Monthly Climate Summary
April 2009

While April averaged out as slightly warmer than normal for Kentucky, the month was marked by variable weather that ranged from the cold of January to the heat of July. In other words, it was a typical April in Kentucky. Overall, the first 16 days of the month were cold and wet with numerous storm systems that brought changeable and unsettled weather every couple of days. An EF-1 tornado that briefly touched down in Casey County, damaged a few homes on April 5th as severe thunderstorms moved across the state. Minor damage to trees and power lines occurred elsewhere in central Kentucky.

Arctic air moved in behind the thunderstorms which kept high temperatures in the 40s on the 6th. A freeze warning was issued for much of the state on the mornings of the 7th and 8th as morning lows fell below freezing in several locations. Light snow accompanied the arctic air on the 7th as a few spots in central Kentucky received a light dusting. Heavier snow fell in eastern Kentucky as Jackson picked up over two inches. A rapid warmup on the 8th and 9th set the stage for another round of severe weather on the 10th. Five tornadoes occurred in western and central Kentucky, including an EF-3 tornado in northern Christian County that leveled a home off its foundation and injured two. Baseball-size hail fell near Crofton, also in Christian County, and large hail was reported in many other communities in western Kentucky. Around mid-month, the pattern shifted to a warmer pattern although a storm on the 19th brought over an inch of rain to many parts of the state, most notably in Paducah and Owensboro. A summer-like stretch of weather began on the 23rd and persisted through the 27th as high pressure brought sunny skies and temperatures that approached 90 degrees. A final storm system brought about a return to wet weather on the 28th that produced more than two inches of rain in western Kentucky. In all, rainfall for the month was near normal in western and eastern Kentucky and up to 130% of normal in central Kentucky.