Thunderstorms increased in coverage and intensity ahead of a shortwave trough and associated surface low approaching the region from the southwest. Breaks in the clouds allowed sunshine to heat and destabilize the atmosphere.
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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 increased in coverage and intensity ahead of a shortwave trough and associated surface low approaching the region from the southwest. Breaks in the clouds allowed sunshine to heat and destabilize the atmosphere. The combination of moderate instability and a moist boundary layer within a corridor of strengthening vertical wind shear supported supercells. A significant tornado occurred in the Hopkinsville area. A slow-moving area of heavy rain in the wake of the strong to severe thunderstorms produced isolated flash 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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 14, 1:46 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 246 PM CDT Wed May 14 2014 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Friday night) Issued at 246 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2014 Latest surface analysis shows the surface low over southwest Tennessee. With the low continuing its north-northeast track, widespread showers will continue into early this evening, with any thunderstorm activity remaining focused across our eastern counties. Isolated thunderstorms around the Nashville area are moving to the north-northwest toward our southeast counties in the tornado watch. A line of thunderstorms developing farther west in Tennessee are moving north-northeast, and these will also give our southeast quadrant of counties a good chance of some thunderstorms this afternoon. As the low moves northeast of our region this evening, LIs quickly go positive, so no thunderstorms are expected after about 02z, and showers will gradually taper off from southwest to northeast during the evening and overnight hours. An upper level low over central Canada will slide southeast into the upper Mississippi valley on Thursday. This will keep the upper level trof over our area Thursday into Friday. Models generate some light QPF over our region through this time period. Continued with slight chance to chance pops across the entire PAH forecast area Thursday and Thursday night. On Friday, GFS and NAM keep any lingering showers focused across our northern and eastern counties, while ECMWF extends QPF farther west. Kept some slight to low chance pops focused more where GFS and NAM show QPF. By Friday night, GFS and ECMWF both show a weak disturbance generating some precipitation that just skirts our southern counties. ECMWF initially kept this precip south of our area, but the latest run has come more in line with GFS. Continued with some low pops for showers in southern portions of southeast Missouri and far west Kentucky. Temperatures will remain unseasonably cool through the near term forecast. Overnight lows tonight through Friday night will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal in the 40s, and highs will generally be 10 to 15 degrees below normal in the lower to middle 60s. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Wednesday) Issued at 246 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2014 The 12Z models seem to be in decent agreement in the synoptic trends through the period, although the details will need to be hashed out. The highly amplified trough that will bring cool weather to the region in the near term, will gradually relax. Disturbances in the weakening cyclonic flow may result in some showers along the southern periphery of the region Saturday and Saturday night, but otherwise the weekend looks dry. By midday Monday, both the GFS and ECMWF develop upper troughs over the Mid-Atlantic coast and the Pacific Northwest. That results in a ridge building north and northeast out of Texas. The models vary in the degree of 500mb height rises over our region, with the GFS being stronger than the ECMWF. The GFS would result in a dry forecast for the first half of the week, and a very nice warming trend, back well into the 80s for highs. Meanwhile, the ECMWF keeps us more in a northwest flow aloft and keeps a warm front over the area, which would result in some chance of thunderstorms over at least the northeast half of the region, and somewhat cooler temperatures. Decided to play the middle ground for now. Will have slight chances of showers and thunderstorms mainly over the Evansville Tri State Monday night through Wednesday. Temperatures will be gradually warming through the period. Highs should climb to near normal by Monday and then into the lower 80s by Wednesday. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1247 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2014 IFR ceilings will be the rule through the afternoon and much of tonight. A period of LIFR conditions is possible throughout the area. Although the rain has diminished over much of the area at midday, it will ramp up again this afternoon as a surface low moves through west Kentucky and possibly southwest Indiana late. TS was included in a TEMPO group at KEVV and KOWB, and a rumble of thunder cannot be ruled out at KPAH. The IFR ceilings may persist through the night at KEVV and KOWB, but a general improving trend in ceilings is expected farther west toward sunrise. Wind direction will be difficult to call at KOWB this afternoon and evening as it will be close to the path of the surface low. As the low passes through the area, winds elsewhere should increase and become gusty from the northwest. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RST LONG TERM...DRS AVIATION...DRS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 323 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2014 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-152030- 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- 323 PM CDT WED MAY 14 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 TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM FOR CHRISTIAN...MUHLENBERG AND TODD COUNTIES IN WEST KENTUCKY. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL ESCORT A SURFACE LOW THROUGH WEST KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON...DAMAGING WIND AND BRIEF TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY ANY THUNDERSTORMS. STORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR THE SEVERE THREAT AREA TO EXPAND TO THE WEST POTENTIALLY INCLUDING AREAS FROM MURRAY TO HENDERSON KENTUCKY...AND THE BOONVILLE AND SANTA CLAUS AREAS OF SOUTHWEST INDIANA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE EVANSVILLE TRI STATE AND THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WEST KENTUCKY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED ACROSS THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WEST KENTUCKY...AND POTENTIALLY THE LAKES REGION OF WEST KENTUCKY AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST INDIANA THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.
The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 43 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:01 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Four large hollowed trees were blown down. One tree landed on power lines.
The Calloway County Sheriff Department reported water was over 11 roads in the southern half of the county.
The tornado tracked roughly along Highway 107 northeast of Hopkinsville, passing through the Lacy community. Estimated peak winds were 125 mph. There was heavy damage to one house, which lost its back wall. Boats were sent airborne. A half dozen homes sustained light to moderate damage, such as shingles blown off and a 2-by-4 impaled into a house. Two pole barns were destroyed. A portable storage building on cinder blocks was moved 20 to 25 yards. Other outbuildings were damaged. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Residents reported observing a tornado or funnel cloud prior to taking cover.
The roof was blown off a business. Power lines were blown down. This microburst occurred just to the southeast of a tornado that tracked along Highway 107.
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: 512301, 512571, 512300, 512302.