Flood, Ballard
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Ballard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Kentucky, January 26 to 31, 1996
The Blizzard of '96 that fell in New England and the Mid-Atlantic around the 6th began to melt towards the middle of the month, sending a flood wave down the Ohio River. This in turn sent backwater up many of the smaller rivers that feed into the Ohio.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
The Blizzard of '96 that fell in New England and the Mid-Atlantic around the 6th began to melt towards the middle of the month, sending a flood wave down the Ohio River. This in turn sent backwater up many of the smaller rivers that feed into the Ohio. The lower Ohio River crested 3 to 5 feet above flood stage. At Paducah, where the flood stage is 39 feet, the river reached 42.0 feet on the last day of the month. Portions of the riverfront park at Paducah were underwater. Most of the flooding was confined to bottomlands.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, McCracken
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- McCracken forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Livingston
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Crittenden
- When
- January 26, 10:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Crittenden forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 26, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, January 26, 1996
- Blizzard in Wisconsin, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Cold in North Dakota, January 26, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Hail in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
- Tornado in Louisiana, January 26, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, January 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
- Flooding in North Carolina, January 26 to 27, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 26, 1996
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 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: 5542627, 5542628, 5542629, 5542630.