Flash Flood — Mccracken, Kentucky

2015-07-07 · near Melber, Mccracken, Kentucky

Event narrative

Major flash flooding occurred as a result of persistent thunderstorms that dumped up to 5.5 inches of rain in four hours. The heaviest rainfall amounts occurred over the city of Paducah, where serious flooding of streets and low-lying areas took place. A state of emergency was declared by the city and county government leaders. Floodwaters affected about 133 private residences and 29 businesses. Among the flooded buildings were three apartment complexes, the sheriff's department, an ambulance building, and the county jail. The vast majority of the flooded buildings remained habitable, but nearly a dozen were uninhabitable until minor repairs could be made. Water overwhelmed several neighborhoods, and the county emergency management agency used boats to check on residents. The Red Cross opened a shelter for those displaced residents. Numerous vehicles were stranded on flooded streets and parking lots. The Paducah Police Department responded to 15 water-related incidents or rescues in four hours. The county sheriff's department handled numerous other incidents outside the Paducah city limits. Since the flash flooding occurred during the early morning commute, there was a high impact on traffic. Flash flooding of Perkins Creek inundated access roads and parking lots of hotels and restaurants near exit 4 along Interstate 24. A hotel was evacuated as water rose out of the parking lot into the first floor. The flooding affected underground power lines, knocking out traffic signals at the congested exit 4 interchange. About 1,000 customers experienced power outages in the area near exit 4. Numerous basements throughout Paducah were flooded. The rainfall total at a rain gage in downtown Paducah along the Ohio River was 5.44 inches, which fell within a period of four hours. At the NWS office at Barkley Regional Airport, the total was 2.9 inches.

Wider weather episode

An early morning thunderstorm complex rapidly developed over the Lower Ohio Valley ahead of a weak mid-level shortwave trough. The complex evolved into a broad zone of convection along and south of a stationary front that extended from central Missouri through central Illinois. Three-hour rainfall amounts were from one to three inches, with isolated higher rates. The convection was focused along the nose of a low-level jet in a very moist air mass, with precipitable water values in the 2 to 2.25 inch range. Unidirectional wind flow from the surface to 500 mb resulted in little net movement of the convection. Although the best instability resided further south in the warm/moist sector, there was enough buoyancy in place to maintain convection. The front settled southward across western Kentucky by late afternoon, providing a focus for renewed convective complexes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.9500, -88.7300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 588613. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.