Flash Flood in Marshall County, Kentucky

Widespread major flash flooding affected Marshall County, especially the northern and central parts of the county. A rainfall amount of 6.87 inches was recorded in four hours and 15 minutes at the Kentucky mesonet site in Draffenville. An off-duty meteorologist in Calvert City measured three inches of rain per hour. Multiple evacuations were conducted throughout the county by various agencies. Many roads across the county were flooded, including many main roads. At least 22 roads were washed out across the county. Residents of about 10 homes were stranded because their street was washed out. The damage to county roads alone was 600,000 dollars. A pickup truck crashed headlong into one of the washed out sections. The Purchase Parkway (future Interstate 69) was closed for a few hours due to a couple feet of water over the highway at mile-marker 46. In Calvert City, a vehicle was three-quarters full of water, and an apartment building was flooded. In Benton, 13 people were evacuated from an assisted living facility due to flooding. West of Calvert City, six people were trapped in a flooded apartment. Evacuations were conducted in Gilbertsville, where water was up to the door of a mobile home. Some rooms at a resort motel on U.S. Highway 641 near Gilbertsville were flooded.

Major flash flooding occurred from the evening of July 6 through the early morning of July 7. A slow-moving thunderstorm complex backed slowly southwestward across western Kentucky and southern Illinois. Rainfall rates up to 8 inches in 6 hours were reported at the peak of the event in Marshall County, KY after midnight. The complex of storms was associated with a small 500 mb shortwave that moved east across western Kentucky late at night. The storms were fed by a very moist southwest wind flow around 30 knots at 850 mb. Precipitable water values were around 2 inches.