Numerous rounds of rainfall occurred on this date across the city of Morehead. As a cold frontal boundary approached from the northwest, showers and thunderstorms began to train along and ahead of the boundary as they produced 3 to 4 inch daily rainfall totals across portions of the city.
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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 JKL wrote it up.
Numerous rounds of rainfall occurred on this date across the city of Morehead. As a cold frontal boundary approached from the northwest, showers and thunderstorms began to train along and ahead of the boundary as they produced 3 to 4 inch daily rainfall totals across portions of the city. This led to flowing water on highways, including Kentucky Highways 32 and 1167, subsequently leading to road closures. The Morehead Police Station and St. Claire Regional Medical Center both had water move into them, but 911 and medical services both went uninterrupted.
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 Jul 22, 7:09 AM EST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Jackson KY 809 AM EDT Mon Jul 22 2019 .UPDATE... Issued at 810 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2019 Showers and a few thunderstorms continue to track east across the area this morning associated with the outflow boundaries from yesterday's convection. Some minor training of cells has been seen this morning prompting a few flood statements, but thus far rainfall rates have not been high enough to warrant and flash flood warnings. However, the airmass will remain primed into the afternoon. We are seeing additional showers developing upstream in central Kentucky, as its shaping up to be a very damp day for eastern Kentucky. The MCV is still expected to spread across the area this afternoon, providing some additional lift, and again more showers and storms. No significant updates needed this morning. && .SHORT TERM...(Today through Tuesday) Issued at 404 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2019 An active period of weather taking shape from this morning into the overnight hours tonight as a cold front, currently stretched out from northern Ohio, across central Indiana, and into southern IL, tracks slowly southward across east Kentucky. An outflow boundary from earlier activity has drifted south to near the I-64 corridor this morning and continues to generate showers and isolated storms from time to time along this boundary. A secondary boundary is tracking across south central Kentucky and will be moving into our southwest counties over the next hour. Where these two boundaries intersect, we have seen some locally higher rainfall amounts through the first half of the overnight period. Cloud tops have been cooling near the intersection of these boundaries over the past few hours, so its possible we should see some higher rainfall rates move into the area prior to dawn. This activity will continue to track across the area through dawn with a brief break in showers/storms possible shortly after sunrise. However, a dying MCS over MO will likely send a MCV east across Kentucky by late this morning and this afternoon allowing convection to refire during the day. Instability is rather limited, but it won't take much in the way of breaks in the cloud cover to provide the needed instability to produce convection with the added lift from the MCV spreading across the area. Finally, showers and storms should form along the actual cold front boundary this evening as it tracks southward. Again instability is limited, but given its a rather strong front, I expect to see some development along the boundary. Highs will struggle to get to 80 today given the multiple rounds of showers and storms. All of this activity will shift southward this evening into the overnight hours as the front sinks to the south. Dry weather will return by dawn on Tuesday areawide, along with cooler and less humid weather spread into the coal fields. Highs on Tuesday will likely not exceed the mid 70s. As far as the heavy rain potential today, with potentially three different rounds of showers and storms possible today, and PW's up over 2 inches (near the 95th percentile based on BNA sounding climatology), have opted to go with a flash flood watch for most of east Kentucky. Kept our northern counties out of the watch as the CAMS are really hitting the southern and southeast counties harder with the multiple rounds of storms. Flash flood guidance in some areas of McCreary county and Bell county are either near or below 1 inch in an hour. Thus, may not take much to see some problems today. Finally, there is a marginal wind threat any storms that can become more organized today. With the MCV firing off convection this afternoon, might be a slightly better chance of convection developing a cold pool and possibly producing some strong wind gusts. Wind shear isn't great today, but 0-6km shear is near 30 knots, so enough to at least warrant more of a threat than we have seen lately. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Sunday) Issued at 342 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2019 A deep upper level trough will be in place across eastern KY to start the period, encompassing the majority of the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada. Meanwhile a strong upper level ridge will be in place across the 4 corner states, and will remain in strong control of the region through much of the extended portion of the period. This will work to deamplify the upper level trough across eastern KY, though some extent of troughing will remain over the region throughout the extended portion of the forecast as well. Meanwhile, at the surface, a large area of high pressure will be in strong control of the central U.S. to start the period, encompassing much of KY as well. This area of high pressure will slowly progress eastward throughout the period, moving overhead on Thursday and parking itself along the Appalachians just east of the CWA to finish out the forecast period. The combination of NW flow aloft and Nrly surface winds on the east side of the surface low, will advect cooler and drier air into the region. In fact, the upper level trough will keep dry and cooler NW flow across the region through the remainder of the time period, while the surface winds should only become more Srly on the return flow side of the surface high during the weekend. Even then, this will not be enough to overcome the expansive area of dry air across the region, so no precip is forecast for the period. Highs will be in the upper 70s Wednesday, with much lower dew points. Despite the cooler northerly flow, temps will begin to moderate under mostly sunny skies, with mid and upper 80s expected by the weekend as surface winds become more Srly. However, RH levels should remain bearable, keeping heat indexes near (or only a couple degrees above) the actual temperature. During the overnight, with little to no cloud cover, temps will be able to fall fairly quickly. Included ridge/valley splits given the strong subsidence in place. Generally upper 50s and 60s are expected. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Tuesday morning) ISSUED AT 810 AM EDT MON JUL 22 2019 Showers and storms will track across the area today with a mix of MVFR and VFR conditions through the day. During the heavier showers, a brief period of IFR conditions will be possible. A cold front will bring a wind shift to the north this evening with drier air spreading in from the north. However, some low clouds or fog could linger through most of the night, before VFR conditions return at some point on Tuesday. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch through this evening for KYZ050-058>060-068- 069-079-080-083-106>109-111-112-114. Flash Flood Watch through late tonight for KYZ084>088-110-113- 115>120. && UPDATE...KAS SHORT TERM...KAS LONG TERM...JMW AVIATION...KAS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Jackson KY 338 AM EDT Mon Jul 22 2019 KYZ050-058>060-068-069-079-080-083-106>109-111-112-114-231045- Montgomery-Estill-Powell-Menifee-Rockcastle-Jackson-Pulaski- Laurel-Wayne-Morgan-Johnson-Wolfe-Magoffin-Lee-Breathitt-Owsley- Including the cities of Camargo, Jeffersonville, Mount Sterling, Irvine, Ravenna, Clay City, Stanton, Frenchburg, Brodhead, Mount Vernon, McKee, Annville, Burnside, Somerset, London, Monticello, West Liberty, Paintsville, Campton, Salyersville, Beattyville, Jackson, and Booneville 338 AM EDT Mon Jul 22 2019 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Several rounds of thunderstorms will be possible through this evening leading to the threat of flash flooding. A few of the stronger storms may also contain high wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report any occurrences of flooding or wind damage today. KYZ044-051-052-104-231045- Fleming-Bath-Rowan-Elliott- Including the cities of Flemingsburg, Owingsville, Morehead, and Sandy Hook 338 AM EDT Mon Jul 22 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms are possible through early this evening. A few of the stronger storms may contain strong wind gusts and heavy rainfall. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time. KYZ084>088-110-113-115>120-231045- McCreary-Whitley-Knox-Bell-Harlan-Floyd-Knott-Perry-Clay-Leslie- Letcher-Martin-Pike- Including the cities of Stearns, Whitley City, Corbin, Williamsburg, Barbourville, Middlesboro, Pineville, Cumberland, Harlan, Prestonsburg, Wheelwright, Hindman, Pippa Passes, Hazard, Manchester, Hyden, Jenkins, Whitesburg, Inez, Coal Run, Elkhorn City, Pikeville, and South Williamson 338 AM EDT Mon Jul 22 2019 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Several rounds of thunderstorms will be possible through late tonight leading to the threat of flash flooding. A few of the stronger storms may also contain high wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report any occurrences of flooding or wind damage today. KAS/JMW
The Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:59 UTC.
1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Dispatch relayed a report of standing water forcing a road closure at the intersection of Kentucky Highway 2032 and Frog Pond Road near Threeforks and Coalpoint.
Dispatch reported several streets in Morehead becoming inundated with flowing flood waters, including Kentucky Highways 32 and 1167, forcing their closure. St. Claire Regional Medical Center and the Morehead Police Station had water move into them, but medical and 911 services went uninterrupted. Rainfall amounts for the day totaled 3 to 4 inches, with the majority of this occurring within a couple of hours during the late afternoon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, July 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: 829569, 829577.