A localized band of heavy rainfall produced 2-4 inches across portions of the Green River basin during the evening of the 16th, resulting in rising river levels on the Green River, with minor flood reached at Paradise. With no additional significant rainfall before or after, flooding was temporary, with water levels receding a few days later.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 localized band of heavy rainfall produced 2-4 inches across portions of the Green River basin during the evening of the 16th, resulting in rising river levels on the Green River, with minor flood reached at Paradise. With no additional significant rainfall before or after, flooding was temporary, with water levels receding a few days later.
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 17, 5:20 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 620 PM CDT Sat May 17 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A stormy pattern reemerges early in the new week, with Tuesday offering the next best chance (15%) of strong/potentially severe storms. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1230 PM CDT Sat May 17 2025 A nice reprieve in the weather is ongoing, with dew points refreshingly cooled into the upper 40s and lower 50s, as surface high pressure eases across the FA. The break is short-lived, however. The high pressure ridge axis slides east Sunday, although the upper ridge comes in then. That keeps us mostly dry, but there is some return flow that develops on the back side that begins to allow or ease in some storm chances to our western counties as early as late tonight. These continue thru Sunday, but really pick up Monday-Tuesday, as the upper ridge is overtaken by the approach of our next big storm system. It introduces a marginal/slight risk to our western corridor by Monday, with a Slight risk overrunning the FA in entirety Tuesday as the system makes its primary move on us. At this time, best svr chances look to shift to our southeast Tuesday. However, much will be dependent on how the large scale trof spins out its multiple surface waves, as the models are attempting to resolve, and there are various differences amongst them; we won't be shocked if that higher risk shifts back into our FA before all is said/done. Either way, with return moisture (dew points push 70F again)/instability (2500 J/KG MUCAPE) and increasing shear (50+ kts), we'll likely have enough ingredients for some form of svr wx episode to materialize should the necessary forcing mechanisms from the low/front(s) enter our playing field. The effects of the long wave troffiness will hang thru week's end. We might be stuck with some lingering mid week pops, while we cool back into the 60s/70s for high temperatures, with dew points refreshingly returned to the 40s and 50s. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/... Issued at 619 PM CDT Sat May 17 2025 VFR conditions expected through the end of the period. Light and variable winds are expected along with some passing high clouds throughout the period. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && DISCUSSION... AVIATION...SHAWKEY
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 325 AM CDT Sat May 17 2025 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-180830- 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- 325 AM CDT Sat May 17 2025 /425 AM EDT Sat May 17 2025/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Hazardous weather is not anticipated. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Thunderstorms return to the forecast Sunday into early next week, with Tuesday offering the next best chance for strong to potentially severe storms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water levels on the Green River rose to around a foot above flood stage mid-month with limited impacts to low-lying areas.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 2025
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: 1267093.