Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19 to 20, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19 to 20, 2001
Start: 2001-01-19T12:00
End: 2001-01-20T23:00
Location: Kentucky

January 19 to 20, 2001 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

After about three quarters of an inch of rain, the precipitation changed to snow during the day on the 19th, then became snow showers on the 20th. The total snow accumulation was 3 to 6 inches over a 30 to 36 hour time interval.

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.

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 Jan 19, 11:08 AM EST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 19, 11:08 AM EST, 52 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 19, 7:28 AM EST, 4 hours 32 minutes before

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011-
013>020-024>031>040-046-047-181900-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
728 AM EST FRI JAN 19 2001

THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT STORM IN A MONTH WILL AFFECT OUR REGION INTO
THE WEEKEND...WITH BOTH RAIN AND SNOW.

ON THE WET SIDE...WIDESPREAD RAIN WAS AFFECTING OUR AREA EARLY THIS
MORNING.  THE RAIN WAS HEAVIEST OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN PART OF WEST
VIRGINIA...WHERE UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN HAD ALREADY FALLEN SINCE
YESTERDAY...AND WHERE THE RAIN TODAY WILL BE HEAVIEST.  FOR THIS
REASON...A FLOOD WATCH FOR STREAMS AND CREEKS REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
TODAY IN BUCHANAN AND DICKENSON COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA...AND MCDOWELL
AND WYOMING COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ON THE WINTRY SIDE...BEGINNING IN SOUTHEAST OHIO...THERE WILL BE
SNOW MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN AT TIMES TODAY.  AND...AS TEMPERATURES
FALL TO NEAR FREEZING LATE THIS AFTERNOON...FREEZING RAIN IS ALSO A
POSSIBILITY.  MINOR ICE ACCRETION IS POSSIBLE TOWARD EVENING IN
SOUTHEAST OHIO...AND BY LATER THIS EVENING INTO CENTRAL WEST
VIRGINIA.

LATER TONIGHT...THERE WILL BE A TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET...AND FINALLY...SNOW.  THIS WILL BE A WEST TO EAST
TRANSITION...TAKING PLACE ALONG THE OHIO RIVER INCLUDING HUNTINGTON
AND PARKERSBURG DURING THE EVENING HOURS...THE I79 CORRIDOR
INCLUDING CLARKSBURG AND CHARLESTON DURING THE LATE EVENING AND
FIRST POST MIDNIGHT HOURS...AND OVER THE MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT
THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.  THE PRECIPITATION WILL TEND TO
TAPER OFF TOWARD DAWN.  UP TO AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW CAN ACCUMULATE
BY DAWN SATURDAY.

FINALLY...SATURDAY ITSELF WILL LIKELY BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF
SNOW...AND A QUICK FEW ADDITIONAL INCHES CAN ACCUMULATE DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE MOST
FAVORED THIS TIME...WHILE PLACES TOWARD AND WEST OF THE OHIO RIVER
ARE LEAST FAVORED.

THE WEATHER WILL SETTLE DOWN SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OUR WAY.

NO WINTER STORM WATCHES HAVE BEEN POSTED.  IF THE THREAT OF HEAVY
SNOW INCREASES...A WINTER STORM WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR FRIDAY
NIGHT OR SATURDAY...FOR THE MOST FAVORED COUNTIES.

THIS INCLEMENT WEATHER IS BEING CAUSED BY A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT
WILL BE TRACKING UP THE SPINE OF THE APPALACHIANS TODAY AND
TONIGHT.  EQUALLY IMPORTANT...A COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE FROM THE WEST
LHATER TODAY.

.END / TRM / NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON

Special weather statement, Jan 19, 7:28 AM EST, 4 hours 32 minutes before

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011-
013>020-024>031>040-046-047-192220-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
728 AM EST FRI JAN 19 2001

THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT STORM IN A MONTH WILL AFFECT OUR REGION INTO
THE WEEKEND...WITH BOTH RAIN AND SNOW.

ON THE WET SIDE...WIDESPREAD RAIN WAS AFFECTING OUR AREA EARLY THIS
MORNING.  THE RAIN WAS HEAVIEST OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN PART OF WEST
VIRGINIA...WHERE UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN HAD ALREADY FALLEN SINCE
YESTERDAY...AND WHERE THE RAIN TODAY WILL BE HEAVIEST.  FOR THIS
REASON...A FLOOD WATCH FOR STREAMS AND CREEKS REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
TODAY IN BUCHANAN AND DICKENSON COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA...AND MCDOWELL
AND WYOMING COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ON THE WINTRY SIDE...BEGINNING IN SOUTHEAST OHIO...THERE WILL BE
SNOW MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN AT TIMES TODAY.  AND...AS TEMPERATURES
FALL TO NEAR FREEZING LATE THIS AFTERNOON...FREEZING RAIN IS ALSO A
POSSIBILITY.  MINOR ICE ACCRETION IS POSSIBLE TOWARD EVENING IN
SOUTHEAST OHIO...AND BY LATER THIS EVENING INTO CENTRAL WEST
VIRGINIA.

LATER TONIGHT...THERE WILL BE A TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET...AND FINALLY...SNOW.  THIS WILL BE A WEST TO EAST
TRANSITION...TAKING PLACE ALONG THE OHIO RIVER INCLUDING HUNTINGTON
AND PARKERSBURG DURING THE EVENING HOURS...THE I79 CORRIDOR
INCLUDING CLARKSBURG AND CHARLESTON DURING THE LATE EVENING AND
FIRST POST MIDNIGHT HOURS...AND OVER THE MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT
THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.  THE PRECIPITATION WILL TEND TO
TAPER OFF TOWARD DAWN.  UP TO AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW CAN ACCUMULATE
BY DAWN SATURDAY.

FINALLY...SATURDAY ITSELF WILL LIKELY BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF
SNOW...AND A QUICK FEW ADDITIONAL INCHES CAN ACCUMULATE DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE MOST
FAVORED THIS TIME...WHILE PLACES TOWARD AND WEST OF THE OHIO RIVER
ARE LEAST FAVORED.

THE WEATHER WILL SETTLE DOWN SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OUR WAY.

NO WINTER STORM WATCHES HAVE BEEN POSTED.  IF THE THREAT OF HEAVY
SNOW INCREASES...A WINTER STORM WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR FRIDAY
NIGHT OR SATURDAY...FOR THE MOST FAVORED COUNTIES.

THIS INCLEMENT WEATHER IS BEING CAUSED BY A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT
WILL BE TRACKING UP THE SPINE OF THE APPALACHIANS TODAY AND
TONIGHT.  EQUALLY IMPORTANT...A COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE FROM THE WEST
LATER TODAY.

.END / TRM / NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON

Special weather statement, Jan 19, 11:30 AM EST, 30 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Boyd

When: January 19, 12:00 PM EST to January 20, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Boyd forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.360, -82.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Carter

When: January 19, 12:00 PM EST to January 20, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Carter forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.318, -83.049 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Greenup

When: January 19, 12:00 PM EST to January 20, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Greenup forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.546, -82.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lawrence

When: January 19, 12:00 PM EST to January 20, 11:00 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

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

Every storm in Kentucky in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5229005, 5229006, 5229007, 5229008.