Winter Weather in Kentucky, February 18, 2006

Name: Winter Weather in Kentucky, February 18, 2006
Start: 2006-02-18T02:00
End: 2006-02-18T12:00
Location: Kentucky

February 18, 2006 · NWS PAH · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

One to three inches of snow fell across western Kentucky. Isolated reports of 4 inches were received from Hickman and McCracken Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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: 22

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.

One to three inches of snow fell across western Kentucky. Isolated reports of 4 inches were received from Hickman and McCracken Counties. Roads were snow-covered and slippery. Numerous accidents were reported, including 17 in Henderson County alone, none of which involved injuries.

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 Feb 17, 9:55 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 9:55 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
955 PM CST FRI FEB 17 2006

.UPDATE...
RADAR SHOWS UPSTREAM ECHOES IN SRN MO/NRN AR NOT YET REACHING
GROUND...BUT SOME REPORTS FURTHER WEST INTO NW AR STARTING TO SHOW
UP IN NETWORK. TEMP CURVE SHOWS TEMPS NOT DROPPING AS MUCH AS PREVIOUSLY
ANTICIPATED...AND INCOMING 00Z MET DATA PICKS UP ON THIS AND
SLIGHTLY WARMS GOING AND OVERNIGHT TEMPS...WHICH WE TWEEKED IN
GRIDS/ZONES. THIS WL NOT MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE IN EXPECTED PCPN
THOUGH...EXCEPT ALONG AR/TN BORDERS...WHERE 00Z RUC AND NAM SOUNDINGS
SHOW PCPN MAY BEGIN AS BRIEF PERIOD OF SLEET IF ANY REACHES THE
GROUND PRIOR TO 06Z...CONFIRMED IN BOOTHEEL ALREADY. SINCE SAME
SOUNDINGS DONT SHOW LOWER TROP SATURATION TIL AFT 06Z...WE CHOSE TO
THROW A MENTION OF THIS INTO THE ZFP BUT RETAIN THE WSW LARGELY AS
WRITTEN. SOME CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO SLIGHT EXPANSION NORTHWARD INTO
MORE OF SEMO SINCE 00Z GFS TRICKLED IN...BUT 00Z NAM
CONTRADICTS...SO WE LEFT IT ALONE AND WILL INCLUDE ON THE BRIEF FOR
A CLOSE MONITORING ON THE DEVELOPING PCPN ZONE. LATEST HPC WWD
PAINTS SRN FA IN 2-4 SWATH POSSIBLE AND 00Z MODEL QPF SUPPORTS OUR
CURRENT 1-3 WORDING GIVEN 15-1 RATIOS. ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE
POSSIBLE AND IS LIKEWISE MENTIONED.

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...

AS STATED IN PREVIOUS AFD...HAVE SPREAD THE ADVISORY UP A ROW OF
COUNTIES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIP OF ILLINOIS AND IN WEST KENTUCKY.
THE TIMING REMAINS THE SAME...10 PM TO 8 AM.

STRATOCU DECK HANGING FAIRLY STRONG ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND
SOUTHWEST INDIANA...ELSEWHERE MID AND HIGH CLOUD BEGINNING SPREAD
EASTWARD INTO WESTERN ZONES. SHOULD SEE MID AND HIGH CLOUDS
INCREASING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING...AHEAD OF
APPROACHING WINTER STORM. MEANWHILE...DECENT NORTH WINDS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT...BRINGING MUCH COOLER AIRMASS OVER THE
REGION. ALOFT...SOME FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING IN THE 800MB TO 700MB
LAYER WILL HELP SNOW TO DEVELOP FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS
EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MODELS ARE IN DECENT
AGREEMENT ON THESE POINTS...BUT QPF IS A DIFFERENT ISSUE.

THE 12Z GFS GENERATES UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF QPF IN THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA TONIGHT...WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
FROM THE PREVIOUSLY DRY RUNS IN THAT AREA. IT APPEARS TO LATCH ON
TO SOME MINOR UPPER DIFFLUENCE IN A VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET.
THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY MINOR FEATURE AND THEREFORE I DO NOT HAVE
MUCH CONFIDENCE IN THAT SOLUTION...OPTING MORE FOR A MIDDLE OF THE
ROAD APPROACH FOR NOW...KEEPING A 50 POP IN THE NORTHERN ZONES FOR
TONIGHT. THE 18Z NAM HAS BACKED DOWN ON ITS QPF IN THE FAR SOUTH
AND SOUTHWEST...MORE INTO LINE WITH 12Z GFS QPF. GIVEN THE MODEL
DISCREPANCIES...DECIDED TO FOLLOW THE HPC QPF AND USE A 15 TO 1
RATIO TO GET SNOW GRIDS. THE MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT IN HAVING
TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S DURING THE
EVENT...LEADING TO THE HIGHER RATIO. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM
UNDER AN INCH IN THE NORTH TO 1 TO 3 IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE
AREA. CATEGORICAL POPS IN THE SOUTH LOOK REASONABLE.

ALL 12Z GUIDANCE IN AGREEMENT IN BRINGING A QUICK END TO THE
PRECIPITATION IN THE MORNING...AND CLEARING SKIES FROM THE NORTH
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MODELS ALSO IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN
SHOWING LITTLE REBOUND IN TEMPERATURES SATURDAY...LEADING TO VERY
COLD DAY WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER TEENS NORTH TO LOWER 20S SOUTH.
THE POTENTIAL SNOW COVER WILL MAKE TEMPERATURES INTO EARLY NEXT
WEEK VERY INTERESTING.

THE MODELS CONTINUE TO BE DRY OR MOSTLY SO...FOR SUNDAY THROUGH
MONDAY. THE GFS CONTINUES TO BRING SOME LIGHT QPF INTO FAR
SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...SO KEPT A LOW
POP FOR LIGHT SNOW THEN. THE MODELS SEEM TO HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT
THE ARCTIC HIGH IS STRONGER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT AND WILL NOT
ALLOW FOR SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS TO OUR EAST...AS PREVIOUSLY
ADVERTISED. DO NOT WANT TO PULL ALL MENTION OF THE EVENT AT THIS
TIME...GIVEN THE TREND IN THE LAST 24 HOURS ON TONIGHTS EVENT.

TEMPERATURES WILL BE BRUTALLY COLD SUNDAY MORNING AS THE SURFACE
HIGH SETTLES OVER THE AREA. IT WILL HANG OUT OVER US THROUGH MONDAY.

SHOULD SEE SINGLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES SUNDAY MORNING AND HIGHS ONLY
IN THE MID 20S SUNDAY AFTERNOON...DESPITE SOME SUNSHINE. WENT WITH
THE COOLER MET SUNDAY NIGHT AND UNDERCUT THE 12Z MEX FOR MONDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...

NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.  FOR TUESDAY
NIGHT...GFS BRINGS THE 0.01 QPF LINE INTO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE
PAH FORECAST AREA.  BASED ON THE PLACEMENT OF A STATIONARY FRONT
ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES...LOOKS LIKE ANY PRECIP PRODUCED FROM
OVERRUNNING WOULD STAY WELL SOUTH OF OUR REGION...SO KEPT FORECAST
DRY.  GFS THEN INDICATES A MID TO LATE WEEK PRECIP CHANCE AS THE
STATIONARY FRONT LIFTS NORTH AND A COLD FRONT APRROACHES FROM THE
NORTHWEST.  06Z GFS WAS MUCH QUICKER WITH THIS SYSTEM THAN THE
12Z...AND THE ECMWF LOOKS MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THE LATER TIMING OF
THE 12Z RUN. HOWEVER...DUE TO SUCH DRASTIC TIMING
DIFFERENCES...PREFER TO KEEP FORCAST DRY FOR NOW AND WAIT FOR SOME
RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY BEFORE INTRODUCING POPS. BY THURSDAY NIGHT
AND FRIDAY...BOTH GFS AND ECMWF SHOW HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE
REGION.

12Z MEX TRENDING WARMER NEXT FOR NEXT WEEK.  OVERALL...WITH A COUPLE
OF EXCEPTIONS...WENT A LITTLE BELOW MEX GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS THROUGH
THE EXTENDED...PREFERRING A SLOWER MODERATION IN TEMPS DUE TO PRECIP
CHANCE UNCERTAINTIES.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY FOR
     BALLARD-CALDWELL-HOPKINS-LIVINGSTON-LYON-MCCRACKEN-
     MUHLENBERG-CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-FULTON-GRAVES-HICKMAN-
     MARSHALL-TODD-TRIGG.

MO...SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY FOR
     BUTLER-CARTER-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-RIPLEY-SCOTT-STODDARD-
     WAYNE MO.

IL...SNOW ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY FOR
     ALEXANDER-MASSAC-PULASKI.

IN...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 17, 3:52 PM CST, 10 hours 8 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
352 PM CST FRI FEB 17 2006

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-181100-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
352 PM CST FRI FEB 17 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

ONE TO THREE INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE TO THE SOUTH OF A
LINE FROM PERRYVILLE MISSOURI TO CALHOUN KENTUCKY...MAINLY AFTER
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. A SNOW ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AREA
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM GREENVILLE MISSOURI TO GREENVILLE
KENTUCKY...WHERE 2 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE.

NORTH WINDS WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS
THROUGHOUT THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THE WIND CHILL COULD APPROACH
ZERO AT TIMES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THE SNOWS WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA QUICKLY SATURDAY MORNING.
WIND CHILLS WILL BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS THROUGHOUT THE REGION AT
TIMES SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW WITH MINOR ACCUMULATIONS
POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...MAINLY IN THE SOUTHERN HALF
OF THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WE REQUEST THAT SPOTTERS AND OBSERVERS REPORT ANY SNOWFALL
ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY.

DRS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Ballard

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ballard forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Caldwell

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Calloway

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Calloway forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.621, -88.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Carlisle

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Carlisle forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Christian

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Christian forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.894, -87.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Crittenden

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Crittenden forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Daviess

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Daviess forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Fulton

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Graves

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Graves forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Henderson

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hickman

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hickman forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Hopkins

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Hopkins forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.309, -87.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Livingston

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Lyon

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Marshall

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, McCracken

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: McCracken forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, McLean

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Muhlenberg

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Muhlenberg forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.216, -87.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Todd

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.836, -87.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Trigg

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Trigg forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.806, -87.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Union

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Webster

When: February 18, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, February 2006

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: 5487453, 5487454, 5487455, 5487456, 5487457, 5487458, 5487459, 5487460, 5487461, 5487462, 5487463, 5487464, 5487465, 5487466, 5487467, 5487468, 5487469, 5487470, 5487471, 5487472, 5487473, 5487474.