The Ohio River rose above flood stage late in the month. December ended up mild and wet.
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.
The Ohio River rose above flood stage late in the month. December ended up mild and wet. Total precipitation amounts for the month were up to 2.5 inches above normal. Record daily precipitation amounts were noted on the 1st and 14th at several locations. It was the heavy rain at mid-month that caused the river to rise above flood stage. The river remained above flood stage into the new year.
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 Dec 25, 11:37 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 1137 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 .UPDATE... Issued at 1137 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 Updated aviation discussion. UPDATE... Issued at 902 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 Mid-evening update to reflect slower onset of rain chances from the west on Wednesday morning in southeast Missouri and greater expansion of rain chances into the Purchase Area of west Kentucky Wednesday afternoon. Slight adjustments to the propagation of slightly higher temperatures and dewpoints into the area as the winds change. For the most part, high level cirrus clouds spreading along the limb of the low amplitude ridge will be the rule overnight, with lower clouds moving in from the west toward daybreak into southeast Missouri. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Thursday night) Issued at 210 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 Christmas day and night time ridging will keep it largely dry over the PAH FA into this evening. Some moisture does start to sling in on the back side of the eastward progressing ridge, yielding a small pop mainly for the SEMO Ozarks. The more earnest moist advection occurs late tonight, as categorical pops enter the Ozarks and chance pops spread as far east as the 45F dew point nose, into sw Il/sw Ky. From there, the pressure gradient gets going as low level winds ramp up for Thursday in the warm sector of the Low, situation over the Midwest/Plains states. Gradient southerlies to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph are possible for the day after Christmas, as categorical pops spread eastward over the remainder of the FA. A sliver of 0-1KM MUCape as well as elevated instability exists, but limited mixing due to clouds should mean mainly a tapping of the high PW's near 1" with surface Td's nudging into/near 50F. This still looks like mainly the afternoon/evening hours for Thursday, however, we lingered a thunder chance in our far east into/thru the overnight hours, due to lingering high pops/instability axis still there. Pending collab of course. Lows tonight in the 30s will recover thru the 40s tmrw night, with maybe some 50s under clouds/rain Thursday night. Highs rise into the 50s tmrw, and flirt with 60F even under clouds/with rain in the warm sector Thursday. .LONG TERM...(Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 210 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 The primary time period of interest is early next week, when a period of rain or mixed wintry precipitation looks increasingly likely. The models are in agreement on the longwave pattern, which will feature a rather deep 500 mb trough over the Rockies. Most of the guidance ejects a moist southern stream shortwave northeast out of this trough. The model timing and strength of the shortwave varies. The faster ecmwf brings widespread precip to our area Monday, while the 12z gfs and gfs ensemble mean brings it New Years Eve into New Years Day. For the most part, model low level temps are above freezing during the precip. There would be more potential for mixed precip or snow if a surface low passes to our southeast, as hinted at by the gfs ensemble mean. The details will remain sketchy until we get within a few days of the precip event. Otherwise, there is not much active weather in the long term. Friday will be mainly dry in the wake of the departing storm system. Temperatures will cool down gradually, with highs falling from the 50s and lower 60s Friday to the lower and mid 40s Saturday and Sunday. The models continue to indicate a weak 500 mb shortwave will pass across the Midwest Saturday night, possibly entraining some moisture from the southern branch of the jet. There is a slight chance of some rain or snow Saturday night, but amounts should be little more than a trace. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1137 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 Mid level ridging and high surface pressure will eventually give way to increasing southwesterly low level flow just off the surface as a large low pressure system approaches. For the next 24 hours, MVFR and possibly IFR cigs are possible west of the MS River for much of the day Wed, starting around daybreak. MVFR cigs are expected to spread a little farther east. Also near daybreak, some IFR fog is possible mainly west of Lake Wappapello in southeastern MO. Rain showers are possible mainly west of the MS River after daybreak, but appear to be widely scattered enough in the models to leave out of the KCGI TAF for now. Light to very light easterly winds will prevail through Wed morning, veering slightly and increasing in the afternoon. The main surge of moisture and rainfall should wait until after the 06Z TAF period to move in from the southwest. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && UPDATE...Smith AVIATION...DB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 855 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-261100- 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- 855 PM CST Tue Dec 25 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday There is a slight chance of thunderstorms Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening. The main hazard with any isolated storms would be strong gusty winds. Dangerous lightning and locally heavy rainfall are also possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding occurred along the Ohio River. Low-lying woods and fields near the river were inundated. A few access roads to farms were underwater.
The Ohio River rose above flood stage. Minor flooding caused officials to close the Ballard Wildlife Management Area, which consists of large tracts of wetland formed by Ohio River sloughs.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 2018
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: 794043, 794042.