A cold front, which stretched from Oklahoma to Central Illinois over to Northern Ohio, progressed slowly through the Quad State region, with an MCS moving through during the evening hours. An early afternoon SGF sounding placed MLCAPE at around 2000 J/kg.
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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 cold front, which stretched from Oklahoma to Central Illinois over to Northern Ohio, progressed slowly through the Quad State region, with an MCS moving through during the evening hours. An early afternoon SGF sounding placed MLCAPE at around 2000 J/kg. Deep layer shear was 50-55 kts with 0-1 km shear of 30 kts with 200 m2/s2 SRH. In Western Kentucky, storms moved through during the late evening, with an additional line of storms forming ahead of the main line. Several wind damage reports occurred between Bardwell and Paducah, continuing into Graves County. More isolated wind and sub-severe hail reports occurred elsewhere in Western Kentucky. The most concentrated area of wind damage northwest of Paducah with a narrow line of enhanced straight-line winds due to a downburst. A spotter measured a 75 mph wind gust in Christian County.
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 14, 3:02 PM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 402 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Another warm day will give way to unsettled weather as a round of thunderstorms are forecasted late today into tonight. Conditions will be favorable for some storms to turn severe with large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes. 4PM to 1AM is when the risk will be the greatest. Localized flash flooding is also possible with heavy downpours. - Conditions will be breezy today with southerly winds. Winds gusts between 25 to 35 mph are possible through the afternoon. - Dry weather returns for the weekend before another cold front arrives Sunday night that will cause lows to fall back below freezing through Monday night. Temperatures quickly rebound by the middle of the week. && .UPDATE... Issued at 352 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 Updated Aviation discussion for 00Z TAF Issuance. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 202 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 Large scale ascent is increasing over MO/AR/OK as evidenced by the large convective clusters forming there. More subtle towering cumulus is evident along the I-44 corridor in Missouri. 18z SGF sounding has about 2200 J/kg of MLCAPE starting to approach the convective temperature even with a residual inversion. ACARS soundings from flights in the region show that cap is slowly eroding overhead as well, probably collocated with the clouds clearing in the northwest on satellite as that cumuloustratus was presumably trapped just under the inversion. That cloud layer did limit our heating today, but we will be pulling a south and southwest wind out of west Tennessee where it is 81 degrees with mid 60s dewpoints. Deep layer shear is quite strong, at 50-55 kts. Lower layer shear is also relatively strong although not quite as top-end at 30kts in the 0-1km layer with SRH calculated around 200 m2/s2 on KPAHs VWP. Significant Tornado Parameter is about 1 to 2 to our west and will probably be in that range for much of the afternoon once warmer air moves in. Long story short we will be watching the TCU in Missouri to develop into more discrete cells. CAMs/WoFs really want to develop a few longer tracked discrete cells from this activity into our northwestern counties by 3-5 pm. If that were to happen it would obviously carry an all-hazards threat of tornado/wind/hail. The instability over southern MO and northern Arkansas would also potentially allow for some development ahead of the main MCS complex that could track into the area. The main MCS would then track this direction by this evening. That system would carry a continued severe weather risk mainly in the form of wind and hail but QLCS tornado can't be ruled out given the available instability and shear. Wet bulb zero heights are also quite low at 8000-9000 ft so hail will be possible with any deep convection. The heaviest rain signal is to our south but will need to keep at least one eye peeled to flood potential although ground conditions are pretty dry. Cold front works through by the morning leaving a cooler and cloudy day. The only other real item of concern in the forecast is a strong cold front on Sunday that will leave behind some sub-freezing low temperatures on Sunday night and Monday night before southwesterly flow builds back in and moderates temperatures. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 352 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 MVFR-low VFR bases will lower/deteriorate this evening/overnight as a cold front's approach initiates a convective line of storms with its passage. Further restrictions to IFR CIGS/VSBYS is anticipated with the thunderstorms. After the front's passage, winds will shift to the west, then to the north, as bases deteriote while some VCTS/VCSH lingers awhile. Time/height cross sections suggest restricted CIGS will hold for the bulk of the forecast. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 532 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-151000- 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- 532 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024 /632 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2024/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight Active strong to severe storms are approaching the Quad State region, where a Tornado Watch is in effect. Refer to the Watch and any subsequent Warnings and statements for details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is requested.
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
800 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0754 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 SE Cape Girardeau 37.30N 89.54W
03/14/2024 M660 MPH Cape Girardeau MO ASOS
&&
bmPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
800 PM CDT THU MAR 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0754 PM TSTM WND GST 1 SE CAPE GIRARDEAU 37.30N 89.54W
03/14/2024 M66 MPH CAPE GIRARDEAU MO ASOS
&&
BMPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
805 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0754 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 SE Cape Girardeau 37.30N 89.54W
03/14/2024 M66 MPH Cape Girardeau MO ASOS
Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 1
SE Cape Girardeau.
&&
bmPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
810 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0807 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Mount Vernon 38.32N 88.91W
03/14/2024 Jefferson IL Emergency Mngr
reports of thousands of power outages.
&&
bmPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
813 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0735 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Puxico 36.95N 90.16W
03/14/2024 Stoddard MO Emergency Mngr
trees down reports of power outages.
&&
bmPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
814 PM CDT Thu Mar 14 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0755 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Vanduser 36.99N 89.69W
03/14/2024 Scott MO Emergency Mngr
Roof blown off house.
&&
bmThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:26 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees were blown down northwest of Bardwell with power outages occurring.
Trees were reported down in the Cunningham area, with power outages occurring.
A roof was blown off of a barn on Phelps Rd in Southeast Ballard County.
A small area of enhanced straight line wind damage from a downburst blew power lines onto a home and downed trees on Strathmoor Blvd in Paducah. The downburst also removed a metal roof from a building on N 8th St. Numerous other powerlines were downed in the area as well.
Trees and power lines were downed across much of Graves County, including in the Folsomdale, Viola, and Hickory areas as a line of thunderstorms with damaging winds swept through.
Hail of dime to nickel size occurred around 2 miles south of Murray State University.
Several Bradford Pear trees split while other trees lost branches more than 15 feet long and 3 inches thick.
Hail of three-quarters of an inch was reported via mPING.
A trained spotter positioned at I-24 and KY HWY 107 measured a 75 mph wind gust.
A tin roof was blown off of a building in Whitesville, the only visible wind damage in the area. Minor hail damage was also reported in the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, March 2024
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: 1165926, 1165923, 1165928, 1165933, 1165934, 1165929, 1165930, 1165936, 1165935, 1165937.