Subfreezing temperatures combined with sparse low level moisture to produce isolated incidences of freezing rain in eastern Kentucky on December 26.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Subfreezing temperatures combined with sparse low level moisture to produce isolated incidences of freezing rain in eastern Kentucky on December 26.
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 26, 7:49 AM EST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 749 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TODAY/...UPDATED REMOVED MOST OF THE UPPER CUMBERLAND REGION FROM THE FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY WITH ALL REPORTING SITES IN THAT AREA (SOUTHWEST OF A MOUNT VERNON TO MIDDLESBORO LINE) NOW WELL ABOVE FREEZING. REST OF THE AREA WILL REMAIN IN THE ADVISORY AS VALLEYS REMAIN IN THE MID TO UPPER 20S WITH RAIN NOW MOVING IN. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY/ AM GOING TO PUT OUT A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY FOR ALL COUNTIES FROM 9Z TO 15Z...IMPACTING MAINLY THE VALLEYS. CURRENT OBSERVATIONS SHOW VALLEYS BELOW FREEZING AND WITH CLOUD COVER MOVING IN BEFORE DAWN EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE BELOW FREEZING AT THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION. WARM FRONT WILL BEGIN TO LIFT NORTH AT THE START OF THE PERIOD ALONG WITH SOUTHERLY PUSH...HOWEVER VALLEYS STAY DECOUPLED IN THIS SITUATION AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO STAY BELOW FREEZING UNTIL MID MORNING. FELT THE SREF HAD A GOOD HANDLE ON PRECIPITATION TO THE SOUTH AT THIS POINT AND WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT COMMENCING OVER THE WARM FRONT FEEL THAT PRECIPITATION COVERAGE WILL INCREASE RAPIDLY FROM SOUTH TO NORTH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. HAVE GONE WITH LIKELY POPS JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE FOR THIS MORNING AND TODAY. HAVE LOWERED HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY A FEW DEGREES TO ACCOUNT FOR THE SLOW START THIS MORNING. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY AS SOME 70 DEGREE READINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH STRONG WAA IN THE WARM SECTOR. COLD FRONT APPROACHES AND MOVES THROUGH ON SATURDAY NIGHT. HAVE LEFT THUNDER IN THE FORECAST AS SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME INSTABILITY. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO THIS PORTION OF THE FORECAST AS THINGS SEEMED TO BE HANDLED PRETTY WELL. REMAINED WITH MAINLY GFS TIMING OF THE FRONT AND WENT WITH CATEGORICAL POPS DURING HEIGHT OF THE EVENT. SINCE THE GFS TIMING WAS PREFERRED WITH THE FRONT...TENDED TO LEAN MORE TOWARD GFS GUIDANCE VALUES FOR THIS PERIOD AS WELL. UPDATED ZFP AND HWO WITH ADVISORY WILL BE OUT SHORTLY. .LONG TERM.../SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/ HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN OF LATE ACROSS THE CONUS TRANSITIONS TO MORE OF A ZONAL FLOW BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A PERIOD OF WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WITH LITTLE CHANCE FOR PRECIP AS FAST MOVING SYSTEMS ZIP ACROSS TO OUR NORTH WITH LITTLE TIME TO TAP GULF MOISTURE. LONGER RANGE MODELS DO INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A BUCKLING OF THE FLOW WITH A TROUGH AMPLIFYING IN THE EAST AT THE END OF THE PERIOD. THIS WOULD OFFER THE POSSIBILITY OF A BETTER ORGANIZED STORM SYSTEM AFFECTING OUR AREA LATE WEEK... POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS THURSDAY AS THE 26/00Z GFS NOW SUGGESTS. CONSENSUS AMONGST THE LONG TERM MODELS IS FOR A SLOWER SOLUTION WITH THE LATE WEEK SYSTEM HOWEVER. OVERALL... MADE VERY FEW ADJUSTMENTS THROUGH THE PERIOD. NUDGED TEMPS UP A DEGREE OR TWO ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH WARMER TRENDS SEEN IN THE NEW GFSX MOS GUIDANCE NUMBERS. WILL CONTINUE THE BASICALLY DRY FORECAST EXCEPT FOR WEDNESDAY WHEN A MOISTURE STARVED COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO PASS THROUGH THE AREA. BULK OF MOISTURE REMAINS TO OUR NORTH AND TO OUR SOUTH... SO WILL KEEP POPS LOW. WILL ALSO SIDE WITH THE MODEL CONSENSUS AND CONTINUE THE DRY FORECAST FOR THURSDAY. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/ CONDITIONS HAVE DETERIORATED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS AS A WARM FRONT STARTS TO LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE CWA. RAINFALL CURRENTLY DRAPED OVER THE KENTUCKY/TENNESSEE BORDER WILL CONTINUE TO WORK NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY. EXPECT SOLID MVFR CIGS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD...WITH A POSSIBLE DROP TO IFR AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. VISIBILITIES SHOULD STAY VFR/HIGH MVFR THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HIGHER ELEVATION AIRPORTS WHERE MVFR WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. HAVE CONTINUED TO MENTION LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY AS SOUTHWESTERLY LOW LEVEL JET OF 40-45 KNOTS ABOVE INVERSION COULD CREATE SOME PROBLEMS. DO NOT EXPECT MUCH MIXING BELOW THE INVERSION...ALTHOUGH WILL INCLUDE AN OCCASIONAL GUST TO 25 MPH IN SOME OF THE HEAVIER SHOWERS. CANNOT RULE OUT A RUMBLE OF THUNDER TODAY...ALTHOUGH WOULD BE ISOLATED SO DID NOT MENTION IN TAFS. FREEZING RAIN WILL BE A THREAT IN THE MOST SHELTERED VALLEYS BEFORE 10 AM...ALTHOUGH TAF SITES SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR KYZ044- 050>052-058>060-069-088-104-106>120. && SHORT TERM...SCHOETTMER/ABE LONG TERM...ABE AVIATION...SCHOETTMER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 734 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-069-088-104-106>120-271200- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-JACKSON-HARLAN- ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-KNOTT- OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG...MCKEE... HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...HINDMAN... BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG...INEZ... PIKEVILLE 734 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 ...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. FREEZING RAIN IS LIKELY THIS MORNING...MAINLY IN THE VALLEYS. SLICK SPOTS COULD DEVELOP IN SHELTERED VALLEYS AND ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES ALTHOUGH ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED. EXPECT ANY ACCUMULATIONS OF ICE TO QUICKLY MELT BY LATE IN THE MORNING AS TEMPERATURES RISE INTO THE UPPER 50S TO AROUND 60 DEGREES BY MID AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. ADDITIONALLY...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 35 MPH OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT INSTANCES OF FREEZING RAIN TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON. KYZ068-079-080-083>087-271200- ROCKCASTLE-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT VERNON...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE... MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE 734 AM EST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. ADDITIONALLY...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 35 MPH OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. SCHOETTMER/ABE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A light glaze of ice was reported on Highway 28 in Talbert.
Freezing rain was reported in Booneville.
Freezing rain was reported in Sandy Hook.
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: 139987, 139988, 139989.