A complex storm system brought a wintry mix of precipitation fell across Eastern Kentucky on December 15th into the 16th. The heaviest precipitation fell mainly along and north of the Mountain Parkway, where freezing rain, sleet, and snow created hazardous travel conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 JKL wrote it up.
A complex storm system brought a wintry mix of precipitation fell across Eastern Kentucky on December 15th into the 16th. The heaviest precipitation fell mainly along and north of the Mountain Parkway, where freezing rain, sleet, and snow created hazardous travel conditions. A warm front moved north across the area late on the 16th, changing the precipitation to all rain from south to north.
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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 15, 3:20 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 320 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...UPDATED 19Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT CROSSING FAR EASTERN KENTUCKY WITH A BAND OF SHOWERS. THIS FRONT IS FOLLOWED BY DRAMATICALLY COLDER AIR PUSHING IN ON NORTHWEST WINDS. SHOWERS AND POCKETS OF MIXED PCPN CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST IN THE COLDER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT. THE CORE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE PUSHING THE COLD AIR INTO OUR AREA PRODUCED BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES FOR MUCH OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND NOW IS AFFECTING THE CENTRAL PLAINS. OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY READINGS HAVE ALREADY FALLEN INTO THE UPPER TEENS AND LOWER 20S...WITH SUB FREEZING TEMPERATURES SPREADING EAST THROUGH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. LOCALLY...EARLIER HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S FOR OUR EASTERN ZONES ARE NOW FALLING INTO THE 50S AND 40S ON THOSE NORTHWEST WINDS. OF NOTE...ACCORDING TO STATE ROADWAY SENSORS...AS OF 2 PM EST ALL THE PAVEMENT TEMPERATURE REPORTS ACROSS THE STATE WERE ALL ABOVE FREEZING. THE MODELS IN THE NEAR TERM ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ALOFT WITH THE BROAD...FAST SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE AREA. THE JET STREAM BENDS ITSELF AROUND A DEEP UPPER LOW OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THEN RIDES NORTHEAST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ABOVE A GULF OF MEXICO AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST U.S. UPPER RIDGE. A FEW SHORT WAVES TAKE THE STREAM FOR A RIDE AND PASS OVER KENTUCKY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...HELPING TO PROLONG OUR THREAT OF PCPN. WITH THE MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT EARLY ON...PRETTY MUCH FOLLOWED THE HIGHER RESOLUTION NAM12 POP AND QPF FIELDS. DID BLEND THE NAM12 TEMPS WITH THE COLDER...AT LEAST INITIALLY...ECMWF SFC TEMPS THROUGH THE PERIOD...WHILE ADJUSTING THEM EVEN LOWER IN ANTICIPATION OF THE MODELS UNDER DOING THE COLD AIR. THE CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST CENTERED ON A MORE OF A SOUTHEAST PUSH TO THE ARCTIC AIR BETTER TARGETING OUR CUMBERLAND VALLEY AND WESTERN TENNESSEE BORDER COUNTIES. ALSO NOTED A DEEPER AND MORE PROLONGED EXTENT TO THE ARCTIC AIR OVER OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES. THESE CHANGES NECESSITATED ADJUSTING OUR PRE-EXISTING WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES. THE NET RESULT WAS TO EXTEND THE WARNINGS TO 8 PM TUESDAY FOR OUR NORTHWEST 4 COUNTIES AND UNTIL 2 PM FOR THE REST OF THE EARLIER WARNED ONES. ELSEWHERE...DECIDED TO GIVE THE ARCTIC AIR THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT AND ALLOW IT TO MAKE IT...IF JUST BRIEFLY...INTO OUR SOUTHERNMOST COUNTIES...PARTICULARLY WAYNE AND MCCREARY. AS A RESULT...WE ADDED THE REST OF THE COUNTIES TO AN ADVISORY...THOUGH EXPECT ONLY EXTREME NORTHERN BELL COUNTY OR SOME OF ITS HIGHER TERRAIN TO BE FACING A THREAT OF FREEZING PCPN. LOOKING AT THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE FOR THE COLD AIR...DECIDED TO PUSH UP THE START TIME OF THE ADVISORY FOR THE WESTERN COUNTIES TO 10 PM THIS EVENING. OTHER CHANGES WERE TO INCREASE THE SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION POTENTIAL FOR THE FAR NORTHWEST WARNED GROUP WHILE DOWN PLAYING IT IN MUCH OF THE ADVISORY AREA DUE TO LATEST QPF EXPECTATIONS FAVORING THE NORTHWEST RATHER THAN THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE CWA. EXPECT THE ARCTIC AIR TO MAKE ITS DEEPEST PENETRATION INTO EAST KENTUCKY AROUND DAWN TUESDAY AND THEN GRADUALLY MOVE OUT TO THE NORTH DURING THE DAY. THE LAST PLACE TO GO ABOVE FREEZING LOOKS TO BE NORTHERN FLEMING COUNTY WHERE THE THREAT FOR SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MAY LINGER INTO THE FIRST PART OF TUESDAY NIGHT. RISING TEMPERATURES AT NIGHT WILL NEGATE ANY REFREEZE CONCERN AS A CHANCE FOR LIGHT RAIN CONTINUES. USING THE RAW SFC TEMPERATURES FROM THE NAM12 AND ECMWF AND DERIVING MAX AND MIN TEMPS FROM THERE RESULTED IN SOME DEVIATION ON THE COLD SIDE FROM MOS. MOS POPS WHERE UNIFORMLY HIGH IN THE SHORT TERM MATCHING UP WELL WITH OUR FORECAST. .LONG TERM.../TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...UPDATED A COMPLICATED PATTERN CONTINUES INTO THE EXTENDED PERIOD. ONE WINTER WEATHER EVENT WILL BE ENDING TUESDAY NIGHT...AS WAA KICKS IN AND PRECIP MOVES NORTH. WARM AIR CONTINUES IN PLACE ALOFT...WITH COLD AIR UNDERCUTTING IT AT THE SURFACE. FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND A LITTLE SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA BEFORE SURFACE TEMPS WARM ABOVE FREEZING. A STALLED FRONT TO OUR SOUTH WILL PUSH NORTH OVERNIGHT...WITH A SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING TO OUR NORTH. THIS WILL BRING MORE RAIN TO THE AREA LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. THE BOUNDARY PUSHES SOUTH AGAIN LATE WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SETTING US UP FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A LITTLE MORE SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN IN THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. DID NOT GO WITH MUCH SNOW...SINCE A GOOD ELEVATED MELTING LAYER IS EVIDENT ON MODEL SOUNDINGS. THE WINTRY MIX SHOULD LAST INTO THURSDAY BEFORE THE BOUNDARY ONCE AGAIN PUSHES NORTH AS A WARM FRONT AS A SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO AN H5 TROF MOVING INTO THE PLAINS. THIS SCENARIO WILL CHANGE THE PRECIP OVER TO RAIN ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY AFTERNOON...AND WILL INCLUDE LIKELY POPS. THE SURFACE LOW PASSES BY TO OUR NORTH FRIDAY...DRAGGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA. WILL CONTINUE THE LIKELY POPS INTO FRIDAY AS THIS SYSTEM PUSHES THROUGH. THINGS SHOULD WIND DOWN FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED LATE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR SATURDAY WITH DRY WEATHER. ANOTHER COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH ANOTHER CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. THIS SHOULD MIX WITH AND CHANGE OVER TO SNOW LATE IN THE DAY...WITH A FEW SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE INTO THE NIGHT. LOOKS COLD BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH H8 TEMPS DROPPING TO -10 DEG C...AND POSSIBLY -15 DEG C. DIFFERENCES IN THE EXTENT OF THE SOUTHERN PUSH OF COLD AIR THROUGH MID WEEK ARE EVIDENT IN THE MODELS. PREFERRED A SOLUTION CLOSE TO THE NAM EARLY...GRADUALLY TRENDING TOWARD THE ECMWF BY THURSDAY NIGHT. PREFERRED A SOLUTION SIMILAR TO THE 00Z ECMWF AND CMC THROUGH THE REST OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. A QUICK LOOK AT THE 12Z ECMWF JUST COMING IN...GENERAL PATTERN IS SIMILAR TO THE 00Z RUN. NEW RUN WOULD INDICATE MORE OF A POTENTIAL FOR SOME UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY THAN PREVIOUS DATA SUGGESTED...SO WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS FOR LATER FORECASTS AND SEE IF THIS TREND CONTINUES. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ WITH THE COLD FRONT NOW CROSSING...TOOK CIGS AND VIS DOWN INTO THE IFR RANGE WITH A TEMPO DOWN TO LIFR FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. EXPECT THE CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE MARGINALLY POST FRONTAL...BUT MVFR AND IFR STATUS WILL PREVAIL INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY. DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS...THE ARCTIC AIR PUSHES DEEP ENOUGH INTO THE AREA TO MIX SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN INTO THE TAF SITES. HAVE CONTINUED THIS THREAT UNTIL MID MORNING WHEN TEMPS WILL RISE ENOUGH FOR JUST RAIN TO BE THE PCPN TYPE. WINDS WILL SWITCH...IF THE HAVE NOT ALREADY...TO THE NORTHWEST EARLY IN THE FORECAST AND THEN GRADUALLY SWING AROUND TO THE NORTH...THEN NORTH EAST AND FINALLY JUST ABOUT EAST BY MIDDAY TUESDAY. WIND SPEEDS WILL BE NEAR 10 KTS THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST TUESDAY FOR KYZ044-050>052-058>060-104-106-108. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST TUESDAY FOR KYZ068-069-079-080-088-107-109>120. && SHORT TERM...GREIF LONG TERM...WJM AVIATION...GREIF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 405 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 KYZ044-050>052-170015- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD 405 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM EST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. RAIN SHOWERS WILL CHANGE OVER TO A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET... AND SNOW THIS EVENING. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH THE NIGHT...WITH UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW AND SLEET EXPECTED... AND UP TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY EVENING. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR TWO OF SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATION...AND A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS...ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. UP TO THREE INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET AND BETWEEN A QUARTER AND A HALF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION ARE EXPECTED. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE. KYZ058>060-104-106-108-170015- ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-WOLFE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...CAMPTON 405 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 2 PM EST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RAIN SHOWERS WILL CHANGE OVER TO A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET... AND SNOW THIS EVENING. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH THE NIGHT...WITH UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW AND SLEET EXPECTED... ALONG WITH BETWEEN A TENTH AND A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATION...AND AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATIONS... ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MID AFTERNOON TUESDAY. UP TO TWO INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET AND THREE TENTHS OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE. KYZ068-069-079-080-083-084-111-114-170015- ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-LEE-OWSLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...WHITLEY CITY...BEATTYVILLE...BOONEVILLE 405 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN...SNOW...AND SLEET ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED. LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY MORNING. LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED...WITH UP TO ONE TENTH OF AN INCH OF TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE. KYZ085>088-107-109-110-112-113-115>120-170015- WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-JOHNSON-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-BREATHITT-KNOTT- PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE... MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN...PAINTSVILLE...SALYERSVILLE... PRESTONSBURG...JACKSON...HINDMAN...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN... WHITESBURG...INEZ...PIKEVILLE 405 PM EST MON DEC 15 2008 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN...SNOW...AND SLEET ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED. LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY MORNING. LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED...WITH UP TO ONE TENTH OF AN INCH OF TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATION. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE. GREIF/WJM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to a half inch of sleet and freezing rain created major travel problems through Bath County. Interstate 64 was closed for several hours due to accidents.
Up to a half inch of ice was reported in Sandy Hook.
One inch of sleet and freezing rain was reported in Cressy.
One inch of mainly sleet was reported in Mount Sterling.
Sherriff's Department reported up to three quarters of an inch of sleet and freezing rain accumulation in Frenchburg.
Up to a half inch of ice was reported in the northern part of Morgan County.
Up to four inches of snow and a little sleet was reported around Flemingsburg.
Around half an inch of sleet fell in Clay City and Stanton.
Up to two inches of snow and a quarter inch of ice was reported across the county. Interstate 64 was shut down for a period due to accidents.
Up to a quarter inch of ice was noted around Campton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 141268, 141269, 141270, 141271, 141272, 141273, 141274, 141275, 141276, 141277.