3,183 first-hand accounts of flood events in Kentucky, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Round one of what would be three rounds of severe weather inside of a 36 hour period began during the early afternoon hours as a thunderstorm complex raced southeastward across eastern Kentucky.
Read the full account →A series of upper level disturbances moved from the Upper Midwest into the lower Ohio Valley and interacted with a moist, warm and unstable atmosphere.
Read the full account →A mesoscale convection system rode east and northeast into eastern Kentucky during Christmas morning. Support for the rain was aided by a stalled out front in southern West Virginia, just south of Charleston, on into southeast Kentucky.
Read the full account →Early on Sunday, August 10th, a nearly stationary front stretched from weak low pressure in Arkansas northeast along the Ohio River. This boundary became a focus for repeated episodes of slow moving heavy thunderstorms throughout the day, and even into Monday.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall in March set the stage for major flooding when record-setting rains fell in April and May. At Paducah, 15.91 inches of rain fell in April, which was 10.96 inches above normal.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall in March set the stage for major flooding when record-setting rains fell in April and May. At Paducah, 15.91 inches of rain fell in April, which was 10.96 inches above normal.
Read the full account →Widespread heavy rainfall fell across the region from February 14th through February 16th. This resulted in moderate to major flooding across the Kentucky, Cumberland, Big Sandy, and Licking River Basins. River crests at many locations were the highest since May, 1984.
Read the full account →4 to 9 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours causing widespread flooding and/or flash flooding resulting in numerous water covered and closed roads, evacuations and rescues. Most of these counties were declared disaster areas and given federal assistance.
Read the full account →Record rainfalls from late Friday evening February 28 through Sunday morning March 2 and additional heavy rainfall on Tuesday March 4 caused the worst flooding on the Ohio River since 1964 and in some spots since 1937.
Read the full account →Three day rain totals, beginning on the 14th, totaled 4 to 6 inches. Louisa had 5.5 inches of rain, while Ashland measured 4.9 inches. Other cooperative measurements included 4.7 inches at Charley, 4.5 inches at Grayson Lake, and 4.1 inches at the Greenup Lock and Dam.
Read the full account →Showers and thunderstorms intensified in coverage and intensity during the evening of July 17th, continuing into the early morning hours of July 18th. A couple of rounds of heavy rainfall occurred.
Read the full account →Widespread flash flooding developed across part of northern and eastern Pike County. Areas especially hard hit extended from north of Pikeville southeast to Phelps, and included Big Creek, Brushy Creek, Belfry, Blackberry, Phelps, and Freeburn.
Read the full account →A small but slow-moving thunderstorm complex resulted in localized flash flooding in a few counties bordering the Ohio River. A sub-tropical low pressure system that produced torrential rains along the Gulf of Mexico coast turned north, eventually getting pulled northeast across…
Read the full account →Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed this afternoon, extending into the evening ahead of an upper level disturbance. While storms were progressive in nature, continued development and repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall over certain locations led to instances…
Read the full account →4 to 9 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours causing widespread flooding and/or flash flooding resulting in numerous water covered and closed roads, evacuations and rescues. Most of these counties were declared disaster areas and given federal assistance.
Read the full account →Widespread flooding continued from April into May across western Kentucky. Following excessive rain in April, a final dose of heavy rain came between April 30 and May 2.
Read the full account →A strong temperature gradient existed from southeast to northeast across the mid Ohio Valley on the 4th. An old snow cover over Ohio and extreme northern Kentucky helped to maintain surface temperatures slightly below freezing.||A low pressure storm system moved out of the…
Read the full account →A strong temperature gradient existed from southeast to northeast across the mid Ohio Valley on the 4th. An old snow cover over Ohio and extreme northern Kentucky helped to maintain surface temperatures slightly below freezing.||A low pressure storm system moved out of the…
Read the full account →Widespread heavy rainfall fell across the region from February 14th through February 16th. This resulted in moderate to major flooding across the Kentucky, Cumberland, Big Sandy, and Licking River Basins. River crests at many locations were the highest since May, 1984.
Read the full account →A strong storm system brought a prolonged period of moderate to heavy rainfall to the middle Ohio River Valley on the 15th and 16th. While rainfall amounts were never heavy enough to lead to flash flooding, when all was said and done, 2.5 to 3 inches of rain fell over a roughly…
Read the full account →A strong storm system moved out of the Plains into the Great Lakes on the 19th and 20th. Initially the precipitation started as a wintry mix, but accumulations were minor.
Read the full account →A strong storm system moved out of the Plains into the Great Lakes on the 19th and 20th. Initially the precipitation started as a wintry mix, but accumulations were minor.
Read the full account →Up to 9 inches of rain from the late afternoon through the evening over about a 6 hour period. The flood waters displaced an estimated 40 families, washed out roads and inflicted more than 1 million dollars worth of damage across the county. St.
Read the full account →From April 18 to 19, most of southeast Kentucky received 1 to 3 inches of rain, but some spots received 3 to 5 inches. The heavy rain resulted in widespread flash flooding, small stream flooding, and eventually river flooding.
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