Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 19, 2002
Start: 2002-01-19T04:00
End: 2002-01-19T10:00
Location: Kentucky

January 19, 2002 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A quick 5 to 8 inches of snow accumulation was common. Grayson and Charley both measured 7 inches.

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.

A quick 5 to 8 inches of snow accumulation was common. Grayson and Charley both measured 7 inches. Carter Caves had 6 inches. Luckily, the snow fell on a Saturday morning, when travel was light. Hardware, grocery, and convenience stores got an economic boost from the snow, as people flocked to buy food, road salt, and bird seed.

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 18, 10:29 PM EST, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 10:29 PM EST, 5 hours 31 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, 4:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM 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, 4:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM 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, 4:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM 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, 4:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM 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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, 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: 5276553, 5276554, 5276555, 5276556.