Isolated thunderstorms formed in the warm sector of a weak low pressure center over central Illinois. One of these storms became severe during the warmest hours of the day.
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.
Isolated thunderstorms formed in the warm sector of a weak low pressure center over central Illinois. One of these storms became severe during the warmest hours of the day.
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 May 1, 5:52 PM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 652 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 652 PM CDT Sun May 1 2016 It never fails. Cancel the Watch, and the lone shower left decides to pulse up. The AVIATION section has been updated for the 00Z TAF issuance. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Tuesday night) Issued at 119 PM CDT Sun May 1 2016 Convection firing about where expected just before 18z. SPC considering SVR watches for our area. Should be mainly hail or locally damaging wind threat. Decent mid level speed shear exists, but low level shear only marginal. Surface based instability and mid level lapse rates decent. Followed the NAM.Nest for the most part for convective trends through early evening. Overnight, will diminish PoPs over our eastern most areas, dry late tonight. Continue with our chance of showers Monday, best chance southern sections, just a slight chance north given there are still model discrepancies with respect to overall quality moisture. Just slight chance PoPs mainly east 2/3 of the area Monday night through Tuesday. Then the main mid level trof axis should pass SE of the area. Thus will maintain dry Tuesday night. Used a MOS blend with existing numbers for consistency. Overall forecast beyond tonight was an even blend of model output. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Sunday) Issued at 119 PM CDT Sun May 1 2016 The the axis of the upper closed low/trough sliding down the western limb of the larger Hudson Bay Low is forecast to be just south of the WFO PAH forecast area by 12z (7am CDT) Wednesday. However, a more intense low/trough extending directly from the Hudson Bay low will slide down with some DPVA supporting some shower activity mainly for our Southwest Indiana, West Kentucky, Southeast Illinois counties for Wednesday. Given the sharp thermal profile, added a differential mention of thunderstorms as well during the afternoon hours. By Wednesday evening, the eastern limb of the dominating High Pressure ridge in the Central U.S. begins capping development and places the WFO PAH area in a period of dry weather through at least early Sunday. The upper air pattern shifts from a brief blocking pattern to a series of differential low pressure centers in the Western and Eastern U.S., as well as the the aforementioned Hudson Bay low. The combination of all of these systems impresses and maintains ridging over the WFO Paducah forecast area. && .AVIATION... Issued at 652 PM CDT Sun May 1 2016 Will have to watch for showers and possibly thunderstorms at KEVV and KOWB through about 06Z, then the front should be through all TAF sites with a modest northwest breeze expected overnight. A large mass of lower MVFR ceilings will shift east southeast and may impact KEVV for much of Monday. Not sure how far south it will make it into our area, so will keep the ceilings out of KOWB for now. 4-5kft ceiling is likely to develop over the remainder of the area in the afternoon. && .PAH Watches/Warnings/Advisories... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && UPDATE...DRS AVIATION...DRS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 644 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-021900- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION-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- 644 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...AND WESTERN KENTUCKY. WHILE AN ISOLATED STRONG STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...THE MAIN IMPACTS SHOULD BE BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE POTENTIAL FOR STORMS SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A SMALL CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. AT THIS TIME, THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE LEVELS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING FOR WEST KENTUCKY AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA. REPORTS OF HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ARE ENCOURAGED. SMITH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
352 PM CDT SUN MAY 01 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM HAIL 2 N SANTA CLAUS 38.14N 86.93W
05/01/2016 M0.75 INCH SPENCER IN BROADCAST MEDIA
PENNY SIZED HAIL AND WINDS ESTIMATED AROUND 50 MPH
&&
SPSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
557 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016
KYZ018>020-012330-
HENDERSON KY-DAVIESS KY-MCLEAN KY-
557 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN HENDERSON...
NORTHWESTERN MCLEAN AND NORTHWESTERN DAVIESS COUNTIES UNTIL 630 PM
CDT...
AT 556 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
ST. JOSEPH...OR 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HENDERSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
OWENSBORO...ST. JOSEPH...STANLEY...BEECH GROVE AND HEBBARDSVILLE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD
TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.
&&
LAT...LON 3759 8741 3773 8755 3790 8730 3788 8727
3787 8726 3786 8723 3776 8713
TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 230DEG 28KT 3771 8741
DRSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
626 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016
INZ088-KYZ019-020015-
SPENCER IN-DAVIESS KY-
626 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN SPENCER AND NORTHEASTERN
DAVIESS COUNTIES UNTIL 715 PM CDT...
AT 623 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
OWENSBORO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
THIS STORM PRODUCED ONE INCH HAIL AS IT CROSSED THE HENDERSON
DAVIESS COUNTY LINE AROUND 615 PM CDT.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
OWENSBORO...ROCKPORT...GRANDVIEW AND EUREKA.
LAT...LON 3804 8679 3800 8677 3801 8680 3799 8686
3794 8692 3793 8698 3791 8699 3790 8699
3790 8691 3788 8689 3784 8691 3783 8689
3784 8686 3782 8684 3771 8717 3787 8727
3810 8677 3808 8678 3806 8677
TIME...MOT...LOC 2323Z 243DEG 34KT 3783 8714PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
632 PM CDT SUN MAY 01 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0613 PM HAIL HEBBARDSVILLE 37.78N 87.38W
05/01/2016 M1.00 INCH HENDERSON KY EMERGENCY MNGR
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
642 PM CDT SUN MAY 01 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0633 PM HAIL 2 SW ROCKPORT 37.86N 87.08W
05/01/2016 E0.50 INCH SPENCER IN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTS DIME SIZE HAIL 1.5 MI SW OF ROCKPORT
&&
DPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
654 PM CDT SUN MAY 01 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0636 PM HAIL ROCKPORT 37.88N 87.05W
05/01/2016 M1.00 INCH SPENCER IN TRAINED SPOTTER
QUARTER SIZE HAIL WITH MODERATE PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AS
WELL.
&&The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:15 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Quarter-size hail occurred in a swath from Mount Vernon, east along Illinois Route 15, to the Wayne County line. The hailstorm was videotaped at a location two miles east of Bluford.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2016
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: 626851.