Scattered strong thunderstorms brought heavy rain and several instances of flooding to eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of September 4th. Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall formed and moved across the area as a mid level wave of low pressure moved across the area and tapped into large amounts of low level moisture that had been in place across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
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 JKL wrote it up.
Scattered strong thunderstorms brought heavy rain and several instances of flooding to eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of September 4th. Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall formed and moved across the area as a mid level wave of low pressure moved across the area and tapped into large amounts of low level moisture that had been in place across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.
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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 4, 12:49 PM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 149 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1255 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 HOURLY GRIDS WERE UPDATED BASED ON RECENT OBSERVATIONS AND MODEL TRENDS. THE RECENT HRRR RUNS HAVE A DECENT HANDLE ON THE SCENARIO AT THIS TIME. POPS WERE RAISED ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA MOSTLY INTO THE SCATTERED CATEGORY...WITH ISOLATED POPS INTRODUCED ACROSS THE BLUEGRASS COUNTIES. THE MOISTURE RETURN NORTH HAS BROUGHT A PLUME OF DEEP MOISTURE WITH PW OF 1.8 INCHES OR MORE INTO THE KY/TN/VA TRI STATE AREA...THOUGH PW IS GENERALLY 1.5 INCHES OR MORE ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE CAPABLE OF LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...AND IF THEY PERSIST SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. SO FAR THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS FALLEN FROM MORE PERSISTENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN PARTS OF THE CUMBERLAND VALLEY REGION. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD PEAK IN COVERAGE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING AND THEN WANE TOWARD SUNSET...AS THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS THE OH VALLEY REGION BEGINS TO DEPART TO THE NORTH AND EAST AND THE DEEPEST MOISTURE IS ALSO SHUNTED TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE REGION. UPDATE ISSUED AT 1019 AM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 HOURLY GRIDS HAVE BEEN UPDATED BASED ON RECENT OBSERVATIONS AND TRENDS. A FRESH ZFP WAS ALSO ISSUED TO GET RID OF MORNING FOG WORDING AS SATELLITE IMAGERY AND OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT VALLEY FOG CONTINUES TO LIFT. THE FOG HAS LIFTED INTO A STRATUS DECK IN SOME RIVER VALLEY LOCATIONS AND NEAR A FEW AREA LAKES...THIS ALSO IS GRADUALLY ERODING AWAY. RATHER LIGHT SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL BRING INCREASING MOISTURE TO THE AREA BELOW 500 MB. THERE IS ALSO A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OR WEAKNESS BETWEEN RIDGING CENTERED NEAR BERMUDA AND ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES AND ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED IN THE MS VALLEY REGION. THIS SHORTWAVE WILL WORK ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND INTO THIS EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF CURRENT RATHER STRONG SFC HEATING AND THE INCREASING MOISTURE ALONG WITH THE WEAK SHORTWAVE TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SHOULD BRING ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION TO PARTS OF THE REGION FROM MIDDAY INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THE CHANCES FOR CONVECTION STILL APPEAR TO BE HIGHEST NEAR THE VA BORDER WITH DEEPER MOISTURE THERE. UPDATE ISSUED AT 758 AM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST GRIDS BASED ON LATEST OBS...BUT WITH NO SUBSTANTIAL EFFECT ON THE OVERALL FORECAST. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 352 AM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 LIGHT WINDS...CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES...AND A MOIST AIR MASS HAVE ALLOWED TYPICAL SEASONAL VALLEY FOG TO DEVELOP EARLY THIS MORNING. IT WILL DISSIPATE DURING THE MORNING...BUT GO THROUGH ITS CYCLE AGAIN TONIGHT/FRIDAY. SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR MADE IT INTO THE FAR NORTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT WILL NOT GET ANY FURTHER SOUTH. LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL CARRY MOISTURE NORTH AND NORTHEAST...ENSURING ALL AREAS ARE UNCOMFORTABLY HUMID TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE HUMIDITY MAY FUEL DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON. THE GREATEST PROBABILITY WILL BE NEAR THE VA BORDER...WHERE MOISTURE WILL BE THE DEEPEST. FURTHER NW...FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE MOISTURE BEING MORE SHALLOW...WITH DRY AIR ALOFT BEING LESS SUPPORTIVE OF SUSTAINED CONVECTION IN THE ABSENCE OF DYNAMIC SUPPORT. IN ADDITION...WARMER MID LEVEL TEMPS IN OUR NW COUNTIES WILL ALSO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO GET DEEP CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS ALOFT WILL BE WEAK THROUGH THE PERIOD...AND LITTLE ORGANIZATION OF CONVECTION IS EXPECTED...HELPING TO LIMIT COVERAGE. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 352 AM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 BIG WEATHER CHANGE STILL ANTICIPATED THIS COMING WEEKEND AS MODELS REMAIN IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT. THE ONLY CHANGE WAS THAT MODELS HAVE SLOWED DOWN THE COLD FRONT A TAD...WHICH COULD NOW IMPACT THE FORECAST FOR SUNDAY. STARTING OFF THE PERIOD...DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION WILL DIE OFF EARLY FRIDAY EVENING...LEAVING DRY CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE EXPECTED COLD FRONT WILL MARCH INTO NORTHERN KENTUCKY BY MIDDAY SATURDAY AND SWING SOUTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THIS WILL YIELD WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...WITH THE MODELS SLOWING DOWN THE FRONT...LOOKS LIKE PRECIPITATION COULD LINGER INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AND EVEN INTO SUNDAY BEFORE ENDING LATE IN THE DAY ON SUNDAY. INSTABILITY SHOULD STILL DROP OFF OVERNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT...SO THUNDER CHANCES WILL DIMINISH...BUT RAIN SHOWERS MAY PERSIST. THIS COULD SET UP A BIT WETTER AND CERTAINLY CLOUDIER SUNDAY FOR THOSE ACROSS THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. REGARDLESS...HIGHS WILL ONLY REACH THE LOW TO MID 70S WITH THE ADDED CLOUD COVER AND COLD ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT. SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE MUCH COOLER AS TEMPERATURES INTO THE 50S ARE EXPECTED. WHILE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD OVER THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK...SOME MOISTURE WILL REMAIN OVER EASTERN KENTUCKY...SUPPORTING AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO. HOWEVER...INSTABILITY IS WEAK...AND FLOW ON MONDAY MAY BE FROM A SOUTHEAST DIRECTION...LEADING TO DOWNSLOPING...WHICH COULD SQUASH ANYTHING FROM FORMING. FOR NOW...WILL GO WITH A 20 POP TO COVER THE SMALL CHANCE. MODELS START DIVERGING QUITE A BIT AND HAVE STARTING TO FLIP FLOP ON VARIOUS SOLUTIONS AS WE HEAD TOWARDS TUESDAY. AT THIS TIME...OPTING TO KEEP EACH DAYTIME PERIOD WITH LOW POPS WITH LOWER COVERAGE AT NIGHT UNTIL WE SEE BETTER AGREEMENT WITH OUR NEXT WEATHER MAKER. THUS...CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST BEYOND MONDAY IS VERY LOW. IT DOES LOOK LIKE TEMPERATURES SHOULD REBOUND A BIT AS WE HEAD THROUGH NEXT WEEK...BUT THE EXTREME WARMTH SHOULD STAY AWAY FOR A LITTLE WHILE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 140 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS WITH REDUCTIONS TO MVFR WILL WORK ACROSS THE TAF SITES DURING THE FIRST 6 HOURS OF THE PERIOD. THE MOST LIKELY STATIONS TO EXPERIENCE A THUNDERSTORM THROUGH 19Z ARE LOZ AND SME. HOWEVER...VCTS WAS CARRIED AT JKL AND SJS FOR THE FIRST 4 HOURS OF THE PERIOD. MOISTURE WILL DECREASE AS THE ASSOCIATED UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE BEGINS TO DEPART AND WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING...CONVECTION SHOULD WANE BY SUNSET. FOG WILL DEVELOP IN VALLEYS...GENERALLY AFTER 5Z AND PROBABLY AFFECT ALL THE TAF SITES THROUGH 14Z. WITH RAIN HAVING FALLEN AND THE LOW LEVELS REMAINING MOIST...THIS FOG MAY REDUCE VIS BELOW AIRPORT MINS AT ALL SITES FOR A TIME TOWARD DAWN. THE FOG SHOULD LIFT AND DISSIPATE BY 14Z...WITH VFR FROM THEN UNTIL THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...JP SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM...KAS AVIATION...JP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1234 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-051115- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN- ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-KNOTT- OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 1234 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH THE GREATEST PROBABILITY ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HAL/JP
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:01 UTC.
9 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway 7 was flooded by four to five feet of standing water.
An IFLOWS rain gauge measured 3.03 inches of rain in one hour ending at 3 pm. As a result at least a foot of water was seen flowing across the junction of Highways 587 and 399 and both roads were closed. An automated river level gauge on Sturgeon Creek recorded an eight foot rise in two and a half hours.
A creek was out of its banks along Highway 11 flooding several outbuildings.
River Branch Road became flooded when River Branch Creek came out of its banks. The flood water had receded and the creek was back in its back as of 540 pm.
Two feet of water was seen flowing over Blevins Valley Road.
Localized slow moving thunderstorm produced an estimated three to four inches of rainfall on the Floyd/Pike County line. Runoff from these storms produced flash flooding on Cow Creek which nearly entered trailers at a trailer court off Cow Creek Road. Daniels Creek also flooded with water entering a parked vehicle and a creek near Harold flooded an adjacent property and driveway.
Flood waters flowing across the intersection of Harper's Ridge Road and Howard Mills Road made both roads impassable for a short period of time.
Flood waters entered a home and a business along Hwy 1750 near East Point.
Little Paint Creek had come out of its banks and was flooding adjacent driveways.
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, September 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: 534565, 534566, 534567, 534569, 534570, 534571, 534574, 534576, 534578.