Flash Flood — Leslie, Kentucky

2020-05-24 · near Confluence, Leslie, Kentucky

Event narrative

Dispatch reported water flowing over Wilder Branch Road in Confluence, forcing the closure of the road for a period of time. This swiftly flowing water forced chunks of the roadway to break apart, while water impacted approximately 25 to 30 homes.

Wider weather episode

Scattered thunderstorms developed very late this afternoon and early evening as a hot and humid airmass remained in place across eastern Kentucky. The hardest hit area by heavy rainfall was along the Hal Rogers Parkway and Highway 80 corridor, stretching from Leslie County to Floyd County.

A portion of Leslie County saw chunks of a roadway washed away, while parts of Perry and Floyd Counties had motorists stranded and rescued by first responders. Residences near Fisty in Knott County were inundated by quickly rising flood waters.

Localized damage occurred in Harlan County near Molus as thunderstorm winds downed 10-15 large trees.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2720, -83.3857)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 882873. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.