Flash Flood — Larue, Kentucky

2023-02-16 · near Buffalo, Larue, Kentucky

Event narrative

Five roads across LaRue County had to be closed due to a combination of flowing and standing water.

Wider weather episode

A strong storm system moved through the Ohio Valley beginning late in the evening on February 15th and continuing through much of the day on February 16th. An amplified mid- and upper-level trough moved across the central Plains during this time period, with an associated surface disturbance transiting from the Red River Valley northeastward into the Ohio Valley. A surface warm front was located parallel to the Ohio River during the majority of the event, with large-scale moist upglide persisting across much of Kentucky and southern Indiana. During the initial northward surge of moisture early on the 16th, elevated instability was sufficient for an isolated severe storm to develop across southern Kentucky, producing quarter-sized hail in Monroe County. However, through much of the remainder of the event, flooding would be the primary hazard as convection grew upscale into widespread disorganized clusters of moderate to heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms.

Strong low-level moisture transport aided in boosting Precipitable Water values above 1.25 for most areas south of the Ohio River, which is anomalously high for mid-February. As waves of rain continued through the morning and into the early afternoon, widespread swaths received over 2 inches of rainfall, with localized areas receiving up to 4 inches. By mid-afternoon on the 16th, the rainfall gradually subsided from west to east as the surface cold front pushed across the region, allowing drier air to filter across the area. Scattered areas of flooding were observed across central Kentucky, with several roads having to be closed due to high water.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.5094, -85.7013)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1082519. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.