding damage along the east side of his home. A mile farther to the northeast, just before lifting, the tornado sheared off a portion of a row of trees adjacent to Maraman Road. The maximum wind speed was estimated based on snapped 1 to 2 foot diameter tree trunks. Structural damage resulted from winds estimated at 65 to 70 mph.
An off duty NWS employee driving on Interstate 64 just northwest of Lexington reported 1 inch hail covering the Interstate and significantly slowing traffic.
A section of a roofing cover was blown off of a building.
Lexington media reported that lightning downed a large tree near Cross Keys Road, which fell across several power lines. This brought widespread power outages.
The Lexington media reported 1.25 inch hail just southeast of Versailles.
A few inches of water covered Trojan Trail Road near 31E.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kentucky, 2014Warnings in Kentucky, May 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: 506438, 506439, 507244, 506441, 506444, 507243, 506442, 506443, 506446.