Winter Weather, Ballard
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ballard forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 21, 1998
Rain during the day changed to freezing rain and sleet during the evening as a very sharp cold front plowed across the region. Temperatures plunged from the lower 60s in the morning to below freezing during the early evening.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
- 17
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 during the day changed to freezing rain and sleet during the evening as a very sharp cold front plowed across the region. Temperatures plunged from the lower 60s in the morning to below freezing during the early evening. The wintry precipitation, which lasted a few hours before ending, caused very icy conditions. Numerous accidents were reported, mostly vehicles sliding into ditches. One exception involved a tractor trailer rig which overturned along the Purchase Parkway between Interstate 24 and Draffenville. The parkway was closed until the accident could be cleared. Numerous accidents occurred on Interstate 24, mainly west of the Western Kentucky Parkway.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
17 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Weather, Caldwell
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Caldwell forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Carlisle
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carlisle forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Crittenden
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Crittenden forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Daviess
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Daviess forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Fulton
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Graves
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Graves forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Henderson
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Hickman
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hickman forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Hopkins
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hopkins forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.309, -87.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Livingston
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Lyon
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Marshall
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, McCracken
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- McCracken forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, McLean
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Union
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Webster
- When
- December 21, 6:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Frost and Freeze in California, December 21 to 24, 1998
- Cold in Utah, December 21 to 24, 1998
- Winter Storm in Missouri, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 21, 1998
- Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Winter Weather in Illinois, December 21, 1998
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 21, 1998
- Winter Weather in Missouri, December 21, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 21 to 22, 1998
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 21, 1998
- Winter Weather in Indiana, December 21, 1998
More
Every storm in Kentucky in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 1998
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5674546, 5674547, 5674548, 5674549, 5674550, 5674551, 5674552, 5674553, 5674554, 5674555, 5674556, 5674557, 5674558, 5674559, 5674560, 5674561, 5674562.