A small cluster of thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. An isolated occurrence of damaging winds accompanied the strongest storm.
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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.
A small cluster of thunderstorms developed in the vicinity of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. An isolated occurrence of damaging winds accompanied the strongest storm. The cluster of storms occurred in a moderately to strongly unstable air mass ahead of a dissipating cold front over northwest Missouri. A weakening 500 mb shortwave moved northeastward from the southern Plains, contributing to the development of the thunderstorms. A larger complex of storms during the evening hours produced flooding rains in a few locations.
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 29, 2:30 PM CST, 43 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 330 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Friday night) Issued at 250 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 Still looking as though we will be dealing with some severe storm potential into the early evening hours. One area of focus this afternoon has been along old outflow boundary (from AM convective complex) over southern portions of wrn KY. Very unstable conditions are in place over all of the quad state region with SBCAPES now running 3000-4000 J/KG. Lower level (0-3 km) shear has been rather low up to this point, but the e-w orientation of the outflow boundary has sent cells on a rather deviant motion relative to the mean flow, thus maximizing any available effective shear. Effective shear values are now running back up around 40 kts over much of the region, more than enough to sustain organized deep convection. With another area of storms expected to move northeast from AR/MO late today, will definitely need to monitor for severe potential over much of the region into the evening until we begin to lose heating/instability with setting of the sun. Will also need to keep an eye on the hydro aspect of the storms. Locations up along the I-64 corridor from IL into sw IN received quite a bit of flooding this morning, with a few locations reporting 4-5 inches of rainfall along the Wabash River Valley. Some of the 12Z CAMS are pointing to another round of convection across that area tonight, but confidence is not high enough at this time to issue flash flood headlines. Will need to be monitored. Surface cold front then works it's way across the region from west to east Thursday, as a mid level short wave sinks slowly southeast into the mid MS River Valley. Not thinking we will be able to destabilize very much with lots of left over clouds and sct showers/isold thunder still in the picture, so still not too high on the chc of severe storms within the weak convergence zone along the front. The front should move off to the east on Thursday night and Friday, allowing high pressure to press southeast toward the region within the developing nw flow aloft. Should serve to dry things out and bring in lower humidity, along with cooler/more seasonable late Spring temperatures. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Wednesday) Issued at 330 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 In the extended forecast period, the PAH forecast area will generally be under northwesterly flow aloft, with a persistent vortex near Hudson Bay for most of the period. The ECMWF/CMC depicted mid level shortwave energy coming around the southwest side of the Canadian low as two separate impulses, while the GFS did not have the northern one (shown moving along the Canadian border). Nevertheless, model consensus, with slight timing differences, appeared to indicate the leading edge of a slightly cooler airmass will pass through our region by early Sun. As a result, isolated to scattered showers and tstms are forecast ahead of this feature, mainly Sat night. The rest of the weekend, and Mon look dry for the most part, but by Mon night/Tue, the likelihood of more convective activity should start increasing from the west as low level winds begin to gain a southerly component and a surface warm front approaches. However, the medium range models do have some timing differences for the startup of the initial band of pcpn, and any additional pcpn that may occur into midweek. For now, the best PoPs will be Wed afternoon. Temps through the period are expected to be near seasonable averages. && .AVIATION... Issued at 123 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 A lull in shower and tstm activity will continue in most areas for the afternoon, accompanied by sunshine and gradually increasing cumulus development. Parts of western KY will still have some shower and tstm activity this afternoon. Shower and tstm activity and cigs are expected to increase from the west by evening. VFR conditions are generally expected outside of convective activity through the evening and overnight, but cigs are forecast to drop to MVFR by daybreak Thu as a a surface cold front begins to move southeastward across the region. Southwesterly winds generally less than 20 knots will begin a shift to the west after daybreak Thu. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && SHORT TERM...GM LONG TERM...DB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 340 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-302045- 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- 340 PM CDT Wed May 29 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible for awhile this evening. Large Hail and Damaging Winds are the primary hazards, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. Locally heavy rain and frequently lightning will also occur with these thunderstorms and may cause localized flooding. Please refer to the latest river flood warnings and statements for details on river flooding across the region. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday An isolated strong thunderstorm cannot be ruled out through midday on Thursday over the southwest Indiana and the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky. Thunderstorms are forecast Saturday and again on Tuesday. It is too early to determine whether these storms may reach severe limits. Please refer to the latest river flood warnings and statements for details on river flooding across the region. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Skywarn spotter activation may be needed later today and tonight.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
229 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0216 PM HAIL 3 NW CLIFTY 37.03N 87.19W
05/29/2019 E0.25 INCH TODD KY EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
252 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0143 PM HAIL CROFTON 37.05N 87.48W
05/29/2019 E1.00 INCH CHRISTIAN KY TRAINED SPOTTER
DELAYED REPORT. DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
TIME ESTIMATED.
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
257 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0238 PM HAIL DUNMOR 37.08N 87.00W
05/29/2019 E1.75 INCH MUHLENBERG KY 911 CALL CENTER
HALF DOLLAR TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.
&&
RJPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
344 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0216 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 WNW CLIFTY 37.01N 87.23W
05/29/2019 TODD KY EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ALONG CLIFTY-KIRKMANSVILLE ROAD.
TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
348 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0235 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 NNW HOPKINSVILLE 36.90N 87.53W
05/29/2019 CHRISTIAN KY EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN IN THE PRINCETON ROAD AND DAWSON
SPRINGS ROAD AREA. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
402 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0359 PM HAIL 3 NE CHARLESTON 36.95N 89.29W
05/29/2019 E0.70 INCH MISSISSIPPI MO BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
DWSThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:13 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree limbs and power lines were blown down, and a carport was flipped over. The carport debris hit a car.
A portion of U.S. Highway 51 in Cairo was closed due to flooding. A co-operative observer in Cairo measured 3.47 inches, which mostly fell on the 29th.
Some water was over U.S. Highway 45 in a flood-prone spot.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2019
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: 817523, 819918, 819913.