Thunderstorms developed and trained over a narrow corridor producing flash flooding in southwest Breathitt and northern Perry County during the early morning hours of May 1st. Later in the day, numerous strong to severe storms raked across eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours.
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.
Thunderstorms developed and trained over a narrow corridor producing flash flooding in southwest Breathitt and northern Perry County during the early morning hours of May 1st. Later in the day, numerous strong to severe storms raked across eastern Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours. The storms formed in a warm moist air mass ahead of an approaching cold front. The storms produced hail as large as 1.75 inches in diameter, damaging winds, and flooding across the area.
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 May 1, 3:54 AM EST, 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 454 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 454 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016 LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER MISSOURI WAS BRINGING WARM AIR ADVECTION/ISENTROPIC LIFT TO OUR AREA DURING THE NIGHT AS A DIFFUSE WARM FRONT PASSES NORTH AND EAST...WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RESULTING. THERE HAS BEEN TRAINING OF CELLS...AND HYDRO PROBLEMS WERE STARTING TO CROP UP. HARDEST HIT AREAS SHOULD BE SEEING PRECIP TAPER OFF IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...AND AT THIS POINT WILL HANDLE PROBLEMS WITH STATEMENTS/WARNINGS. THE WARM FRONT WILL BECOME BETTER DEFINED AS IT MOVES TO OUR NORTH AND EAST TODAY...LEAVING US IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE WEATHER SYSTEM. THE EXISTING PRECIP SHOULD FOLLOW THE BEST ISENTROPIC LIFT...AND SHIFT EAST OF OUR AREA THIS MORNING. THIS WILL LEAVE A BREAK FOR AT LEAST A TIME TODAY. HEATING WILL RESULT IN STRONG DESTABILIZATION BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE QUESTION WILL BE WHETHER OR NOT ANY PERTURBATIONS IN THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BE ENOUGH TO HELP INITIATE CONVECTION. IF CONVECTION DOES GO UP...THERE IS A SEVERE THREAT DUE TO THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY AND STILL SOME MARGINAL SHEAR LATE TODAY/THIS EVENING. WILL LOOK FOR PRECIP TO DWINDLE TONIGHT WITH LOSS OF HEATING. THE LOW CENTER WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS OH AND INTO PA TONIGHT...SENDING A COLD FRONT SOUTHEAST INTO KY. IT WILL STALL AND ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE WAVE RIPPLING NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONT WILL BRING A POTENTIAL FOR MORE SHOWERS/STORMS ON MONDAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 454 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016 AN UPDATED LONG TERM DISCUSSION WILL BE SENT SHORTLY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 240 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016 A DIFFUSE WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTH OVER THE REGION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ONGOING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THEY WERE BRINGING LOCALIZED MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...MOST LOCATIONS WERE STILL VFR. THIS SCENARIO SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL PRECIP TAPERS OFF AND VFR RETURNS EVERYWHERE. THE BACK EDGE OF THE GENERAL AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN ABOUT 09Z AND 13Z. THIS SHOULD LEAVE A FAIRLY QUIET START TO THE DAY ON SUNDAY. HOWEVER...AS HEATING AND DESTABILIZATION OCCUR...REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BIG QUESTION/UNCERTAINTY IS INITIATION OF CONVECTION AND THE EXTENT OF COVERAGE. STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM...HAL/KAS AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1051 PM EDT SAT APR 30 2016 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-020600- 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...BROADHEAD... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...ANNVILLE...BURNSIDE...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...STEARNS...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG... BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...CUMBERLAND...HARLAN... SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINSVILLE...CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE... PRESTONSBURG...WHEELWRIGHT...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...HINDMAN... PIPPA PASSES...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN... JENKINS...WHITESBURG...INEZ...COAL RUN...ELKHORN CITY... PIKEVILLE...SOUTH WILLIAMSON 1051 PM EDT SAT APR 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL...WITH PONDING ON ROADWAYS THE MAIN CONCERN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG WITH A THREAT OF HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT ANY OCCURRENCES OF HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. HAL/SHALLENBERGER/JMW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
259 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016
KYZ079-083-084-010730-
WAYNE-MCCREARY-PULASKI-
259 AM EDT SUN MAY 1 2016
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT WAYNE...MCCREARY...PULASKI...
AT 259 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER BETSEY...OR 9 MILES
NORTHEAST OF MONTICELLO...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AND HALF INCH HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BURNSIDE...TATEVILLE...FRAZER...DELTA...MILL SPRINGS...SLOANS VALLEY...
ALPINE...MOUNT VICTORY...BETSEY...KIDDER...GENERAL BURNSIDE S.P....
BRONSTON...QUINTON AND GREENWOOD.
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...WHICH WILL
CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. LOCALIZED FLOODING IS ALSO
POSSIBLE. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO 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 3707 8432 3703 8432 3702 8433 3700 8432
3699 8435 3697 8434 3695 8437 3694 8436
3694 8433 3686 8433 3685 8479 3695 8481
TIME...MOT...LOC 0659Z 257DEG 38KT 3691 8470
KASThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:59 UTC.
7 flood, 7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was over portions of Keneva Rd along Eversole Creek and was approaching some homes.
Flash flooding was observed with several feet of flowing water over sections of Highway 1933 and 1388 (Bowlings Creek). A family was trapped on high ground as flash flood washed out the access bridge to their home on Bowlings Creek. Flood waters entered the Altro Church of God. A CoCoRaHS observer located 2 miles east-southeast of Talbert measured 3.77 inches of rain, with much of that falling during the late afternoon and overnight hours.
Several roads in and around London were covered by water of unknown depth.
Water was over Turkey Creek Rd at the Inez water plant. One lane of the road was completely blocked with the other lane partially blocked at this location.
A home on Middle Creek Rd was almost completely surrounded by water.
Highway 1635 had 3 to 4 inches of water across it and was impassable for a short while.
Water was over Granny Fitz Bridge Rd.
A large tree was blown down and onto some power lines on Elk Creek Rd.
A tree was blown down and onto KY 1705 at East Point.
A tree was blown down near Wolfe Creek.
A large tree was blown down and across a power line at the junction of Jewell Lane and |Skaggs Rd.
A tree was blown down on Hwy 711 at DeHart Rd.
A picture of the hail was received from the WYMT Facebook page and Chris Johnson of WYMT.
A tree was blown down near Phelps.
Several trees were blown down along Junction 194.
Water was covering KY30W and was deep enough to cover a car tire. There was also water of unknown depth over Hwy 542.
Route 7 was flooded near Meadow going toward Royalton along with KY1090 toward Lakesville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, 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: 629182, 623516, 623519, 623525, 623524, 623526, 623528, 623508, 623505, 623509, 623511, 623513, 623514, 623506, 623507, 623510, 623512, 623530, 623531.