Light freezing rain the afternoon of December 23 led to numerous traffic accidents that resulted in two fatalities. Freezing rain changed into rain during the evening as temperatures rose.
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 episode as NWS LMK wrote it up.
Light freezing rain the afternoon of December 23 led to numerous traffic accidents that resulted in two fatalities. Freezing rain changed into rain during the evening as temperatures rose.
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 Dec 23, 1:01 PM EST, 29 minutes earlier.
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</html>SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 813 AM EST TUE DEC 23 2008 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-231700- ORANGE IN-WASHINGTON IN-SCOTT IN-JEFFERSON IN-DUBOIS IN- CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HARRISON IN-FLOYD IN-CLARK IN-HANCOCK KY- BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BULLITT KY- JEFFERSON KY-OLDHAM KY-TRIMBLE KY-HENRY KY-SHELBY KY-FRANKLIN KY- SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-SPENCER KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY- FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-NELSON KY-WASHINGTON KY- MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY-LARUE KY-MARION KY-BOYLE KY- GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-BUTLER KY-EDMONSON KY-HART KY-GREEN KY- TAYLOR KY-CASEY KY-LINCOLN KY-LOGAN KY-WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY- ALLEN KY-BARREN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY-ADAIR KY-RUSSELL KY- CUMBERLAND KY-CLINTON KY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PAOLI...SALEM...SCOTTSBURG...MADISON... JASPER...MARENGO...TELL CITY...CORYDON...NEW ALBANY... JEFFERSONVILLE...HAWESVILLE...HARDINSBURG...BRANDENBURG... BEAVER DAM...LEITCHFIELD...ELIZABETHTOWN...FORT KNOX... MOUNT WASHINGTON...SHEPHERDSVILLE...LOUISVILLE...LA GRANGE... BEDFORD...NEW CASTLE...SHELBYVILLE...FRANKFORT...GEORGETOWN... CYNTHIANA...TAYLORSVILLE...LAWRENCEBURG...VERSAILLES... LEXINGTON...PARIS...CARLISLE...BARDSTOWN...SPRINGFIELD... HARRODSBURG...NICHOLASVILLE...WINCHESTER...HODGENVILLE... LEBANON...DANVILLE...LANCASTER...RICHMOND...MORGANTOWN... BROWNSVILLE...MUNFORDVILLE...GREENSBURG...CAMPBELLSVILLE... LIBERTY...STANFORD...RUSSELLVILLE...BOWLING GREEN...FRANKLIN... SCOTTSVILLE...GLASGOW...TOMPKINSVILLE...EDMONTON...COLUMBIA... JAMESTOWN...BURKESVILLE...ALBANY 813 AM EST TUE DEC 23 2008 /713 AM CST TUE DEC 23 2008/ ...FREEZING RAIN CHANGING TO RAIN BY THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING... TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE A WARM FRONT PUSHES NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA. PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING...MAINLY WEST OF I-65...AS A LIGHT SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN MIX. THIS BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED SLICK SPOTS BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO ALL RAIN LATER THIS AFTERNOON...THOUGH LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. THE BEST CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET WILL BE ACROSS SOUTH- CENTRAL INDIANA AND NORTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY. CAUTION IS ADVISED IF TRAVELING AS SOME SLICK SPOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO WARM THROUGH THE DAY AND RAIN IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA BY THIS EVENING. AL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 1103 AM EST TUE DEC 23 2008 KYZ035>037-039>043-047>049-055>057-067-231715- FRANKLIN KY-SCOTT KY-HARRISON KY-ANDERSON KY-WOODFORD KY- FAYETTE KY-BOURBON KY-NICHOLAS KY-MERCER KY-JESSAMINE KY-CLARK KY- BOYLE KY-GARRARD KY-MADISON KY-LINCOLN KY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FRANKFORT...GEORGETOWN...CYNTHIANA... LAWRENCEBURG...VERSAILLES...LEXINGTON...PARIS...CARLISLE... HARRODSBURG...NICHOLASVILLE...WINCHESTER...DANVILLE...LANCASTER... RICHMOND...STANFORD 1103 AM EST TUE DEC 23 2008 ...LIGHT SLEET AFFECTING THE BLUEGRASS... AN AREA OF LIGHT SLEET WILL AFFECT THE NORTHERN BLUEGRASS REGION THROUGH NOON EST. LIGHT SLEET WILL FALL...WITH POCKETS OF MODERATE SLEET...AND MAY BE ENOUGH TO ACCUMULATE A LITTLE ON ROADWAYS. WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING UP...THE LIGHT SLEET WILL NOT STICK AROUND...BUT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD TRAVEL MAY BE HAZARDOUS. SO USE CAUTION IF DRIVING AROUND THE TOWNS OF FRANKFORT...LEXINGTON... GEORGETOWN...PARIS...CYNTHIANA OR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. SLOW DOWN IF ENCOUNTERING THE SLEET. AL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Freezing rain caused several traffic accidents. Two fatalities resulted.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Dubois | 2008-12-23 | 18 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Winter Weather, Dubois | 2008-12-23 | 30 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, December 2008
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 141171.