Numerous reports of wind damage accompanied a squall line of thunderstorms that moved rapidly east-southeast. The wind damage was mainly along and south of a line from Clinton to Murray.
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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.
Numerous reports of wind damage accompanied a squall line of thunderstorms that moved rapidly east-southeast. The wind damage was mainly along and south of a line from Clinton to Murray. The atmosphere was moderately unstable, with cape values on the order of 1500 to 2000 J/kg. The relatively compact but organized and vigorous convective system maintained intensity as it progressed east of the Mississippi River. A mesoscale convective vortex which turned eastward along the Kentucky/Tennessee border helped sustain the storms.
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 3, 1:30 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 230 PM CDT Sun May 3 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Monday night) Issued at 230 PM CDT Sun May 3 2020 The severe weather threat continues across the southern part of the area this afternoon as a bowing line of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds moves from southeast Missouri into western Kentucky, clipping far southern Illinois. Lack of clouds and convection overnight allowed the atmosphere to destabilize substantially through the day, especially along and south of a southward drifting frontal boundary. Expect the line to continue with its current intensity through the rest of the afternoon, with damaging winds the main concern. Secondary concerns include large hail and a few spin up tornadoes. The line should clear the FA by 22Z this evening as the cold front passes through the area. Lows will be in the upper 40s to lower 50s with clearing skies. We'll see break in the rain through much of Monday. However, during the afternoon and evening hours, the front will try to retreat north as surface low pressure develops over the southern Plains. This will set the stage for another round of showers and storms, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. The potential for severe thunderstorms will depend on how far north the front advances. For now, thinking the best chance of surface-based strong storms will be across southeast Missouri, southwest Illinois and into western Kentucky, where the SPC Day 2 outlook has a slight risk. A few damaging wind gusts and hail look to be the primary threats. On Monday, temperatures will reach the lower to middle 70s. Overnight lows Monday night will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s and middle to update 50s. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 230 PM CDT Sun May 3 2020 The main focus in the long term is the lingering chance of showers with the departing system on Tuesday, followed by another chance for showers Wednesday, then again late Thursday into Friday. Forecast confidence is about average with good large scale agreement marred by some lingering temporal and spatial discrepancies among forecast models. The forecast starts off with a lingering chance of showers Tuesday morning with low pressure forecast to be in the vicinity of western Kentucky and western Tennessee at daybreak. Most of this activity should wrap up in the morning as the low continues its eastward progression. The upper flow pattern through the remainder of the week will be dominated by northwesterly flow as an upper level low over Hudson Bay drops south towards the Great Lakes. This flow pattern should be largely dry from Tuesday night through much of Thursday. However, models continue to signal the passage of a weak shortwave trough on Wednesday, which could provide enough lift for a small chance of showers, especially across portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and northwest Kentucky. Our next chance of showers arrives late Thursday into Friday as more substantial energy entering the Pacific Northwest by mid week streams southeast towards the region. Continue to leave thunder out of the forecast at this time given the very marginal nature of even elevated instability depicted in the GFS and ECMWF. Temperatures through the long term are forecast to be well below normal, as would be expected in a northwest flow regime. Highs are forecast to trend down from the upper 60s/lower 70s on Tuesday into the lower/middle 60s by Friday and next weekend. Lows are forecast to trend down from the 45 to 50 degree range Tuesday night into the lower/middle 40s by late week. Some guidance even hints at the potential for lows in the 30s across some of our northern counties next weekend, which would need to be monitored for frost potential if that were to pan out. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1209 PM CDT Sun May 3 2020 A line of thunderstorms will impact KCGI and KPAH from roughly 19-22z this afternoon. Could see brief MVFR/IFR cigs, reduced visibilities to low MVFR or IFR at times as well as strong variable gusts. Thunder could make it as far north as KEVV/KOWB this afternoon. Further north, a cold front is working its way through southern Illinois, northwest Kentucky, and southwest Indiana where winds have become northwesterly at KMVN. The wind shift should make it to KEVV/KOWB between 18 and 20z. Convection will be clear of all terminals by 23z, when all terminals should become VFR with light northwesterly winds. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && SHORT TERM...DWS LONG TERM...RJP AVIATION...DWS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 1114 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-041615- 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- 1114 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A line strong to severe storms with the potential to produce damaging winds and large hail will move across southern portions of southeast Missouri, far southern Illinois, and southern portions of western Kentucky this afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall and lightning can also be expected with any thunderstorms today. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday A chance of thunderstorms is forecast mainly over southeast Missouri late Monday afternoon and then throughout the region Monday night. A few strong to severe storms cannot be ruled out over southeast Missouri late Monday afternoon into the early evening. Damaging winds will be the primary concern, but some hail will also be possible. Otherwise, locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be the primary concerns Monday night. There is a small chance for thunderstorms over the Evansville Tri State Wednesday afternoon. Brief heavy rain and lightning would be the main hazards. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is requested this afternoon across southern portions of southeast Missouri, extreme southern Illinois, and southern portions of western Kentucky. DWS/RJP
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
151 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0118 PM TSTM WND DMG NEELYVILLE 36.56N 90.51W
05/03/2020 BUTLER MO BROADCAST MEDIA
LIVE POWER LINES DOWN ON HOME IN NEELYVILLE.
&&
ATLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
156 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0146 PM TSTM WND DMG MCGEE 37.07N 90.19W
05/03/2020 WAYNE MO PUBLIC
TREES DOWN, PEA SIZE HAIL.
&&
ATLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
158 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0115 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NE HENDRICKSON 36.94N 90.45W
05/03/2020 WAYNE MO PUBLIC
REPORT FROM MPING: TREES UPROOTED OR
SNAPPED; ROOF BLOWN OFF.
&&
ATLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
201 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0145 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 S BROWNWOOD 37.05N 89.96W
05/03/2020 STODDARD MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
CAR FLIPPED SEVERAL TIMES BY HIGH WINDS.
POSSIBLY TORNADO. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
217 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0118 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NE HENDRICKSON 36.94N 90.43W
05/03/2020 WAYNE MO EMERGENCY MNGR
TREE DOWN ON A CAMPER ON HIGHWAY 172 EAST OF
US 67. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&
DWSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
229 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0158 PM TSTM WND DMG MARSTON 36.52N 89.61W
05/03/2020 NEW MADRID MO TRAINED SPOTTER
ROOF DAMAGE THE CITY HALL BUILDING. HOMES
WITH ROOF DAMAGE. SEVERAL TREES AND POWER
LINES DOWN. POSSIBLE TORNADO. TIME
ESTIMATED.
&&
DWSThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:30 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Larger limbs and small trees were down west of Clinton.
Several large tree limbs were down several miles west of Fulton. In Fulton, numerous trees were down in a residential neighborhood just east of downtown. At least one of the trees landed on a vehicle.
A tree was down over I-69 southbound.
Numerous trees and power lines were down in the Wingo area. A mesonet site a few miles north-northeast of Wingo measured a gust to 64 mph.
About one mile north of the Tennessee border near Dukedom, numerous trees were down. A tree landed on a home and on an suv. Several power lines were down in the area.
Damaging thunderstorm winds occurred across western Calloway County, as far east as Murray. Near the Graves County line near Lynn Grove, a tree landed on a residence. A few miles south-southwest of Murray, the roof was peeled back from a horse barn. Several trees were blown down just west of Murray along Routes 94 and 464. A couple of trees were uprooted in Murray.
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, May 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: 883858, 883862, 883859, 883865, 883867, 883872.