Hail — Mccreary, Kentucky

2025-05-08 · near Gilreath, Mccreary, Kentucky

Event narrative

A picture on social media showed very large hail occurring at mile marker 6 on E. Williamsburg St., just east of Whitley City, near the intersection with Watters Ridge Road. The picture showed a hail stone in someone's hand, stretching 4 fingers wide. Another report a few minutes later showed a hail stone in someone's hand stretching 3 fingers wide.

Wider weather episode

A cold front was tracking southeast towards Kentucky during the early morning hours of Thursday, May 8th. But by the time it got into the state, it began to stall. It remained stalled, with a spot low across western Kentucky, for much of the day. It wasn't until about 0Z that WPC analyzed it starting to sink back southward again, quickly reaching the TN border just a few hours later, where it continued to sink into the overnight. A upper level low and shortwave were also moving through the state during this time, amplifying the instability and lift in the warm sector - which is where eastern Kentucky was located. Hail seemed to be the most common mode of severe weather, not just in Kentucky but in sourrounding states to our south and east, with several 2 inch stones reported in eastern Kentucky.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.7200, -84.3900)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1291792. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.