Southwest flow brought moisture which overran arctic air just above the surface. Sleet developed during the late morning hours and quickly turned to freezing rain.
Every event with a place to put it; 31 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.
Southwest flow brought moisture which overran arctic air just above the surface. Sleet developed during the late morning hours and quickly turned to freezing rain. Initial freezing rain accumulations developed across central Kentucky. Near rush hour...a wide area of freezing rain moved east along and north of Interstate 64. Ice accumulations of over 1/4 inch were widespread. Many accidents were reported during the evening hours. Ice accumulations did not heavily damage trees...but did account for several power outages.
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 Feb 21, 8:36 AM EST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 836 AM EST THU FEB 21 2008 ...MESOSCALE WINTER DISCUSSION... .UPDATE... PRECIP SPREADING IN RAPIDLY...WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN PAH CWA GETTING A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE IN THE PAST 90 MINUTES. ONE LOCATION IN STL CWA HAS ALREADY ACCRETED A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE. BNA AND LIT 12Z SOUNDINGS HAVE HUGE LOW LEVEL INVERSIONS WITH CLASSIC FZRA FEATURES. AT LIT THE 2800 FT TEMP IS 49F WHILE SURFACE TEMP IS 32...WHILE BNA IS 28F AT SFC WITH 42F AT 3100 FT. THIS PORTENDS A MAJOR ICE STORM FOR MUCH OF KY AND ESPECIALLY SRN KY. ELY FLOW AND CLOUD COVER WILL KEEP TEMPS IN THE MID 20S...WHICH WILL PROVIDE CLASSIC SUB FREEZING LAYER WITH SWLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25KT OFF THE SURFACE FUELING THE VERY WARM INVERSION. THIS WILL ALLOW PRECIP TO STAY AS SLEET INITIALLY AND TRANSITION TO ALL FZRA BY AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AVOID ALL UNNECESSARY TRAVEL WE ARE MOVING THE TIMING OF THE ICE STORM WARNING UP (TO RIGHT NOW) AND EXPANDED IT SOUTHWARD. IT WILL INCLUDE ALL AREAS EXCEPT FOR COUNTIES ALONG AND EAST OF A TOMPKINSVILLE TO LIBERTY TO STANFORD. A EMA CC CALL WILL BE HELD AT 9 AM EST. JDG && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 615 AM EST THU FEB 21 2008/ ..ICE STORM EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO WEST VIRGINIA OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. COLD AND VERY DRY AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER INTO THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY AT THE LOWEST LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WHILE A WESTERN GULF COAST LOW BEGINS TO DEVELOP. ABOVE 900 MB WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE SOUTH AND BRING WARMER AND MOIST AIR INTO THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL SOUNDINGS FROM BOTH THE GFS AND NAM INDICATE MAINLY A FREEZING RAIN EVENT WITH AT LEAST 1/4 INCH EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND THE NORTHERN PORTION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY. FOR THIS REASON WE HAVE UPGRADED THE WINTER STORM WATCH TO AN ICE STORM WARNING OVER SOUTHERN INDIANA AND THE NORTHERN PORTION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY. ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY WE WILL ISSUE A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY. WITH THE VERY LOW DEW POINT READINGS EVAPORATIVE COOLING COULD PRODUCE A PERIOD OF SNOW ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND THE NORTH PORTION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS AFTERNOON. SO WE WILL MENTION A MIX OF SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN AND SOME LOCATIONS COULD SEE UP TO 1/2 INCH OF SNOW BEFORE CHANGING TO FREEZING RAIN. STILL THE FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE BIGGER CONCERN FOR THIS EVENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO NEAR THE FREEZING MARK THIS MORNING BUT WITH THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION WILL DROP 4 OR 5 DEGREES. TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK ACROSS THE SOUTH BY 00Z BUT REMAIN BELOW 32 OVER THE NORTH ALL NIGHT. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO TENNESSEE BY 12Z FRIDAY WHICH WILL BEGIN TO BRING WARMER AIR INTO THE REGION. LONG TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... FRIDAY MORNING...SFC LOW PRESSURE IS PROGGED BY THE MODELS TO LIFT NORTHWARD INTO CENTRAL TENNESSEE. MOST OF THE PRECIP ACROSS KENTUCKY SHOULD BE MOSTLY IN THE FORM OF PLAIN/COLD RAIN. THOUGH SOME FREEZING RAIN MAY STILL BE MIXED IN AREA ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. PLENTIFUL MOISTURE WILL BE IN PLACE SO HAVE KEPT POPS CATEGORICAL AT THIS TIME. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...SFC LOW SHOULD MOVE INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. GOOD FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING STILL LOOKS GOOD ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA FOR BANDED HEAVY PRECIP...THOUGH MOST OF THIS WILL REMAIN JUST NORTH OF THE FA. DYNAMICAL PROGS CONTINUE TO HINT AT SHOWERY AND POSSIBLY ELEVATED CONVECTION ACROSS PORTIONS OF TN AND INTO OUR SOUTHERN FA JUST SE OF THE LOW TRACK. A GRADIENT OF TEMP WILL BE NOTED WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 30S IN THE FAR NORTH TO THE MID AND UPPER 40S ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH. GENERALLY TRENDED TEMPS CLOSE TO THE 00Z GFS RAW SFC TEMPS. FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...AS SFC LOW MOVES NORTHEAST...THERMAL PROFILES COOL SUFFICIENTLY FOR PRECIP TO CHANGE FROM RAIN TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING SATURDAY MORNING. AS THE COLD AIR WORKS IN...MOISTURE DECREASES IN THE ICE-CRYSTAL PRODUCING LAYER...SO FLURRIES OR EVEN SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE. LOWS SHOULD SETTLE INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S BY SAT MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BEGIN TO NOSE INTO THE REGION WITH CLEARING AND DRIER CONDITIONS ON SATURDAY. HIGHS SATURDAY WILL REBOUND INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S IN THE NORTH AND INTO THE LOWER TO MID 40S ACROSS THE SOUTH. THE TRENDS IN THE MODEL DATA SUPPORT DROPPING POPS ON SUNDAY AS THE GFS AND EURO ARE BOTH A BIT MORE SOUTH WITH MID LEVEL SYSTEM SWINGING THROUGH. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH A DRY FCST WITH SLOWLY MODERATING TEMPS. HIGHS SHOULD WARM INTO THE LOW TO MID 40S ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF KY AND SOUTHERN INDIANA...WITH MID TO UPPER 40S ACROSS SOUTHERN KY. MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... NO CHANGES MADE TO THIS TIME PERIOD IN THE FCST. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... WELL...MONDAY WILL BE DECENT WITH INCREASING CLOUDINESS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND SOME LOW LEVEL WAA...WHICH SHOULD SHOOT TEMPS INTO THE LOW TO MID 50S AND PERHAPS NEAR 60 NEAR THE TN STATE LINE. FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST...WITH GFS BRINGING INCREASING INSTABILITY AND MODELS ADVERTISING SQUALL LINE ACROSS DIXIE ALLEY. TOTAL TOTALS AND K INDEX INCREASE...SO CANNOT RULE OUT A RUMBLE OF THUNDER BUT THIS IS SO FAR OUT...THAT WE WILL LET THE NEXT FEW SHIFTS TAKE A GANDER AT IT. LIKE THE GFS...WITH PEAK VERTICAL MOTION AND UPPER LEVEL JET DYNAMICS BETWEEN 03Z AND 09Z MONDAY NIGHT...SO HAVE INCREASED POPS SLIGHTLY...BUT STILL IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY AND MADE ALL THE PRECIP PURE LIQUID ON MONDAY NIGHT. AFTER THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH...WE WILL BE IN SWLY MID LEVEL FLOW SO WE CAN HAVE SOME SCT SHRA ON TUESDAY. A CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW SWINGING ACROSS THE CENTRAL HOOSIER AND BUCKEYE STATES...WILL BRING A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AROUND RUSH HOUR TUESDAY EVENING...AND THEN SCT SNOW SHOWERS WITH STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES TUESDAY NIGHT. COULD SEE SOME MINOR ACCUMULATIONS...BUT ONCE AGAIN THIS IS WAY OUT IN THE FUTURE. LOWERED HPC TEMPS ON TUESDAY...AND WEDNESDAY MOS TEMPS ARE MORE IN LINE THAN YESTERDAY WARMER MOS TEMPS. BIGGEST CHANGES INVOLVED INCREASING CLOUD COVER MONDAY 18Z-WEDNESDAY 12Z...AND REWORKING THE PRECIP TIMING AND PRECIP TYPE ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT. && .AVIATION (12Z TAFS)... DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL TRACK NORTHEAST TOWARD THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY. THIS SYSTEM WILL RIDE OVER A DOME OF ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE AND SET THE STAGE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN ACROSS THE TAF SITES. THE PRECIPITATION MAY BEGIN AS A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW AT SDF AND LEX BUT SHOULD QUICKLY CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY AT SDF AND LEX BUT SHOULD CHANGE TO RAIN AFTER 00Z AT BWG. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...ICE STORM WARNING NOW TIL 9 AM EST /8 AM CST/ FRIDAY FOR ALL COUNTIES EXCEPT MONROE...CUMBERLAND...ADAIR...CASEY...LINCOLN...RUSSELL...METCALFE... AND CLINTON COUNTIES. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY 9 AM EST /8 AM CST / TODAY THROUGH 9 AM EST / 8 AM CST / FRIDAY FOR MONROE...CUMBERLAND...ADAIR...CASEY...LINCOLN...RUSSELL...METCALFE... AND CLINTON COUNTIES. IN...ICE STORM WARNING NOW TIL 9 AM EST /8 AM CST/ FRIDAY FOR INZ076>079-083-084-089>092. && JDG/ADL/MJ/JA
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 845 AM EST THU FEB 21 2008 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-221345- 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- 845 AM EST (745 AM CST) THU FEB 21 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. DRIVING CONDITIONS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO DETERIORATE OVER WEST-CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY AS A SIGNIFICANT ICE STORM IS OVERSPREADING THE OUTLOOK AREA. ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN INDIANA FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE CHANGING TO RAIN. UP TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE OR MORE MAY ACCUMULATE ON TREES... POWERLINES...BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY FREEZING RAIN WILL CHANGE TO RAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK...THOUGH ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY TOTAL A QUARTER OF AN INCH HERE AS WELL BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO RAIN THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO ALL RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT ICE ACCUMULATIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY. JA/AL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 809 AM EST THU FEB 21 2008 INZ076-083-084-089-KYZ023>028-061>063-070>076-211415- ORANGE IN-DUBOIS IN-CRAWFORD IN-PERRY IN-HANCOCK KY- BRECKINRIDGE KY-MEADE KY-OHIO KY-GRAYSON KY-HARDIN KY-BUTLER KY- EDMONSON KY-HART KY-LOGAN KY-WARREN KY-SIMPSON KY-ALLEN KY- BARREN KY-MONROE KY-METCALFE KY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PAOLI...JASPER...MARENGO...TELL CITY... HAWESVILLE...HARDINSBURG...BRANDENBURG...BEAVER DAM... LEITCHFIELD...ELIZABETHTOWN...FORT KNOX...MORGANTOWN... BROWNSVILLE...MUNFORDVILLE...RUSSELLVILLE...BOWLING GREEN... FRANKLIN...SCOTTSVILLE...GLASGOW...TOMPKINSVILLE...EDMONTON 809 AM EST THU FEB 21 2008 /709 AM CST THU FEB 21 2008/ ...FREEZING RAIN IS MOVING IN RAPIDLY... SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA FROM THE ENGLISH AND PAOLI AREAS WEST TO TELL CITY AND JASPER BY 915 AM. ONLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH WILL FALL BUT TRAVEL WILL QUICKLY BECOME DIFFICULT AS ROADS ICE OVER. MOTORISTS SHOULD COMPLETE ANY TRAVEL BEFORE LATE MORNING. RL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
31 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice accumulations of one quarter of an inch were noted.
Ice accumulations amounted to near one quarter of an inch.
Ice accumulations of around 1/4 of an inch were noted.
Ice accumulations of 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch were common.
Icing around 1/4 inch was common.
One quarter inch of ice knocked out power to 1900 customers.
Ice accumulations up to one third of an inch coated trees and roads.
Ice accumulations of up to 1/4 inch were common around the county.
One quarter of an inch of ice coated branches and other exposed surfaces across the county.
Ice accumulated up to one third of an inch.
Ice accumulated to a depth of 1/4 inch.
Icing of around one quarter of an inch was common.
Ice accumulated up to 1/3rd of an inch.
One quarter of an inch of ice accumulated on exposed surfaces.
Ice accumulated to 1/4 inch.
Ice accumulated up to one quarter of an inch.
Ice accumulated to around 1/4 inch.
Ice accumulated to a depth of 1/4 inch.
One quarter of an inch of ice accumulated.
One quarter of an inch of ice coated exposed surfaces.
Ice accumulations of up to 1/4 of an inch were common.
Ice accumulated up to 1/4 inch.
Ice accumulated to around 1/4 inch.
Ice accumulations averaged around 1/4 around the county.
Ice accumulations of around 1/4 of an inch made travel difficult...especially in Lexington.
Ice accumulated to around 1/4 inch.
Freezing rain coated surfaces with around 1/4 inch of ice.
Freezing rain brought ice accumulations of up to 1/4 inch.
Ice accumulated to around 1/4 of an inch.
Ice accumulations of around 1/4 inch was common.
Ice accumulated to around 1/4 of an inch.
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, February 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: 72316, 72315, 72317, 72320, 72321, 72313, 72314, 72319, 72327, 72329, 72524, 72322, 72328, 72514, 72516, 72519, 72521, 72523, 72525, 72527, 72528, 72529, 72531, 72532, 72535, 72536, 72538, 72539, 72517, 72520, 72533.