Slow moving scattered thunderstorms produced isolated but rather severe flash flooding in some areas on July 5, 2015.
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.
Slow moving scattered thunderstorms produced isolated but rather severe flash flooding in some areas on July 5, 2015.
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 Jul 4, 10:16 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1116 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1116 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PERSIST ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY AND HIGHWAY 80 CORRIDORS. HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR BETTER COVERAGE WEST OF I-75 THAT IS ONGOING. THE MOSAIC RADAR REVEALS MORE SUSTAINED CONVECTION STILL PIVOTING ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF TENNESSEE AND THE LATEST HIGHER RESOLUTION SHORT TERM GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE A DIMINISHING TREND TO THE CURRENT ACTIVITY ACROSS OUR AREA THROUGH AROUND MIDNIGHT...BEFORE BRINGING IN MORE WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY CLOSER TOWARDS DAWN. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL REMAINS A CONCERN OVERNIGHT...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS THAT SEEN HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS...ALTHOUGH WILL FOREGO ANY ADDED HEADLINES FOR NOW AS THE MORE SUSTAINED HEAVIER CONVECTION LOOKS TO STAY MAINLY ACROSS TENNESSEE. UPDATES HAVE BEEN SENT. UPDATE ISSUED AT 838 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 ISOLATED CONVECTION IS SHRINKING IN COVERAGE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS OUR SOUTH...ALTHOUGH WITH VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT...SOME OF THE CELLS ARE PUTTING DOWN SOME HEAVY LOCALIZED RAINFALL. THERE IS STILL GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THESE WILL WIND DOWN OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. A LULL IN THE ACTIVITY IS THEN EXPECTED UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT...WHEN FORCING BEGINS MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST OUT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING SHORT WAVE TROUGH. HAVE TIMED THESE HIGHER POPS A BIT LATER THAN PREVIOUSLY...BASED ON A BLEND OF THE SHORT TERM MODEL GUIDANCE. UPDATES HAVE BEEN SENT. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 257 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS. PRESENTLY...A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS DRAPED ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA. THESE SHOWERS WILL SLOWLY WIND DOWN AS INSTABILITY DROPS OFF THIS EVENING...PROVIDING A GOOD LULL FOR OUTDOOR FESTIVITIES THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER ARKANSAS AND WESTERN TENNESSEE WILL SLOWLY ROTATE EAST-NORTHEAST TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. THIS WILL SPREAD CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION BACK INTO THE AREA FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. GIVEN THE CURRENT EXPECTED TRACK...THERE WILL BE DECENT GRADIENT IN POPS ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE DAY SUNDAY WITH THE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES IN SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY...DROPPING OFF AS YOU HEAD NORTHWEST TOWARDS LEXINGTON. GIVEN THE GOOD LIFT AND MOISTURE IN PLACE...HAVE BUMPED POPS UP TO CATEGORICAL ACROSS SOUTH/SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. OVERALL...LAPSE RATES AREN'T THAT GREAT...SO THUNDER MAY NOT OCCUR...BUT LEFT AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IN THE FORECAST GIVEN THE TIME OF YEAR. PRECIPITATION AND CLOUD COVER WILL KEEP HIGHS DOWN ON SUNDAY. BY SUNDAY NIGHT...THIS WAVE SHOULD FINALLY MAKE ITS MOVE TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST...WITH RAIN CHANCES DECREASING OVERNIGHT. MAY KEEP CLOUDS AROUND THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO ANOTHER NIGHT OF LOWS IN THE 60S. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 THE PERIOD IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW GRADUALLY SHIFTING NORTH AND EAST OF THE REGION AND MERGING WITH A TROUGH APPROACHING THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION. A SFC BOUNDARY WILL ALSO APPROACH THE OHIO VALLEY BY MIDWEEK AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES THROUGH ONTARIO AND THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO QUEBEC AND THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS. HEIGHTS ARE PROJECTED TO RISE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK WHICH WILL KEEP THE BOUNDARY OR ITS REMNANTS GENERALLY STALLED OUT OVER THE OH VALLEY REGION OR ONLY SLOWLY SAGGING SOUTH INTO EASTERN KY THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. THIS PATTERN SHOULD RESULT IN UNSETTLED AND AT TIMES WET WEATHER ACROSS EASTERN KY. POPS WILL HAVE A GENERAL DIURNAL FLAVOR FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD...ALTHOUGH WITH THE FRONT STALLING OUT IN THE VICINITY...CONVECTION CANNOT BE RULED OUT AT ANY POINT. THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN APPEARS TO BE AT MIDWEEK WHEN THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO START TO STALL NEAR THE OH RIVER. TEMPERATURES SHOULD ALSO REMAIN CLOSE TO...IF NOT SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMALS...FOR HIGHS AND NEAR NORMAL FOR LOWS. TEMPERATURES MAY WARM A BIT AT THE THE PERIOD...PENDING THE STRENGTH OF THE RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 838 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 VFR CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY HOLD ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE OVERNIGHT...AS ISOLATED CONVECTION WINDS DOWN AND LOWER CLOUDS SCATTER OUT. CEILINGS WILL THEN LOWER FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST BETWEEN 06 AND 12Z...OUT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. MVFR/IFR CEILINGS WILL MOVE IN WITH RAIN SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SME TO PBX. CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...GEOGERIAN SHORT TERM...KAS LONG TERM...JP AVIATION...GEOGERIAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1058 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-051100- 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 1058 PM EDT SAT JUL 4 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAIN PARKWAY. ANY SLOW-MOVING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING A THREAT OF LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES DURING THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. KAS/GEOGERIAN
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:51 UTC.
6 flash flood, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A rescue crew had to evacuate residents of a home surrounded by flood water near the community of Acorn.
U.S. Route 25W near I-75 was closed due to flooding from approximately 320 am to 530 am.
Highway 599 was flooded due to a stopped up culvert but the road was passable.
Highway 1274 was flooded due to a stopped up culvert.
Greasy Creek left its banks, causing at least a foot of water to flow across nearby Greasy Creek Road.
A residents driveway was washed out and some of Back Lick Rd was under water. The nearby creek was overflowing due to heavy rain runoff from a mine.
Flash flooding produce property damage and a number of road closures with flood waters reported entering homes in many locations. Roads that were closed because of the flooding included Hwy 581, Hwy 132, Hwy 993, Whipporwill road, the right fork of Lindy Branch, and KY Rt. 3224. Route 581 from the 2600 block to the 3600 block had 2.5 feet of water flowing across it and the water reached depths of 5 to 6 feet during the worst of the flooding. Route 132 and the right fork of Lindy Branch Road had chest deep water across them with four homes in the area flooded.Heavy rain also caused a number of mudslides in and around Wittensville. Multiple trees were also wash off hillsides in the area.
Flash flooding occurred along Abbott Creek and on Alley Fork.
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, July 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: 583834, 583839, 583847, 583848, 583840, 583841, 583842, 583849.