This Is Considered the Worst July Storm in Kentucky History

As I write this, a massive storm has just rolled through, leaving me with only the minimal light that's coming through the window. As I await the return of the electricity, I thought I'd do a little digging into the history of July storms in Kentucky.

Recent Kentucky Floods

When it comes to this time of year, the main culprit with most bad storms is usually flooding. And that was the case in July of both 2022 and 2023. The Weather Channel's data indicates the '22 flood in Eastern Kentucky was the nation's deadliest non-tropical flash flood in 45 years.

In 2023, July brought extraordinary flooding to WESTERN Kentucky.

The Worst July Storm in Kentucky's History

But it was back in 1939 when Kentucky incurred the wrath of what would come to be classified by the National Weather Service as the worst July storm in the Commonwealth's history. Devastating flash flooding occurred on July 4th and 5th of that year, and during those overnight hours, up to 9 inches of rain fell in a relatively short period of time. Mind-boggling, terrifying. This home in Rowan County was upended by the Triplett Creek flood that summer.

In fact, in Rowan County, it only took less than a half-hour for water to rise 10 to 15 feet. Additionally, the rapidly rising waters destroyed the Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute which was rebuilt as the Kentucky Mountain Bible College.

All tolled, according to the Red Cross, 79 lives were lost across the 21 counties affected by the flooding. A 1939 account of the storm by the Department of the Interior can be found at weather.gov/media/jkl/1939FloodPaper.