Kentucky, 1997

Heavy Snow in Kentucky, December 30, 1997

December 30, 1997 · NWS PAH · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An "Alberta Clipper" type of low pressure system produced around 4 inches of snow across northwest Kentucky, primarily the Henderson and Owensboro area. Specific snowfall amounts included 4 inches at Henderson, 5 inches at Owensboro, and 3 inches in Webster County, just southwest of Henderson.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

An "Alberta Clipper" type of low pressure system produced around 4 inches of snow across northwest Kentucky, primarily the Henderson and Owensboro area. Specific snowfall amounts included 4 inches at Henderson, 5 inches at Owensboro, and 3 inches in Webster County, just southwest of Henderson. One traffic fatality was blamed on the slippery roads. A one-car accident on the Western Kentucky Parkway, four miles east of the Kentucky State Police post in Hopkins County, claimed the life of a 35-year-old man. An accident involving a tractor trailer rig closed the Pennyrile Parkway just south of Madisonville for several hours. In a six-county area affected by the snow, Kentucky State Police reported 43 accidents, none involving serious injuries. There were 38 other incidents where motorists simply ran off the road.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Daviess

When
December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Daviess forecast zone
Coordinates
37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Henderson

When
December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Coordinates
37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McLean

When
December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
McLean forecast zone
Coordinates
37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Union

When
December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Coordinates
37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Webster

When
December 30, 2:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Coordinates
37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 1997

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: 5626137, 5626138, 5626139, 5626140, 5626141.