Thunderstorms developed in an unstable air mass ahead of a cold front. These thunderstorms were capable of producing large hail and damaging winds.
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 ILN wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed in an unstable air mass ahead of a cold front. These thunderstorms were capable of producing large hail and damaging winds.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 21, 2:30 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 330 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 .SYNOPSIS... THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR TONIGHT AHEAD OF A SOUTHWARD ADVANCING COLD FRONT WHICH WILL CROSS THE OHIO RIVER TOWARD SUNRISE. IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BRING FAIR WEATHER TO OUR AREA FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... SPLIT FLOW MID/UPR LEVEL FLOW PATTERN WITH CLOSED LOW OVER THE SW U.S. AND RIDGE FROM THE GULF STATES INTO THE LOWER MS VLY. BAND OF W-NWRLY MID LEVEL FLOW AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THIS MID LEVEL RIDGE ACRS THE GREAT LAKES OHIO VALLEY. FLOW TO BECOME MORE NWRLY OVERNIGHT WITH SFC FRONT DROPPING SE THRU OHIO VALLEY LATE TONIGHT. MAIN CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL OCCUR IN WARM SECTOR ASSOCIATED WITH WEAK PERTURBATION EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW MOVG THRU INDIANA. EXPECT AIRMASS TO CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE WITH SFC TD/S IN THE MID/UPR 60S AND TEMPS AROUND 80...SUPPORTING MODERATE INSTBY WITH MLCAPE OF 1500-2500 J/KG. BEST INSTBY TO OCCR OVER SW. BULK SHEAR AROUND 30-35 KTS WILL HELP ORGANIZE STORMS. EXPECT INITIAL GENESIS REGION OVER NRN INDIANA INTO WEST CENTRAL OHIO WITH STORMS DROPPING SE THRU ILNS FA DURG AFTN/EVE HOURS. LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER MAIN TIMING INDICATED FROM CONVECTIVE ENABLING MODELS WILL BE THRU 9 PM. ILN/S 17Z SOUNDING SHOWS DECAPE VALUE AROUND 1000 J/KG IN RESPONSE TO MID LEVEL DRY AIR. THEREFORE DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE A THREAT INTO EARLY EVENING. GIVEN WBZ HEIGHT AND INSTBY...LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE A THREAT. A BRIEF TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT EARLY WITH SUPERCELLS BEFORE STORMS EVOLVE INTO A LINE. HAVE BUMPED POPS UP TO CATEGORICAL INTO THE EARLY EVENING AND THEN DIMINISH THESE POPS FROM NW TO SE OVERNIGHT. COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO FILER IN FROM THE NW LATE TONIGHT WITH LOWS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 50S NW TO THE LOWER/MID 60S SE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... SPLIT FLOW MID/UPR LEVEL FLOW PATTERN WITH CLOSED LOW OVER THE SW U.S. AND RIDGE OVER THE GULF STATES. BAND OF W-NWRLY MID LEVEL FLOW TO BECOME MORE NWRLY. FRONT NEAR OHIO RIVER EARLY ON THURSDAY WILL SLIP SOUTH OF THE REGION. MOST OF THE CWA WILL BE RAIN FREE BY DAYBREAK...WILL ONLY KEEP SLIGHT CHC OF PRECIP VERY EARLY THURSDAY. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL BRING DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES AND FAIR WEATHER. EXPECT THURSDAYS HIGHS TO RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S NW TO NEAR 80 SE. SFC HIGH HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD SOUTHEAST BECOMING CENTERED OVER THE REGION BY THE END OF THE WEEK. SURFACE WINDS WILL REMAIN NORTHWESTERLY THURSDAY NIGHT WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR. THURSDAY NIGHTS LOWS TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S NW TO THE LOWER 50S SE. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TRAVELING ON A NORTHWEST UPPER FLOW SHOULD KEEP DRY CONDITIONS OVER THE REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THOUGH MAJOR WEATHER MAKING SYSTEMS AND LARGE SCALE FORCING WILL BE ABSENT...A MORE UNSETTLED PATTERN WILL EMERGE ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY...WHEN MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING OVER AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL PRODUCE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES MAY BE ENHANCED ON WEDNESDAY DUE TO INCREASED INSTABILITY UNDER AN UPPER TROUGH. TEMPERATURE REGIME WILL FEATURE A WARMING TREND. HIGHS WILL START OUT IN THE MID 70S SATURDAY AS THE HIGH MOVES IN...BEFORE RISING WELL INTO THE 80S BY TUESDAY UNDER WARM ADVECTION IN THE RETURN FLOW BEHIND THE HIGH CENTER. && .AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THE NORTHERN TAF SITES IN AN AXIS OF LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. ONCE THIS CONVECTION GETS GOING...IT SHOULD DEVELOP INTO A BROKEN LINEAR STRUCTURE AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE TAF SITES AS IT FEEDS ON A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF CONTAINING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WITH BRIEF MVFR TO IFR VISIBILITIES. ONLY GENERIC MVFR CONDITIONS WITH THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PLACED IN THE TAFS ATTM...ALLOWING SHORT TERM RADAR TRENDS DICTATE THE POTENTIAL FOR DETAILS AND AMENDMENTS. FOR TONIGHT...MAIN CONVECTION SHOULD BE PUSHING SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. IT APPEARS THAT THE FORCING WITH THE FRONT ITSELF WILL BE WEAK AT BEST AND MOST CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO WANE ACRS THE REGION THIS EVENING WITH DECREASING INSTABILITY. SKIES WILL LIKELY GO PARTLY CLOUDY OVERNIGHT AND WITH RECENT RAINFALL...SOME MVFR TO LOCALLY IFR MIST MAY DEVELOP. THE FOG POTENTIAL WILL BE PARTICULARLY HIGHER ACRS THE SRN TAF SITES WHERE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL NEAR OR AFTER SUNRISE. ON THURSDAY...FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE REGION. CAA BEHIND THE FRONT ALONG WITH 850 MB MOISTURE WILL EVENTUALLY ALLOW A BROKEN CUMULUS DECK TO DEVELOP. OUTLOOK...NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EXPECTED. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...AR NEAR TERM...AR SHORT TERM...AR LONG TERM...CONIGLIO AVIATION...HICKMAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 323 AM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-220730- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS-HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE- SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON- FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE-FAYETTE OH-PICKAWAY- FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING-HAMILTON-CLERMONT-BROWN- HIGHLAND-ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 323 AM EDT WED MAY 21 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
648 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM FLASH FLOOD 5 N HUBER HEIGHTS 39.93N 84.11W
05/21/2014 MIAMI OH PUBLIC
WATER RUSHING OVER STUDEBAKER RD IN BETHEL TOWNSHIP AS
SEEN IN PHOTO ON FACEBOOK.
&&
KURZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
651 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0621 PM FLOOD TROY 40.04N 84.20W
05/21/2014 MIAMI OH TRAINED SPOTTER
2.5 RAINFALL IN 45 MINS, PEA SIZE HAIL, UP TO 3 FT OF
WATER IN SOME PARTS OF THE HOUSING AREA
0639 PM HAIL XENIA 39.69N 83.94W
05/21/2014 E0.75 INCH GREENE OH PUBLIC
0642 PM FLOOD TIPP CITY 39.96N 84.18W
05/21/2014 MIAMI OH TRAINED SPOTTER
SEVERAL CITY ROADS UNDER WATER
&&
HUGHESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
655 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 NE REXVILLE 38.96N 85.32W
05/21/2014 RIPLEY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT
SEVERAL TREES DOWN.
&&
BCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
657 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0641 PM HAIL 1 SW XENIA 39.67N 83.96W
05/21/2014 M0.88 INCH GREENE OH AMATEUR RADIO
NEAR SR 35 AND LOWER BELLBROOK RD.
&&
KURZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
700 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0638 PM FLOOD 2 N FAIRBORN 39.83N 84.02W
05/21/2014 GREENE OH AMATEUR RADIO
1 FOOT OF WATER OVER SR 235 JUST WEST OF I-675. ROAD IS
IMPASSABLE.
&&
KURZSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
700 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
OHZ051-061-212330-
MIAMI OH-MONTGOMERY OH-
700 PM EDT WED MAY 21 2014
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY AND
SOUTHEASTERN MIAMI COUNTIES THROUGH 730 PM EDT...
AT 655 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR UNION...
MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
STORM HAZARDS INCLUDE...
WINDS TO 40 MPH...
PENNY SIZE HAIL...
VERY HEAVY RAIN...
SOME LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...TIPP CITY...VANDALIA
AND HUBER HEIGHTS.
ALSO...DAYTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...GINGHAMSBURG...GRAYSON...
PHONETON...BRANDT...BROWN AND HAVEN VIEW ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS
STRONG THUNDERSTORM.
WATER WILL POND ON ROADS AND MAY QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND
SMALL STREAMS.
LAT...LON 4001 8405 3984 8409 3983 8410 3980 8409
3980 8410 3988 8434 4003 8431
SNYDERThe Louisville radar (KLVX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:01 UTC.
4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A warehouse at Polk and 11th Street in Carollton was damaged and 3 large limbs were downed due to thunderstorm winds.
Damage occurred to a house and 2 barns were destroyed along Highway 389 due to thunderstorm winds. Numerous trees were also downed in the area.
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, 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: 518391, 518387, 518388, 518392, 518389, 518390.