Portions of eastern Kentucky experienced more flashing flooding on April 7, 2015. The hardest areas were Estill and Knox counties.
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.
Portions of eastern Kentucky experienced more flashing flooding on April 7, 2015. The hardest areas were Estill and Knox counties.
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 Apr 7, 7:15 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 815 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 800 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 DID A QUICK UPDATE TO THE GRIDS TO REFLECT THE LATEST RADAR TRENDS WITH THE SWATH OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE CWA. ALSO FINE TUNED THE TEMPS AND TD FOR THE LATEST OBS AND TRENDS. THE UPDATED GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE NDFD AND WEB SERVERS. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 340 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 06Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH A WARM FRONT SLUNG EAST...RUNNING INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BEFORE BECOMING A STATIONARY BOUNDARY JUST NORTH OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. THIS PLACES THE CWA IN A WARM AND MOIST ENVIRONMENT AS SOUTH WINDS SUPPORT PWS APPROACHING 1.5 INCHES. JUST NOW A FEW SHOWERS ARE STARTING TO POP OVER THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA AFTER A RELATIVELY QUIET EVENING AND START TO THE NIGHT. ADDITIONAL CONVECTION TO THE WEST IS PUSHING EAST JUST SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT...CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH NORTHWESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS/INDIANA. UNDER MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES OVERNIGHT... MOST OF EASTERN KENTUCKY IS SEEING TEMPERATURES FROM 55 TO 60 DEGREES WITH SOME EASTERN VALLEYS SLIGHTLY COOLER AND WARMER CONDITIONS IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST. DEWPOINTS...MEANWHILE...HAVE COME UP INTO THE 50S FOR THE AREA...A DRAMATIC REVERSAL OF THIS PAST WEEKEND/S DRYNESS. THE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT ALOFT THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS A SERIES OF WEAK TO MODERATE WAVES PASS THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY IN BROAD...SLIGHTLY SOUTHWEST...FLOW ON THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF THE FLAT SOUTHEAST RIDGE. EACH MODEL HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT HANDLE ON THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THESE WAVES LOWERING CONFIDENCE IN ANY PARTICULAR SOLUTION. NEVERTHELESS...THE ENERGY WILL BE THERE...ALONG WITH PLENTY OF FUEL IN THE FORM OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY...FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT BASED MORE ON THESE MID LEVEL RIPPLES THAN STRICTLY THE DIURNAL CYCLE. GIVEN THE SMALL NATURE OF THE FEATURES THAT WILL DRIVE THE CONVECTION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS HAVE RELIED MORE CLOSELY ON THE HIGHER RESOLUTION HRRR AND NAM12 FOR THE WEATHER DETAILS. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE AN UNSEASONABLY WARM AND HUMID PERIOD WITH OCCASIONAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED DUE TO EASTERN KENTUCKY/S POSITION SOUTH OF A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO THE NORTH AND IMPULSES PASSING THROUGH FROM ALOFT. THE FIRST OF THESE WILL PASS THIS MORNING WITH A ROUND OF CONVECTION EXPECTED FOLLOWED BY A POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. THE NAM12 WOULD THEN HAVE A LULL UNTIL DAYTIME WEDNESDAY WHEN ANOTHER WAVE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND PASS OVER THE STATE. SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE A POSSIBILITY TODAY WITH EITHER OF THESE CLUSTERS DEPENDING ON UPSCALE GROWTH AND...FOR THE LATTER...SFC HEATING BETWEEN SYSTEMS. GIVEN THE RELATIVELY HIGH PWS...HEAVY RAIN WILL BE A POSSIBILITY AS WELL AND MAY PRIME THE AREA FOR LOCALIZED FLOOD CONCERNS BEFORE THE FRONTAL STRUCTURE MOVES OUT OF THE REGION AT WEEK/S END. WILL HIGHLIGHT BOTH THE SVR AND HEAVY RAIN CONCERNS IN THE FORTHCOMING HWO. USED THE SHORTBLEND COMPOSITE MODEL AS A STARTING POINT FOR THE WINDS/T/TD GRIDS THROUGH THE FIRST 18-24 HOURS AND THE SUPERBLEND THEREAFTER. DID MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON TERRAIN FOR TONIGHT/S TEMPERATURES. AS FOR POPS...ENDED UP CLOSEST TO THE MET VALUES TODAY AND TONIGHT...BUT HIGHER FOR MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 MULTIPLE WAVES WILL CONTINUE TO RIDE UP AND ALONG A RIDGING PATTERN ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AND TO START OUT THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST. MEANWHILE A STRONG SHORTWAVE OVER THE ROCKIES WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT EASTWARD BY 0Z THURSDAY...CREATING LONGWAVE TROUGHING OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. EXPECT THIS SHORTWAVE TO CONTINUE ON ITS TREK EAST AND NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY AND INTO THE DAY FRIDAY...WITH DECREASING HEIGHTS EXPECTED ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY DURING THIS TIME. AT THE SURFACE...KY WILL FIND ITSELF UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A STALLED WARM FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...WHICH WILL LIKELY BE POSITIONED ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA. THIS WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. TO OUR EAST...A SURFACE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP BELOW AND JUST AHEAD OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED SHORTWAVE...AND FOLLOW ITS TRACK NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY. BY 0Z FRIDAY...THE WARM FRONT WILL SHIFT EAST AND ENABLE A STRONG COLD FRONT...CONNECTED TO THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...TO PUSH FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS KY. GIVEN THE LATEST GFS FORECAST...THE BOUNDARY SHOULD ENTER INTO EASTERN KY SOMETIME FRIDAY AFTERNOON...ENHANCING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THROUGH THE MORNING JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND EXIT EAST OF THE STATE BETWEEN 21Z FRIDAY AND 0Z SATURDAY. ONCE IT DOES...KY WILL BE IN A MORE ZONAL UPPER LEVEL FLOW WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE STATE. SURFACE WINDS WILL ONCE AGAIN BECOME MORE NORTHERLY...CAUSING TEMPERATURES TO DROP BACK INTO THE 40S OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING...AND IN THE MID 60S BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT THIS HIGH PRESSURE TO KEEP DRY WEATHER IN PLAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO REBOUND BACK INTO THE LOW 70S BY MONDAY. BY THIS TIME...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL MOVE NE ONCE MORE AND PUSH A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD INTO THE REGION...ALLOWING UNSTABLE WARM GULF MOISTURE TO FLOW BACK INTO THE CWA AND ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP LATE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BE ENHANCED AS THE FOLLOWING COLD FRONT BEGINS FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE STATE ONCE MORE DURING THE DAY MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. EXACT TIMING OF THIS FRONTAL PASSAGE...AS WELL AS THE ONSET AND STRENGTH OF THE PRECIPITATION ARE STILL FAR ENOUGH OUT IN THE FORECAST THAT RELYING ON A MODEL BLEND WAS THE METHOD OF CHOICE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 815 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 THE SHOWERS AND STORMS MOVED INTO THE AREA ON TRACK WITH THE EARLIER FORECAST WITH MVFR TO IFR CIGS. THESE WILL BE THE RULE FOR MOST OF THE AREA THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD EVEN ONCE THIS INITIAL PASSES THROUGH BY MID MORNING. ANOTHER IMPULSE IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING WITH ADDITIONAL LOW CIGS AND SHOWERS/STORMS. IN THE HEAVIER CONVECTION...MVFR VIS WILL BE A GOOD BET WITH OCCASIONAL IFR VIS OR CIGS IN STORMS. THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD...WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE FROM THE SOUTH AT 5 TO 10 KTS...EXCEPT FOR HIGHER GUSTS IN STORMS. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...GREIF SHORT TERM...GREIF LONG TERM...JMW AVIATION...GREIF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 429 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-081130- 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...CAMARGO... JEFFERSONVILLE...MOUNT STERLING...OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD... IRVINE...RAVENNA...CLAY CITY...STANTON...FRENCHBURG...BRODHEAD... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...ANNVILLE...BURNSIDE...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...STEARNS...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG... BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...CUMBERLAND...HARLAN... SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...WHEELWRIGHT...BEATTYVILLE... JACKSON...HINDMAN...PIPPA PASSES...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD... MANCHESTER...HYDEN...JENKINS...WHITESBURG...INEZ...COAL RUN... ELKHORN CITY...PIKEVILLE...SOUTH WILLIAMSON 429 AM EDT TUE APR 7 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES THROUGH TONIGHT. A FEW OF THE STRONGER SHOWERS OR ANY STORMS COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCUR COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGE TO REPORT ANY INSTANCES OF EXCESSIVE RAIN...HAIL...OR STRONG WIND GUSTS THAT OCCUR BETWEEN TODAY AND FRIDAY. GREIF
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:45 UTC.
7 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Three feet of standing water was observed covering Master Street.
A couple of feet of water was observed flowing across Whitesburg Hollow located on Hwy 3439. Three to four inches of water was observed flowing across US 25 at Knox Street. Five to six inches of water was observed flowing across Cumberland Ave at US 25E.
Highway 3153 was under water near US 25E.
A 100lb play set was blown about 40 feet through air along Hwy 499 near Irvine.
Flash flooding was reported on Hwy 89 at the city limits with water also over the road on Hwy 52.
Trees were blown down along Hwy 52 near Hatton Hollow Hill.
Six to eight inches of water was observed flowing across several places along Hwy 52 between Ravenna and Tipton Ridge.
Trees were blown down along Hwy 52.
The following roads across the county experienced flash flooding: Driftwood Drive, Clearcreek Road at the Hwy 52 end, Hwy 52 between mile Millers Creek and Cobhill Road, and Dark Hollow Road and Pitts Road. There was also standing water reported at several locations along Winchester Road and River Drive.
Mount Scatchem Rd was under water. There was also high water observed flowing across several places along Hwy 1571.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, April 2015
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: 569343, 569346, 569347, 569339, 569335, 569340, 569336, 569341, 569337, 569338.