Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms moved southeast along a warm front. The warm front extended southeast from a low pressure center between St.
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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 strong to severe thunderstorms moved southeast along a warm front. The warm front extended southeast from a low pressure center between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri. This activity produced a swath of large hail as well as isolated wind damage. The storms occurred in a weakly buoyant air mass, characterized by most-unstable capes around 1000 j/kg. Shear profiles were supportive of organization, however.
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 Mar 24, 1:26 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 226 PM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH Sunday NIGHT) ISSUED AT 226 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018 Low clouds and lingering moisture is the issue through the period. However, in the very short term, convection may be an issue. Quite a bit of clearing has occurred over southeast Missouri. Current SBCAPE is 200-400 and forecast soundings from the RAP suggest that 1500 is possible late this afternoon. The question is whether or not there can be an sustainable updraft. If so, then some hail and possibly wind may accompany the storms. These will quickly end shortly after 00Z. WV imagery shows upper low over northern Missouri with the surface low near Texas county in Missouri which is forecast to slide southeast to around Paducah by 00z and exit the area by 03z. Time height sections reveal lots of low level moisture that might be difficult to mix out tomorrow except in the northeast sections. .LONG TERM...(Monday THROUGH Saturday) ISSUED AT 226 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018 Confidence remains high for wet and fairly warm extended until late in the week and into the weekend. Confidence decreases after Thursday as models diverge in their solutions. Starting Monday winds will slowly shift to a more southerly direction. This will start to advect higher dew points into the region as a warm front approaches from the south. There will still be ridging aloft but with the southerly flow increasing and some elevated instability with K index around 30c across the area will be inclined to keep rain chances going. Also Showalters go negative over SEMO in the morning. So will maintain mention of thunder at least there and may extend farther east due to K index values. By Tuesday the warm front will have lifted well north...placing our region in the warm sector with the trailing cold front to our west. There are still hints of elevated instability with Showalter near zero and K index still around/near 30. Again that is strongest over the western half and in the morning. The cold front will move through late Tuesday and Bisect the area from north to south Wednesday morning. This will make the best chance for the most rainfall overnight Tuesday night. The front will be slow to move through the area but still faster than previous thoughts. Will continue rain chances Thursday and Thursday night as the upper level trough shifts eastward toward the area. Now this is where the model solutions start to diverge a little. Friday the upper level trough should have pushed the surface system out of the area and this should dry us out. May have to have a low chance mention as we head into Saturday as a secondary or reinforcing cold front moves through the region. Finally winds will start to pick up Late monday and persist through the night. The strongest winds will take place on Tuesday with gusts near 30 mph likely. Temperatures will above normal the first half of the week then near to slightly below late in the week as cooler and drier air makes its way back into the region. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z Sunday AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1214 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018 Warm front will make it to the Ohio River near Paducah and low pressure will move southeast along it this afternoon. To the north of the front IFR conditions will exist into tomorrow with light showers/drizzle into the evening. South of the front expect MFVR conditions. A band of showers/thunderstorms will develop ahead of the front from 21z-24z and affect KCGI and KPAH. MVFR and some IFR conditions will continue into tomorrow. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && SHORT TERM...PS LONG TERM...KH AVIATION...PS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 719 AM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-251015- 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- 719 AM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A few thunderstorms are possible today and into this evening. Locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be the primary concerns. Small hail and gusty winds may be possible in stronger thunderstorms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Multiple rounds of showers and some thunderstorms ares expected Monday through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. Smith/DRS
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Paducah KY
348 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018
INZ088-KYZ019-242115-
Spencer IN-Daviess KY-
348 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SPENCER AND DAVIESS COUNTIES
UNTIL 415 PM CDT...
At 347 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms over
Spencer county Indiana and Daviess county Kentucky moving northeast
at 30 mph.
Pea to dime size hail will be possible with these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Owensboro, Rockport, Dale, Grandview, Whitesville, Knottsville, St.
Joseph, Masonville, Stanley, Holiday World, Eureka, Chrisney, Troy,
Gentryville, Moseleyville and Pleasant Ridge.
LAT...LON 3799 8686 3790 8699 3789 8691 3784 8691
3784 8686 3779 8682 3774 8682 3763 8691
3757 8704 3768 8740 3774 8736 3778 8728
3778 8730 3782 8732 3794 8724 3812 8702
3820 8698 3818 8680 3800 8677
TIME...MOT...LOC 2047Z 240DEG 28KT 3772 8731
16The Paducah radar (KPAH), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:48 UTC.
2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A large amount of quarter-size hail fell throughout the community of Patton. The hail swath extended northeast across Highway 72, covering the road completely. A motorcycle accident occurred on the hail-covered road.
Roughly 800 customers in the Cape Girardeau area were without power due to high winds, primarily west of Interstate 55.
A wind gust to 63 mph was measured at the Cape Girardeau airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, March 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: 740123, 740125, 740126, 740140.