Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 16 to 17, 2008

Name: Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 16 to 17, 2008
Start: 2008-12-16T18:00
End: 2008-12-17T06:00
Location: Kentucky

December 16 to 17, 2008 · NWS PAH · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Areas of freezing rain and freezing drizzle caused roads to become very icy. Numerous accidents were reported, especially on bridges and overpasses.

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.

Areas of freezing rain and freezing drizzle caused roads to become very icy. Numerous accidents were reported, especially on bridges and overpasses. In McCracken County, a dozen wrecks caused major traffic problems. Interstate 24 westbound was closed near exit 11, and U.S. Highway 60 was closed near Barkley Regional Airport. Four people received minor injuries. Kentucky Highway 849 was closed in Graves County, where several cars slid off the road in a few hours. Area schools were closed. The wintry precipitation was caused by a weak surface trough of low pressure combined with a moist southwest flow aloft.

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 Dec 16, 5:45 PM CST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 5:45 PM CST, 15 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 16, 2:01 PM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
201 PM CST TUE DEC 16 2008

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-171100-
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-
201 PM CST TUE DEC 16 2008

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL IMPACT THE QUAD STATE LATE
THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PATCHY
FREEZING DRIZZLE IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 600 AM. REFER TO THE
ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IS FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...AS A WARM FRONT MOVES NORTH THROUGH THE REGION.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARMING UP AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH...BUT A
BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH MINIMAL
IMPACT EXPECTED.

A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY
MORNING. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT SOME STORMS COULD BE
STRONG...BUT IT IS STILL A LITTLE TOO EARLY TO TELL WITH
CERTAINTY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY ROAD AND PRECIPITATION REPORTS TO
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR THEIR LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 16, 1:24 PM CST, 4 hours 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
124 PM CST TUE DEC 16 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0120 PM     FREEZING RAIN    MARION                  37.73N 88.94W
12/16/2008  U0.00 INCH       WILLIAMSON         IL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            FREEZING FOG AND LIGHT DRIZZLE HAD DEVELOPED IN THE AREA.
            HIGHWAY 13 TRAFFIC FLOWING AT 10 MPH WITH NUMEROUS
            ACCIDENTS DUE TO HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Dec 16, 1:45 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
145 PM CST TUE DEC 16 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0144 PM     FREEZING RAIN    MARION                  37.73N 88.94W
12/16/2008  U0.00 INCH       WILLIAMSON         IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WIDESPREAD FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SLEET REPORTED THROUGHOUT
            THE AREA. MULTIPLE VEHICLE ACCIDENTS REPORTED OVER PAST
            45 MINUTES.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Dec 16, 3:57 PM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 16, 4:08 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

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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, Daviess

When: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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, Ballard

When: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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, Fulton

When: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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: December 16, 6:00 PM CST to December 17, 6:00 AM 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 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, December 2008

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 140089, 140098, 140099, 140100, 140101, 140102, 140103, 140104, 140105, 140106, 140107, 140108, 140109, 140110, 140111, 140112, 140113, 140114, 140115, 140116, 140117, 140118.