High Wind — Jefferson, Kentucky

2008-09-14 · Jefferson, Kentucky

Event narrative

Standiford Field ASOS measured the 75 mph gust. At least several hundred trees and limbs were downed across Louisville Metro, causing the worst power outage in the city's history. More than 300,000 electrical customers were without power from two to seven days, and public schools canceled classes for a week. In the community of Anchorage, nearly every home had some type of tree damage. The media also reported a partial roof collapse at Bowman Field. A woman died and two others were injured from carbon monoxide poisoning several days after the event from exhause emitted by an emergency generator that was placed inside their home.

Wider weather episode

The remnants of Hurricane Ike moved across the Ohio Valley on the morning and afternoon of September 14th. This system, along with an upper level trough and a surface cold front approaching the region, combined to bring very strong surface wind gusts to the area. Widespread damage occurred with measured wind gusts up to 75 mph, along with 7 known injuries and 2 fatalities across parts of central Kentucky. Seventy-five percent of all Louisville Metro electrical customers - more than 300,000 homes and businesses - lost power for up to a week due to the storm, leaving many businesses and schools closed during the week. Statewide, nearly 600,000 customers lost power due to the storm. Cost estimates were reported at around 10 million dollars across the Commonwealth, with 4.2 million of that in the Louisville Metro area alone. 33 counties in Kentucky were declared major disaster areas by President Bush.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 134982. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.