3,183 first-hand accounts of flood events in Kentucky, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
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 →Record to near record rainfall from early March 1 through March 2 caused the highest flooding on the Kentucky River at Frankfort since 1937 with the river cresting at 45.2 feet at 1 pm est March 3 (flood stage is 31 feet).
Read the full account →A series of heavy rain events from November 26 to 30 culminated in a moderate flooding event. Rainfall totals for the period from November 26 to 30 were commonly 5 to 9 inches. Specific totals included 6 inches at Paducah, 7.4 inches at Benton, and 9.1 inches at Bardwell.
Read the full account →Large clusters of thunderstorms developed northeastward across western Kentucky as the lower atmosphere warmed and moistened during the afternoon hours. A tongue of low-level moisture extended from northern Mississippi northward across far western Kentucky.
Read the full account →During the afternoon, a supercell thunderstorm developed along a quasi-stationary front that extended from southwest to northeast along the Lower Ohio River Valley.
Read the full account →A well defined and progressive nearly cutoff low was positioned over east central Indiana during the afternoon of August 21st. South and east of this feature, a seasonally strong cyclonic 300mb jet was present, placing central and eastern Kentucky within an area of diffluence…
Read the full account →Thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall that caused flash flooding across Johnson, Magoffin, and Morgan counties during the late afternoon and early evening hours of July 28th, 2017.
Read the full account →The remnants of Hurricane Ivan dumped 3.5 to 5.5 inches of rain, during a 30 hour period from late morning on Thursday the 16th, into the late afternoon of Friday the 17th. The heaviest rain was during the morning hours of the 18th.
Read the full account →The Green River and a nearby portion of the Ohio River rose back above flood stage after a series of heavy rainfall events in late March and early April. Showers and thunderstorms were frequent during the first few days of the month ahead of a surface cold front.
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.
Read the full account →The atmosphere over central Kentucky had high CAPE values in the 3,000-4,000 J/kg range with weak shear and abundant moisture. With diurnal heating, storms formed and produced heavy rainfall rates over isolated areas, causing minor flooding and a thunderstorm that produced wind…
Read the full account →Showers and thunderstorms that formed ahead of an approaching area of low pressure produced heavy rainfall that caused flash flooding across portions of eastern Kentucky on August 18th.
Read the full account →By dawn on the 4th, a cold front sagged south to near the Interstate 64 corridor in northeast Kentucky. A strong low pressure for early June moved east through the Midwest, along the frontal boundary, during the day on the 4th.
Read the full account →A washed out frontal boundary brought an area of showers and thunderstorms into eastern Kentucky this afternoon and evening. This cluster of storms generated high enough winds to produce wind damage in Monticello, while also causing flash flooding near Science Hill in Pulaski…
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.
Read the full account →Record 24 hour rainfall from early March 1 through early March 2 at most spots on the order of 6 to 12 inches caused widepread flooding with numerous roads water covered and closed and hundreds of rescues from cars trapped in water and people trapped in flooded homes.
Read the full account →During the overnight and early morning hours of Monday, June 20th, numerous strong to severe thunderstorms wreaked havoc on portions of eastern KY. Between 2 and 5 am EDT, numerous trees were blown across Laurel, Bell, Knox, and Whitley counties.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall amounts from 2 to 6 inches occurred over a two-day period, causing significant flooding. A very slow-moving cold front over southwest Illinois and southeast Missouri provided the focus for prolonged heavy rainfall.
Read the full account →Severe thunderstorms on the evening of April 16 produced wind damage, hail, and tornadoes. At Windy in Wayne County, a barn was damaged by thunderstorm winds, and a spotter south of Brodhead in Rockcastle County estimated wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph.
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 →A surface cold front extended from the Chicago area southwestward across the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metro area to a weak low pressure center over southeast Missouri.
Read the full account →A surface cold front extended from the Chicago area southwestward across the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metro area to a weak low pressure center over southeast Missouri.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms increased over southeast Missouri and southern Illinois within a moist and unstable environment ahead of an advancing cold front moving across southeast Missouri.
Read the full account →Scattered thunderstorms developed during the late evening on August 7th, centered over the Kentucky Bluegrass Region. The slow movement of these storms, coupled with a tropical environment in which precipitable water values exceeded 2 inches, led to several very localized…
Read the full account →