1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 3:00 AM EST, 7 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...AMENDMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 300 AM EST SUN FEB 16 2003 ONGOING SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN EVENT LOOKS RIGHT ON THE MONEY WITH NORTH 1/2 OF FORECAST AREA BEING AFFECTED AT THIS TIME. TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM THE MID 20S IN THE NORTH TO THE MID 30S IN THE SOUTH. PREVIOUS ALIGNMENTS OF HEADLINED EVENTS LOOK GREAT...BASED ON SURFACE TEMPERATURES FROM SURROUNDING OBSERVING SITES...AND LOCAL MESONET SITES FROM SCHOOL NETWORK AND DOT SENSORS. RECEIVING REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT ICING ON THE ORDER OF ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH ALREADY. AREAS ROADS...ESPECIALLY INTERSTATES WERE ESPECIALLY TREACHEROUS AND EVEN CLOSED IN SOME AREAS. COUPLE TREES HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED DOWN DUE TO THE ICE. ...UPDATED... ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...WE HAVE TRANSITIONED TO PRIMARILY A SLEET EVENT...WITH ONE HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF SLEET FROM LOUISVILLE WESTWARD. ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY...IT HAS REMAINED ALL FREEZING RAIN ON THE ORDER OF SEVERAL HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF FREEZING RAIN PER HOUR FOR THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS. AS THE LOW PRESSURE AREA MOVES INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY...THE PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA AS THE DEFORMATION ZONE (WHICH EXTENDS SOUTHWEST INTO ARKANSAS) MOVES UP THE OHIO RIVER. OUR FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES HAVE THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR A COMPLETE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW THIS AFTERNOON WHERE A FEW INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. IN THE LOUISVILLE VICINITY...OUR SLEET WILL CONTINUE...AND MAY MIX WITH FREEZING RAIN YET THIS MORNING...THEN LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO ALL SLEET BY THIS AFTERNOON. ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY...BUFKIT SOUNDINGS INDICATE THE COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE WILL BE LITTLE MORE SHALLOW WHICH SHOULD ALLOW FOR PRIMARILY FREEZING RAIN THERE...BUT MIXING WITH SLEET THIS AFTERNOON. FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY...IT WILL REMAIN JUST WARM ENOUGH FOR AN ALL RAIN EVENT...ALBEIT SOME PATCHY FREEZING RAIN MAY BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR 32...BUT WIDESPREAD ICING NOT EXPECTED THERE. ...UPDATED... ALSO HAVE TO CONTEND WITH AN ONGOING FLOOD WATCH ACROSS THE SOUTH. MY INITIAL IMPRESSIONS WERE TO DROP THE WATCH IN THE SOUTH...DUE TO DECREASED QPF. HOWEVER...THE 06Z META SEEMS TO BE PICKING UP ON THE AREA OF SHOWERS ACROSS CENTRAL TENNESSEE AND MOVES THAT INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS MORNING. AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM BOWLING GREEN TO COLUMBIA HAVE RECEIVED THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL...ON THE ORDER OF 2.5 TO 4 INCHES. ALSO...LOGAN COUNTY CONTINUES TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS AT THIS TIME. THUS...WILL MAINTAIN THE FLOOD WATCH FOR THE OFF CHANCE THAT ADDITIONAL MINOR FLOODING MAY OCCUR THIS MORNING. AS THE EVENT WINDS DOWN THIS EVENING...WE WILL MAINTAIN THE ONGOING FORECAST OF LIKELY POPS...WITH SNOW IN THE NORTH...A SLEET AND SNOW MIX IN CENTRAL LOCATIONS...AND A RAIN/FREEZING/RAIN/SLEET/SNOW MIX ACROSS THE SOUTH. BOTTOM LINE...WELL HAVE A WINTER STORM WARNING (FOR A VARIETY OF WINTERY PRECIPITATION, RATHER THAN SINGLE TYPE) FOR THE NORTH HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. OUR FAR NORTHERN KENTUCKY COUNTIES WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET. OUR CENTRAL KENTUCKY COUNTIES WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ICING...ON THE ORDER OF ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATION...WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATION. EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR THREE QUARTERS TO ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES OF ICE ACCUMULATION...WITH UP TO AN INCH OF SLEET AND SNOW. DOWNSTATE WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR MAINLY RAIN...BUT A MIX OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION TONIGHT BUT NO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS. STILL FEEL THAT THERE WILL BE A MORNING CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ON MONDAY...BUT THOSE ARE INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THE BIG EVENT TODAY. IF ITS ANY CONSOLATION...THE NEW MEX INDICATES TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING NEAR 60 BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THANKS FOR THE COORDINATION WITH ILN, IND, BNA, PAH, JKL. .SDF...WINTER STORM WARNING NORTH HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHERN KENTUCKY TODAY... VLD
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-171200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 644 AM EST SUN FEB 16 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY WHILE ABUNDANT MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM NORTHWARD INTO THE REGION. WITH COLD AIR IN PLACE AT THE SURFACE AND WARMER AIR ALOFT...A WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY. ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY...IT SHOULD REMAIN JUST ABOVE FREEZING TO ALLOW FOR RAIN THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA AND NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY. A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY TODAY AS WELL WITH MINOR FLOODING POSSIBLE OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS. THE WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD DIMINISH THIS EVENING...WITH SNOW LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA...AND A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY...WITH SLEET...FREEZING RAIN OR SNOW POSSIBLE NEAR THE KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE BORDER. TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA...WITH ONE TO TWO INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF KENTUCKY. SIGNIFICANT ICING IS ALSO POSSIBLE...WITH ICING ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM ONE QUARTER TO ONE INCH IN SOME AREAS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WE ENCOURAGE STORM SPOTTERS AND MEDIA TO CONTINUE TO PHONE IN SNOW AND ICE REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THROUGH EITHER THE TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET. VLD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
0703 AM EST SUN FEB 16 2003
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0700 AM LEXINGTON KY ICE STORM
02/16/03 FAYETTE SEVERAL LARGE LIMBS DOWN
FROM MATURE TREES.
ESTIMATED ONE HALF INCH ICE
ACCUMULATION.
VLDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Licking River at Blue Licks Spring crested around 31.7 feet at 3 PM EST on February 17. Flood stage at Blue Licks Spring is 25 feet. Minor flooding occurs at this level. Some cultivated crop lands are flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, February 2003
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: 5343587.