Winter Storm, McCracken
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- McCracken forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 16 to 17, 1996
Rain changed to snow across the lower Ohio River Valley west of Owensboro early in the evening. Rainwater on road surfaces became an icy glaze as 1 to 2 inches of snow fell over it.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
Rain changed to snow across the lower Ohio River Valley west of Owensboro early in the evening. Rainwater on road surfaces became an icy glaze as 1 to 2 inches of snow fell over it. Numerous vehicle accidents occurred, including at least two with injuries. Most of the injuries were minor, except for one person seriously injured in a crash in eastern Ballard County. In McCracken County alone, 35 weather-related accidents occurred, with only 3 minor injuries. At least 10 accidents occurred in nearby Ballard County.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Hickman
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hickman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Carlisle
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Carlisle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Ballard
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ballard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Livingston
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Marshall
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Crittenden
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Crittenden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Caldwell
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Caldwell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Union
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Webster
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Henderson
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lyon
- When
- December 16, 7:30 PM CST to December 17, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Dense Fog in California, December 16, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Indiana, December 16, 1996
- Cold in Nebraska, December 16 to 19, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in Montana, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Cold in New Mexico, December 16 to 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5581254, 5581255, 5581256, 5581257, 5581258, 5581259, 5581260, 5581261, 5581262, 5581263, 5581264, 5581265.