Kentucky, 2002

Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 6, 2002

January 6, 2002 · NWS JKL · 25 events in 25 counties and zones

A strengthening area of low pressure tracked from the Gulf Coast states northeastward along the Appalachian Mountains. This initially produced rain, freezing rain, and sleet over eastern Kentucky during the early morning hours, but shortly before dawn, turned to snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 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
25

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 JKL wrote it up.

A strengthening area of low pressure tracked from the Gulf Coast states northeastward along the Appalachian Mountains. This initially produced rain, freezing rain, and sleet over eastern Kentucky during the early morning hours, but shortly before dawn, turned to snow. Western parts of the area were generally affected first as snow moved east during the morning hours. Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour were common during the mid morning to early afternoon hours. Generally, southeastern portions of eastern Kentucky received the most snowfall with 6 to 10 inches commonly reported from Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Knox, Clay, Leslie, Perry, Breathitt, Magoffin, Floyd, Estill, and Fleming Counties. Elsewhere amounts were in the 4 to 6 inch range. Although most of the significant accumulating snow ended by mid afternoon, light snow continued to fall into the early evening hours before ending.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

25 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Whitley

When
January 6, 5:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Whitley forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.758, -84.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bell

When
January 6, 5:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Bell forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
36.731, -83.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Harlan

When
January 6, 5:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Harlan forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.857, -83.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Leslie

When
January 6, 5:00 AM EST to 1:30 PM EST
Where
Leslie forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.094, -83.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McCreary

When
January 6, 5:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
McCreary forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.737, -84.484 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bath

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Bath forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.145, -83.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clay

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.160, -83.715 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Estill

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Estill forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.693, -83.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Fleming

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Fleming forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.370, -83.697 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jackson

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.420, -84.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Knox

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.891, -83.854 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lee

When
January 6, 6:00 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.595, -83.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Letcher

When
January 6, 6:30 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Letcher forecast zone
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
37.121, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.922, -83.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Owsley

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Owsley forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.419, -83.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Perry

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Perry forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.244, -83.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Rowan

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Rowan forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.196, -83.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wolfe

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Wolfe forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.739, -83.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Breathitt

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Breathitt forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.522, -83.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Magoffin

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Magoffin forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.707, -83.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Menifee

When
January 6, 7:00 AM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Menifee forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.941, -83.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pike

When
January 6, 7:30 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.469, -82.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Floyd

When
January 6, 7:30 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Floyd forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.557, -82.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Knott

When
January 6, 7:30 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Knott forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.354, -82.954 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Martin

When
January 6, 7:30 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.802, -82.513 (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

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5279430, 5280127, 5280133, 5280138, 5280142, 5280126, 5280129, 5280130, 5280131, 5280134, 5280136, 5280137, 5280139, 5279425, 5279426, 5279427, 5279429, 5279431, 5280128, 5280140, 5280143, 5279428, 5280132, 5280135, 5280141.