Hail — Logan, Kentucky

2023-05-08 · near Edwards, Logan, Kentucky

Event narrative

Quarter sized hail fell near Lewisburg.

Wider weather episode

During the late evening hours on May 8th, clusters of showers and thunderstorms developed across the Ohio River valley in the vicinity of a quasi-stationary front. While one stronger cell produced marginally severe hail over Logan County, most cells across southern Kentucky remained weaker and less organized as wind shear was weaker across these areas. The main cluster of severe storms developed over southern Indiana during the middle of the night before moving into the Louisville metro, producing a swath of severe hail along the Interstate 64 corridor. Storms were able to strengthen in the presence of 1000-1500 J/kg MUCAPE and 35-40 knots of effective bulk shear. With sufficient wind shear in place, storms were primarily supercellular in nature. Mid-level lapse rates ranged from 7 to 7.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer, while left-moving supercell composite parameter was maximized in the vicinity of the supercells. Several reports of golf ball sized hail were received across Louisville, including at Muhammad Ali International Airport.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.9700, -86.9600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1103519. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.