Flash Flood — Ballard, Kentucky

2013-12-21 to 2013-12-22 · near Oscar, Ballard, Kentucky

Event narrative

Major flash flooding prompted a declaration of a state of emergency for Ballard County. Numerous roads were flooded across the county, including at least 16 that were impassable. A 54-year-old man was killed near Barlow when he was swept away by floodwaters after trying to get out of his car. His body was washed one-quarter to one-half mile off the small county road into a wooded area. An elderly woman was rescued from a stranded vehicle near a bridge on State Highway 725 near Kevil. Flooding of Clayton Creek impacted a road near Bandana such that only the top of the bridge was visible. An emergency management official in La Center measured 9.12 inches of rain, most of which fell in 15 hours.

Wider weather episode

A slow-moving cold front passed across the region between the 20th and 22nd. Several upper level disturbances moved north-northeast along the front, touching off numerous showers and thunderstorms. The ground was already moist from snowmelt in the wake of the early December winter storm. On the 21st, a strong negatively tilted shortwave at 500 mb ejected northeast from the southern Plains, providing strong forcing for ascent. Widespread heavy rain and thunderstorms surged northeast in association with the strengthening surface low that tracked across western Kentucky. Storm total rainfall amounts ranged from 3 to 6 inches in most areas, with the highest amounts west of Kentucky Lake. Isolated higher rainfall amounts up to 9 inches occurred in Ballard County, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Ditches and creeks quickly spilled out onto roadways and into nearby fields. There were numerous road closures and water rescues as waters continued to rise.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.1300, -89.0300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 485825. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.