A solid squall line oriented from north to south moved eastward at 30 mph across western Kentucky. Individual storm cells within the line raced north-northeast at 50 to 65 mph.
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 PAH wrote it up.
A solid squall line oriented from north to south moved eastward at 30 mph across western Kentucky. Individual storm cells within the line raced north-northeast at 50 to 65 mph. Storm development was fostered by modest solar heating as surface dew points climbed into the mid 60's. Low level confluence ahead of a slow-moving surface low over southern Missouri aided the intensification of the squall line. Strengthening wind fields associated with an upper level trough approaching from the southern Plains contributed to a few organized and longer-lived storm structures. Strong low-level winds, around 50 knots at 1 kilometer above the ground, enhanced the risk of mesovortices and damaging wind gusts within the squall line, despite marginal instability.
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 Oct 13, 1:54 PM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 254 PM CDT Mon Oct 13 2014 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Wednesday night) Issued at 255 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014 Very busy with watches, warnings, etc so will make this rather brief. Strong cold front will continue to push eastward across our CWA through the rest of the afternoon and evening, hopefully exiting the eastern portions of our CWA after midnight. With the eastward progress of the front, a QLCS line of strong to severe thunderstorms will continue ahead of the boundary with some storms becoming capable of producing damaging winds and a few tornadoes. Locally heavy rainfall will also accompany the stronger storms. In the wake of this system, small chances of showers and patches of drizzle will continue through the remainder of the overnight hours tonight. Chances for showers will continue Tuesday, Tuesday night, and Wednesday with the slow approach and passage of an upper low over our CWA. Rain chances will finally begin to taper off from the west Wednesday night in the wake of the upper low. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Monday) Issued at 255 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014 On Thursday...the upper level low will finally be departing the Ohio Valley. Some lingering clouds and even a few showers are possible...especially in southwest Indiana and the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky. Temperatures should begin to recover toward more seasonal levels. On Friday...mainly sunny skies and seasonably warm temps are expected as a weak ridge passes overhead. Over the weekend into early next week...upper level troughing will gradually settle into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region. This will push a cold front /possibly followed by a secondary cold front/ across our region. The primary cold front appears to be dry...but a secondary front could bring some showers late in the weekend into early next week. Temperatures will gradually cool down. The 12z gfs mos looks too warm. Will trend toward the cooler 00z ecmwf mos...especially early next week. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1227 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014 Numerous showers and thunderstorms will cross the TAF sites from west to east throughout the first few hours of the period. Some storms may be severe and will produce locally heavy rainfall. MVFR cigs/vsbys will prevail will the passage of the storms, however brief IFR conditions may occur. In the wake of the area of preciptation, IFR cigs and/or vsbys and patchy drizzle will prevail through the overnight hours. Conditions should become MVFR toward the end of the period. Southerly winds at 12-14 knots gusting to 20-22 knots will drop off to AOB 10 knots overnight, then pick back up from the south southwest at 10-12 knots with gusts up to 20 knots after 15-16Z. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION...JP LONG TERM/FIRE WX...MY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 120 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-141830- 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- 120 PM CDT MON OCT 13 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 VIGOROUS LINE OF STORMS WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING REACHING SOUTHWEST INDIANA SOUTHWARD TO THE SOUTHERN PENNYRILE BETWEEN 6 AND 9 PM. OTHER STORMS MAY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS LINE AS WELL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE A STRONG POSSIBILITY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE MAIN CONCERNS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES WITHIN THE MAIN LINE OF STORMS. LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT MAINLY WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE LINE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS ...HOWEVER WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY WITH THE LINE OF STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. TOTAL RAINFALL THROUGH TONIGHT WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM ONE AND A HALF TO 3 INCHES. THE GREATEST AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND THE LAKES AND PENNYRILE REGIONS OF WEST KENTUCKY. SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING ISSUES WILL BE POSSIBLE...BUT WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL MAY LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TUESDAY OVER SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WEST KENTUCKY. A FEW MINOR FLOOD PROBLEMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NEEDED THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY EVENING ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION, AND LIKELY THEREAFTER OVER SOUTHWEST INDIANA SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE PENNYRILE REGION OF WESTERN KENTUCKY. SEVERE STORM CHANCES WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
105 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 PM FUNNEL CLOUD QULIN 36.60N 90.25W
10/13/2014 BUTLER MO PUBLIC
RAIN WRAPPED FUNNEL REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
&&
SMITTYSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
159 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014
ILZ092-KYZ001-MOZ086-087-110>112-114-131945-
ALEXANDER IL-BOLLINGER MO-CAPE GIRARDEAU MO-FULTON KY-MISSISSIPPI
MO-NEW MADRID MO-SCOTT MO-STODDARD MO-
159 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ALEXANDER COUNTY IN SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...FULTON COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND
STODDARD...SCOTT...NEW MADRID...MISSISSIPPI...CAPE GIRARDEAU...AND
SOUTHERN BOLLINGER COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNTIL 245 PM CDT...
AT 155 PM CDT...STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A
LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARBLE HILL TO ADVANCE TO
RISCO...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. THE
STRONG GUSTY WINDS MAY CONTINUE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER THE
PASSAGE OF THE LINE OF STORMS.
LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LILBOURN...NEW MADRID...ORAN...
CHAFFEE...SIKESTON...BENTON...MINER...
SCOTT CITY...EAST PRAIRIE...CHARLESTON...AND
DELTA.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.
THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY....AND A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS
WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS....FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
LAT...LON 3705 8997 3717 9023 3726 9022 3726 8940
3695 8916 3649 8938 3650 8941 3645 8946
3645 8948 3649 8951 3641 8954 3641 8970
3642 8974 3640 8974 3640 8989
TIME...MOT...LOC 1856Z 222DEG 68KT 3736 9007 3714 8982
3659 8975PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
231 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0205 PM TSTM WND DMG GREENBRIER 37.11N 90.03W
10/13/2014 BOLLINGER MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT RECEVIED REPORTS OF WIDESPREAD TREE
DAMAGE AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION
OF THE COUNTY NEAR THE COMMUNITIES OF GREENBRIER AND
ZALMA.SOME ROADS BLOCKED AND SOME MINOR ROOF DAMAGE
REPORTED.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
247 PM CDT MON OCT 13 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0220 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 E MARBLE HILL 37.30N 89.93W
10/13/2014 BOLLINGER MO EMERGENCY MNGR
LATE REPORT...TREES DOWN ALONG HWY 34 EAST OF MARBLE
HILL.
&&
SMITTYThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:04 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down, blocking roads.
Downed trees and power lines were reported in the community.
Power lines were down along Highway 725.
Three buildings lost their roofs in a densely populated neighborhood on the north side of Paducah. One building was residential, and the other two buildings were commercial.
Power lines and trees were blown down.
Wind gusts were estimated near 50 mph.
At the Henderson County High School, there was considerable damage at the athletic complex behind the school. A small building housing a baseball conditioning room lost about 20 feet of metal roofing, and an outside wall was displaced about three feet. A few small trees were blown down. Power poles were down across Highway 351. A radio tower south of the athletic fields was blown down.
Along Kentucky Highway 475, there were several spots along the road with water up to four feet deep. Three water rescues were conducted for people stranded in vehicles, including an eight-month pregnant woman. Water was reported within three inches of a seat top. Flooding was also reported along a couple of other back roads.
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, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 542355, 541957, 541959, 541960, 541961, 541956, 541963, 544722.