Heat in Kentucky, December 1 to 23, 2001

Name: Heat in Kentucky, December 1 to 23, 2001
Start: 2001-12-01T00:00
End: 2001-12-23T18:00
Location: Kentucky

December 1 to 23, 2001 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An Indian summer environment lingered during most of this period. Daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s were common.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 RLX wrote it up.

An Indian summer environment lingered during most of this period. Daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s were common. The warmest readings came on the 5th, when Ashland and Grayson both saw 77 degrees. Greenup Lock and Dam, plus Charley of Lawrence County, had 74 degrees on the 5th.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 9:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 9:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
930 PM EST FRI NOV 30 2001

NO UPDATE PLANNED THIS EVENING.
WITH LOW CLOUDS STICKING AROUND WEST OF THE OHIO RIVER AND MIDLVL
CLOUDS EAST OF THE CWA...WE ARE LEFT IN THE MIDDLE....WITH VERY FEW
IF ANY CLOUDS TO SPEAK OF.  BKW A LITTLE WARMER THAN EXPECTED SO FAR
THIS EVENING...BUT SHOULD COOL QUICKLY LATER AS WINDS BEGIN TO SLACK
AND CLOUDS REMAIN ABSENT FOR THE MST PART.

.RLX...
WV...NONE.
VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/ KS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Boyd

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 23, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.360, -82.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Carter

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 23, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Carter forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.318, -83.049 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Greenup

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 23, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Greenup forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.546, -82.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Lawrence

When: December 1, 12:00 AM EST to December 23, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.068, -82.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heat: Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, December 2001

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: 5273572, 5273573, 5273574, 5273575.