Thunderstorm Wind in Floyd County, Kentucky

A picture on social media showed a tree that had been blown down onto an old mobile home in the vicinity of Martin, resulting in substantial roof damage.

A dynamic storm system brought a sharp transition from record-breaking warmth to severe weather across eastern Kentucky on March 11th. Ahead of an approaching cold front, unseasonably warm air surged into the region on a potent low-level jet, with temperatures reaching record levels at London and Jackson. Widespread non-convective wind gusts between 30 and 50 mph occurred during the afternoon.

As the cold front moved in during the evening, a pre-frontal squall line (QLCS) developed in a high shear environment and tracked across the Commonwealth. The most intense measured wind gust was 70 mph at the London-Corbin Airport ASOS. Elsewhere, the storms resulted in structural damage, scattered downed trees, and a few power outages before a sharp cold front crossed the area, ushering in a much drier and colder airmass.