Kentucky, 1999

Ice Storm in Kentucky, January 1 to 2, 1999

January 1 to 2, 1999 · NWS PAH · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Freezing rain coated many surfaces with a quarter to half inch of ice. The heaviest icing was nearest the Illinois state line, from Ballard and McCracken Counties to Union County.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Freezing rain coated many surfaces with a quarter to half inch of ice. The heaviest icing was nearest the Illinois state line, from Ballard and McCracken Counties to Union County. The ice was not sufficient to bring down trees or power lines in Western Kentucky. Slick roads contributed to at least two accidents involving serious injuries. Both wrecks occurred in Graves County. In Henderson County, a five-vehicle accident on the southbound U.S. 41 bridge over the Ohio River caused traffic to back up past the Interstate 164 junction. Schools in Union, Webster, and Daviess Counties were closed on the 4th due to icy roads.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Ballard

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Ballard forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Caldwell

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Carlisle

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Carlisle forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Crittenden

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Crittenden forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Daviess

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Daviess forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Fulton

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Graves

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Graves forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Henderson

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hickman

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Hickman forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Hopkins

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Hopkins forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.309, -87.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Livingston

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Lyon

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Marshall

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, McCracken

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
McCracken forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, McLean

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
McLean forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Union

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Webster

When
January 1, 8:00 PM CST to January 2, 6:00 AM 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

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 1999

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5680856, 5680857, 5680858, 5680975, 5680976, 5680977, 5680978, 5680979, 5680980, 5680981, 5680982, 5680983, 5680984, 5680985, 5680986, 5680987, 5680988.