3,183 first-hand accounts of flood events in Kentucky, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Scattered thunderstorms formed as daytime heating destabilized the atmosphere ahead of a cold front. Temperatures in the lower to mid 90's and dew points in the mid 70's resulted in strong instability.
Read the full account →A stalled frontal boundary across the area brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the lower Ohio Valley April 2nd and 3rd. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening hours April 2nd, resulting in large hail and damaging winds.
Read the full account →A stalled frontal boundary across the area brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the lower Ohio Valley April 2nd and 3rd. Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening hours April 2nd, resulting in large hail and damaging winds.
Read the full account →A warm front lifted north through northeast Kentucky on the 3rd with a quarter to a half inch of rain. Late afternoon and evening temperatures rose into the 50s. Winds and dew points also increased.
Read the full account →Unseasonable warmth and rich Gulf moisture collided with an approaching surface low pressure system and cold front to produce several lines of strong to severe thunderstorms across central Kentucky. Damaging winds was the main threat, but some hail was also reported.
Read the full account →A slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms produced localized flash flooding between Benton and Murray. The storms occurred in a very warm and moist southwest wind flow ahead of a cold front over northwest Missouri.
Read the full account →7 to 9 inches of rain fell over about a 6 hour period across mainly the western half of the county through the late afternoon and evening. 8.5% of the total tobacco crop or 300 acres was destroyed. Also, many cars were swept away, and many homes were severely damaged.
Read the full account →A very moist atmosphere with precipitable water values of 2.2 inches was in place across the region. With ample daytime heating thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours.
Read the full account →Numerous rain events led to renewed flooding of the Ohio River in March. Minor to moderate flooding occurred along large parts of the Kentucky side of the river. Monthly rainfall was 2 to 4 inches above normal for most of the area.
Read the full account →A few severe thunderstorms occurred during the afternoon and evening hours. A powerful mid-level shortwave trough and its associated 70-80 knot jet streak translated from the southern high Plains into the upper Midwest.
Read the full account →Scattered storms developed during the afternoon and evening of May 29th within an environment of moderate instability and almost non-existent winds all the way up through 20 thousand feet.
Read the full account →Ahead of a cold front, rain showers fell on either side of dawn on the 3rd. Dew points were in the 50 to 55 degree range ahead of the front.||The heaviest rain was about 1.25 inches in about 2 to 3 hours over Boyd County.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms during the early morning hours produced 3 to 5 inches of rain, which saturated the ground. Another round of storms arrived during the late afternoon, producing another inch or two of rain in an hour.
Read the full account →A stationary boundary lingered near the Ohio River through the day. The boundary provided a lifting mechanism for a moist and unstable air mass over eastern Kentucky.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms developed and trained over a narrow corridor producing flash flooding in southwest Breathitt and northern Perry County during the early morning hours of May 1st.
Read the full account →Rains of 2.5 to 4 inches hit Carter, Greenup, and Boyd Counties in about an 18 hour period on the 18th. A frontal zone pushed north of northeast Kentucky during the early monring hours.
Read the full account →Heavy rains fell across the Big Sandy and Kentucky River basins, primarily on Thursday, May 2. This resulted in excessive runoff and flooding in four eastern Kentucky counties. At 11 p.m EDT on May 2.
Read the full account →Heavy rain inundated much of eastern Kentucky on February 14th through February 16th. Anywhere from 3 to 7 inches of rain fell over this 3 day period. This rain initially produced flash flooding for many counties of eastern Kentucky.
Read the full account →A stalled cold front over the Mississippi Valley spawned thunderstorms producing heavy rain from northern Mississippi through middle Tennessee and central Kentucky into southern Indiana.
Read the full account →A stalled cold front over the Mississippi Valley spawned thunderstorms producing heavy rain from northern Mississippi through middle Tennessee and central Kentucky into southern Indiana.
Read the full account →The widespread river flooding that began late in December continued into early January. Some of the flooding reached major levels along the Ohio River downriver from Paducah, but elsewhere the river flooding was minor to moderate.
Read the full account →Above normal moisture in response to multiple disturbances over the region led to numerous rounds of rain across eastern Kentucky. Many creeks and streams rose out of its banks leading to adjacent roads near the water bodies to be closed.
Read the full account →Rains of 2.5 to 4 inches hit Carter, Greenup, and Boyd Counties in about an 18 hour period on the 18th. A frontal zone pushed north of northeast Kentucky during the early monring hours.
Read the full account →Light rain moved into northeast Kentucky during the predawn hours of the 19th. Light to moderate rainfall fell during the 19th, as a warm front tired to lift north from the Tennessee Valley.
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