Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms were ongoing during the early afternoon hours on July 23rd. One of these storms, located in Laurel County, near London, had some stronger winds located along the leading edge.
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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.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms were ongoing during the early afternoon hours on July 23rd. One of these storms, located in Laurel County, near London, had some stronger winds located along the leading edge. This wind gust resulted in a downed tree across a road near London.
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 23, 1:11 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Jackson KY 211 PM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020 .UPDATE... Issued at 211 PM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 Widespread showers and storms continue to spread northeast into east Kentucky. We should see a round of showers and storms for most areas before this activity winds down into this evening. Right now, it looks like we could see a drier period of weather for most of the area after 5 or 6 pm as subsidence behind this current area of showers and storms moves into the area. UPDATE Issued at 1051 AM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 Showers, and a few storms, continue to slide northeast across the region this morning. We continue to see trends towards increasing coverage upstream and given these trends, opted to bump up pops to categorical for a short time this afternoon. PW's remain near 2 inches and with the frontal zone in the area, and a area of ascent associated with a vort max noted on water vapor imagery, this should provide plenty of support of continued shower and storm chances through the rest of the day. Given the increasing coverage, and the fact our temperatures have not warmed any this morning, have lowered afternoon highs by several degrees. Despite the very slight increase in shear (compared with the last few days), instability will be much less today with the ongoing cloud cover and shower activity. Thus, went ahead and removed the strong storm mention from the HWO. With the high PW's and the fact our southeast areas have not been tapped yet, will leave a mention of heavy rain in our far southeast counties for this afternoon. This lines up well with where WPC has put the slight risk for excessive rainfall. UPDATE Issued at 831 AM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 Precip is on the increase. Have made minor adjustments as it picks up this morning, but no change in overall 12 hour POP. && .SHORT TERM...(Today through Friday) Issued at 554 AM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 Early this morning a weak cold front was laid out from the lower Great Lakes southwestward through MO. It was supported by a broad, flat upper level trough moving eastward across the northeast CONUS, of which we were on its southern fringe, with the base approaching. A relative min in precip was occurring overnight for our area. However, models show a significant uptick in activity starting this morning as the trough and the front approach, as well as a very subtle ripple in the upper level flow. Models have struggled with precip specifics very far in advance recently, which does not lend confidence to the forecast. However, a very moist atmosphere is in place ahead of the front, with precipitable water of around two inches. It won't take much to get things going, and likely POPs have been used for today. The high water content could also lead to some locally heavy rainfall. Models suggest precip will have largely made its way through the area by this evening, and with loss of heating, another relative min is expected during the night. The front will creep south into the JKL forecast area on Friday. At the same time the upper level trough axis will shift to our east, and our flow aloft will become more from the west and northwest, with drier air aloft arriving. This will probably result in convective precip being more limited overall. The southern and southeastern portions of the forecast area will see the greatest POP (but only in chance category), with that area remaining south of the front through the day. .LONG TERM...(Friday night through Wednesday) Issued at 341 AM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 The long term period begins with an area of surface high pressure and ridging begin to reassert themselves across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. This will lead to an increase in temperatures for the upcoming weekend. The NBM seems to be advertising more robust PoPs than what would be supported in this regime and therefore lowered the PoPs to slight both Saturday and Sunday. The best chances of seeing a storm would be in the far southeast both days. However, these days could easily be a dry area wide based on the mid level dry air, capping around 850mb, and lower instability/moisture all noted in the forecast soundings. Then Monday we see the ridge become more suppressed by a northern stream wave. This wave will help to swing a cold front into the Ohio Valley to start the new work week. The guidance continues to struggle some on the timing of this front, but was a little more in alignment for this cycle. Given the better alignment went likely PoPs for Tuesday, as better support for lift from the cold front arrives. After Tuesday the guidance disagree on the depth of the northern stream trough axis and this leaves Wednesday more in question. This is likely caused by the pattern change and struggle to handle the timing of it. The good news is there is a good signal for a pattern change in the guidance and this would mean near to even below normal temperatures by later next week. This pattern change is also noted in the CPC 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks. The overall temperature trend for the period will be to start above normal before dropping back back to near normal by next week. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) ISSUED AT 211 PM EDT THU JUL 23 2020 A period of showers and storms will be seen across much of the area this afternoon. This could provide some brief periods of reduced ceilings and/or gusty winds. This activity will exit by 22z with drier conditions expected through tonight. Given the abundance of rain today, we may have to watch the potential for locally dense fog tonight, especially in the river valleys. Visibilities could easily reach IFR. Any fog will burn off after dawn on Friday with VFR conditions returning. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...KAS SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM...DJ AVIATION...KAS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Jackson KY 1027 AM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>086-104-106>109-111- 112-114-116-119-241730- Fleming-Montgomery-Bath-Rowan-Estill-Powell-Menifee-Rockcastle- Jackson-Pulaski-Laurel-Wayne-McCreary-Whitley-Knox-Elliott-Morgan- Johnson-Wolfe-Magoffin-Lee-Breathitt-Owsley-Clay-Martin- Including the cities of Flemingsburg, Camargo, Jeffersonville, Mount Sterling, Owingsville, Morehead, Irvine, Ravenna, Clay City, Stanton, Frenchburg, Brodhead, Mount Vernon, McKee, Annville, Burnside, Somerset, London, Monticello, Stearns, Whitley City, Corbin, Williamsburg, Barbourville, Sandy Hook, West Liberty, Paintsville, Campton, Salyersville, Beattyville, Jackson, Booneville, Manchester, and Inez 1027 AM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Thunderstorms are possible on Friday, and also at times from Monday through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time. KYZ087-088-110-113-115-117-118-120-241730- Bell-Harlan-Floyd-Knott-Perry-Leslie-Letcher-Pike- Including the cities of Middlesboro, Pineville, Cumberland, Harlan, Prestonsburg, Wheelwright, Hindman, Pippa Passes, Hazard, Hyden, Jenkins, Whitesburg, Coal Run, Elkhorn City, Pikeville, and South Williamson 1027 AM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. Some of them may contain locally heavy rainfall. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Thunderstorms are possible at times through the period. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters should report any occurrences flooding through this evening. KAS
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service JACKSON KY
1214 PM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020
KYZ120-231645-
Pike-
1214 PM EDT Thu Jul 23 2020
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT CENTRAL PIKE COUNTY...
At 1214 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Raccoon, or
near Pikeville, moving east at 20 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph are possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Pikeville, Huddy, Mcandrews, Kimper, Raccoon, Zebulon, Chloe, Phyllis
and Hardy.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
LAT...LON 3743 8224 3744 8249 3755 8247 3763 8219
3763 8218
TIME...MOT...LOC 1614Z 261DEG 17KT 3750 8240
KASThe Jackson,KY radar (KJKL), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:24 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Broadcast media shared a picture taken by a public source of one downed pine tree across Clear Springs Dr near the intersection of Summer Springs Dr, about 4.2 miles south of London. The damage occurred along the leading edge of an incoming storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, July 2020
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: 896511.