Winter Storm, Bell
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Bell forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.731, -83.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 23 to 24, 1998
A winter storm affected eastern Kentucky from late morning on December 23 into the early morning of December 24. Arctic air in place at the surface with warm air moving in aloft created a wintery mixture of freezing rain and sleet.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
- 23
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 JKL wrote it up.
A winter storm affected eastern Kentucky from late morning on December 23 into the early morning of December 24. Arctic air in place at the surface with warm air moving in aloft created a wintery mixture of freezing rain and sleet. The accumulating sleet and glaze was confined south of a line from Beattyville northeast to Inez.Ice accumulations ranged from one quarter inch to around one inch in many locations especially in the Cumberland Valley and in the counties along the Virginia and West Virginia border. The mixture created numerous traffic accidents throughout eastern Kentucky.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
23 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Breathitt
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Breathitt forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 37.522, -83.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Clay
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.160, -83.715 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Floyd
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Floyd forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.557, -82.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Harlan
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Harlan forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.857, -83.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jackson
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.420, -84.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Johnson
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.847, -82.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Knott
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Knott forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.354, -82.954 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Knox
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 36.891, -83.854 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Laurel
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Laurel forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 37.111, -84.118 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lee
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.595, -83.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Leslie
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Leslie forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.094, -83.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Letcher
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Letcher forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.121, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Magoffin
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Magoffin forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.707, -83.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Martin
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Martin forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.802, -82.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, McCreary
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- McCreary forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 36.737, -84.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Owsley
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Owsley forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 37.419, -83.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Perry
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.244, -83.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pike
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Pike forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 37.469, -82.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pulaski
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 37.104, -84.577 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Rockcastle
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Rockcastle forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 37.365, -84.316 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wayne
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 36.801, -84.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Whitley
- When
- December 23, 12:00 PM EST to December 24, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Whitley forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -84.145 (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
- Ice Storm in Alabama, December 23 to 25, 1998
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, December 23 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Virginia, December 23 to 25, 1998
- Cold in Arkansas, December 23, 1998
- Ice Storm in Maryland, December 23 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 23 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in Alabama, December 23 to 24, 1998
- Winter Storm in Texas, December 23, 1998
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 23 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in Virginia, December 23 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 1998
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 23, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5674032, 5674033, 5674034, 5674035, 5674036, 5674037, 5674038, 5674039, 5674040, 5674041, 5674042, 5674043, 5674044, 5674045, 5674046, 5674047, 5674048, 5674049, 5674050, 5674051, 5674052, 5674053, 5674054.