Flash Flood — Jefferson, Kentucky

2018-09-08 · near Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky

Event narrative

A Yellow Cab taxi driver tried to drive through standing water underneath a railroad overpass at 13th Street and Oak Street. When the vehicle he was driving stalled, the driver made several calls to 911, but provided an incorrect location for rescuers. He drowned due to the quickly rising flood waters in that low spot.

Wider weather episode

On September 5, 2018, the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon moved north from the Gulf of Mexico. It carried copious amounts of moisture as it continued to rotate while slowly moving north. In Kentucky, the outer bands of the system brought showers and thunderstorms that produced isolated wind damage September 5 and 6. By September 8th, Gordon was centered in southeast Missouri with much of its moisture and energy in the Ohio River Valley interacted with a stationary front. This produced efficient rainfall that caused flash flooding, and the environmental shear was strong enough to produce two tornadoes along the Ohio River in southern Indiana and north-central Kentucky.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.2374, -85.7780)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 784424. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.