Heavy Snow, Spencer
- When
- January 19, 1:00 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Spencer forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 38.014, -87.008 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 19, 2002
Around four inches of snow fell across a small part of southwest Indiana, mainly along the Ohio River. Spencer County reported an average of four inches, with generally one to three inches north and west of there.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
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.
Around four inches of snow fell across a small part of southwest Indiana, mainly along the Ohio River. Spencer County reported an average of four inches, with generally one to three inches north and west of there. Most of the snow fell in a burst lasting about 3 hours. Visibility was occasionally around one quarter mile during that time. Since surface temperatures were within a degree or two of freezing, removal of the snow was relatively easy. Traffic problems were relatively minor because of the timing of the event late at night on a weekend.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 18, 1:58 PM CST, 11 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 1:58 PM CST, 11 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 158 PM CST FRI JAN 18 2002 SHORT TIME TO DISCUSS FEATURES THIS AFTERNOON...SO WILL GO WITH SCENERIO EXPECTED TONIGHT. LOOK FOR START OF MEASURABLE SNOW TO MOVE INTO RIPLEY AND CARTER COUNTIES SHORTLY AFTER 00Z...WITH RAPID EXPANSION OF LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES INTO ALL OF SRN IL AND WRN KY WEST OF THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES BY 03Z. MEASURABLE SNOW SHOULD EXPAND INTO SRN IL AND WRN KY W OF THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES BY 04Z...EXPANDING TO THE REST OF THE CWA BY 06Z. ANTICIPATE HEAVIEST BAND OF SNOW /UP TO 5 INCHES/ WILL STRETCH FROM N/NE OF POPLAR BLUFF/KPOF/...ONWARD TO NEAR CAIRO IL...TO S OF DIXON AND OWENSBORO KY. THE PERIOD OF EFFECTIVE SNOWFALL/MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION EFFICIENCY WILL LIKELY ONLY LAST 4-5 HOURS AT THE MOST...1-2 INCHES AN HOUR POSSIBLE FOR A COUPLE HOURS. MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW WILL BE LIKELY FROM SOUTHEAST OF MAYFIELD KY...CLOSER TO MURRAY KY...EASTWARD THROUGH CADIZ...HOPKINSVILLE AND ELKTON. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A SHORT PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN IN THIS AREA...BUT WILL FOCUS MAINLY ON SLEET AND SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THIS AREA WILL LIKELY AMOUNT TO 1-3 INCHES. WILL KEEP WEST-EAST LINE OF COUNTIES FROM MOUNT VERNON IL TO WINSLOW IN OUT OF ANY ADVISORIES...BUT ANTICIPATE THESE AREAS MAY SEE UP TO TWO INCHES OF SNOW. WARM UP SHOULD BEGIN IN EARNEST ON SUN THROUGH WED...WITH DECENT WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN IN PLACE. SHOWERS...POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY...BUT MAINLY ON THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. WILL ADJUST MX/MN TEMPS FOR ANTICIPATED SNOW COVER. WILL HAVE TO MAKE LAST MINUTE DECISION ON POTENTIAL FOR FOG...BUT MAY HAVE TO DEFER TO EVENING SHIFT. APPRECIATED COORDINATION WITH HPC AND IN/KY/MO/TN WFOS ON WINTRY WX. .PAH...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY SOUTH OF A LINE OF MURRAY TO ELKTON KY ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ALONG A LINE FROM PINCKNEYVILLE IL AND SANTA CLAUS INDIANA TO LAKE WAPPAPPELO MO AND OWENSBORO KY...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM LAKE WAPPAPPELO TO OWENSBORO KENTUCKY SOUTH TO MURRAY AND ELKTON KY LINE. SMITH
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, January 19, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, January 19, 2002
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19, 2002
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 19, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, January 19, 2002
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in New Jersey, January 19 to 20, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19, 2002
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 19, 2002
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 19, 2002
- Winter Storm in Virginia, January 19, 2002
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, January 19, 2002
- Heavy Snow in Illinois, January 19, 2002
More
Every storm in Indiana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, January 2002
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: 5277234.