Severe storm prompts tornado warnings, dumps heavy rain, large hail
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
Tuesday, April 25, 2011, 11 p.m. — A supercell-type thunderstorm had Nelson County residents seeking storm shelter several times as it passed through the area.
The storm triggered a string of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings as it tracked east-northeast from far Western Kentucky. After the storm triggered tornado warnings for Grayson, Breckenridge and Hardin counties, the National Weather Service issued the first tornado warning of the evening for western Nelson County at about 8:40 p.m.
The supercell storm was traveling at 30 mph, giving people in its path plenty of time to seek shelter.
Soon after the first tornado warning expired at 9:15 p.m., a second tornado warning was issued for western Nelson, eastern Hardin and norther LaRue couties. That warning was ended prior to its anticipated 9:45 expiration due to lessening in the severity of the storm. Unfortunately, the easing of the storm didn’t last long.
The storm dumped torrential rains on the Bardstown area, overwhelming storm drains and gutters, causing flash flooding of numerous city streets, including North Fifth at Broadway, North Third Street north of the Old Kentucky Dinner Train and portions of East Stephen Foster. Some areas reported hail larger than 3/4-inch in diameter. A trained storm spotter reported hail 1-1/4-inches in diameter in the Bardstown area.
The heavy rains caused headaches for police officers who had to drive through flooded streets to reach their destinations. The rains apparently prompted a mud slide on Gilkey Run Road south of town not far from the city’s old sewage treatment plant.
As the storm tracked to the northeast, it intensified once again, prompted a severe thunderstorm warning at 10:20 p.m. That warning was canceled at 10:32 and replaced by a tornado warning for northeast Nelson County, including the Bloomfield and Chaplin communities.
A rotating wall cloud and a funnel cloud were reported by trained spotters as the storm passed through the northeast Nelson County area. Police and Northeast Nelson firefighters searched for damage after receiving calls about a possible tornado touchdown in the US 62-Greens Chapel Road area. No damage was found.
As the storm pushed into Spencer, Anderson and Washington counties it triggered additional tornado warnings for areas in its path.
Nelson County Emergency Management called up its weather spotter network, as did the Nelson County Amateur Radio Emergency Services group. The ham radio group — which includes trained weather spotters — funneled its reports to EM Director Joe Osborne. At the height of the storm, the Louisville office of the National Weather Service, and the Kentucky Emergency Management Operations Center were in contact with weather spotters in the county via ham radio in the event of a tornado touchdown and reports of damage.
The storms rainfall will likely extend the ongoing flooding along the Rolling Fork River valley at Boston. An updated flood warning issued early Wednesday morning anticipated the Rolling Fork will rise from its current level of 43 feet to 44.6 feet by Friday afternoon. Flood stage is 35.0 feet.
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