An area of low pressure moving up the east coast on December 5th brought subfreezing air and widespread light snowfall to eastern Kentucky. Most area received between 1 and 3 inches of the white stuff by Saturday afternoon, with locally higher amounts in the mountains along the Virginia and West Virginia borders.
Every event with a place to put it; 34 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.
An area of low pressure moving up the east coast on December 5th brought subfreezing air and widespread light snowfall to eastern Kentucky. Most area received between 1 and 3 inches of the white stuff by Saturday afternoon, with locally higher amounts in the mountains along the Virginia and West Virginia borders.
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 5, 2:49 AM EST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 249 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 .NEAR TERM.../THROUGH 12Z/ ALL THICKNESSES AND PARTIAL THICKNESSES AS WELL SFC WET BULB AND SFC TEMPERATURES ARE ALL CURRENTLY SUPPORTIVE OF SNOW AND WITH A COLD ADVECTION PATTERN TO CONTINUE WITH THE UPCOMING SYSTEM THE PRECIP WILL FALL AS ALL SNOW. BASED ON THE LATEST RADAR TRENDS AND VWP INDICATING SATURATION AS FAR NORTH AS JKL DOWN TO ABOUT 6KFT MSL...AND AN APPROACHING RATHER VIGOROUS 500 MB TROUGH...SNOW SHOULD DEVELOP WITHIN THE NEXT 1 TO 3 HRS...POSSIBLY PICKING UP CLOSER TO 9Z IN A ZONE FROM ABOUT MCCREARY COUNTY NORTHEAST TOWARD MARTIN COUNTY ALONG A 500 MB DEFORMATION ZONE DEPICTED BY THE 0Z NAM. MODELS ALSO INDICATE AN AREA OF ENHANCED PETTERSON FRONTOGENESIS...ESPECIALLY AT 850 MB THROUGH 12Z...ORIGINATING NEAR THE ABOVE MENTIONED CORRIDOR AND THEN GRADUALLY SHIFTING EAST IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE APPROACHING UPPER WAVE AND REFLECTION OF THIS SYSTEM AT LOWER LEVELS. THE 21Z SREF ALSO HAS INITIALLY HIGHER POPS NORTH OF THE VA BORDER COUNTIES... THOUGH THE SNOW SHOULD PICK UP ALONG THE VA BORDER BY THE 9Z TO 12Z PERIOD IF IT DOES NOT BEFORE. THE LOWER LEVELS ARE SATURATED OR NEARLY SATURATED ALONG THE VA BORDER PER RECENT OBSERVATIONS FROM BLACK MTN...KLNP AND US 119 HIGHWAY ON PINE MTN...WITH LAPS SOUNDINGS INDICATING A SATURATED COLUMN ALONG THE VA BORDER AND NEARLY SATURATED TO THE NW. LIFT APPEARS TO BE LACKING A BIT AT PRESENT...BUT SOME RADAR RETURNS ARE ADVANCING/DEVELOPING NE TOWARD THAT REGION IN THE ADVISORY AND AS LIFT INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF THE UPPER LOW AS MENTIONED ABOVE SNOW SHOULD BREAK OUT IN THE NEXT 3 HOURS. .SHORT TERM.../TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...UPDATED THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THE SHORT TERM FORECAST WILL BE TO DEAL WITH LIGHT SNOW BEGINNING NOW AND LASTING THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY ON SATURDAY. CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS SOME RETURNS IN THE 20-30 DBZ RANGE ACROSS THE CWA...HOWEVER NOT REACHING THE GROUND JUST YET. RECENT RADAR TRENDS COMBINED WITH VWP DO SUGGEST THAT COLUMN IS STEADILY SATURATING DOWN AND EXPECT LIGHT SNOW TO BEGIN TO FALL IN MANY LOCATIONS BY 3 AM. HAVE DECIDED TO EXTEND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY A LITTLE FURTHER WESTWARD TO ACCOUNT FOR H85-H5 FRONTOGENESIS DEPICTED BY 0Z NAM. WILL NOW INCLUDE WHITLEY...KNOX AND CLAY COUNTIES TO THE WSW. THIS MATCHES 21Z SREF QPF BAND FURTHER WEST. FEEL THAT THE 1 TO...LOCALLY 2...INCH LINE WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG A LINE FROM WHITLEY COUNTY NORTHWESTWARD TO MARTIN COUNTY AS A RESULT. EXTENDED THE LIKELY POPS JUST A LITTLE BEST TO MATCH UP WITH INCREASING SNOW TOTALS TO THE WEST A BIT. H5 TROUGH AXIS SLIDES BY THE CWA AROUND 18Z TODAY...AND WITH STEEPENING LAPSE RATES FROM MID LEVEL CAA...FEEL THAT SNOW GETS A BIT SHOWERY. WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST...THIS PERIOD WILL NOT LAST LONG AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE QUICKLY DIMINISHES AND CLEARING COMMENCES. TOMORROW NIGHT IS SETTING UP TO BE QUITE CHILLY AND HAVE LOWERED TEMPERATURES JUST A BIT. FEEL THAT SOME UPPER TEENS ARE WARRANTED WITH OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE LOWER 20S. TEMPERATURES THIS COLD WILL BE DEPENDENT ON AMPLE CLEARING. IF FRESH SNOW COVER DOES NOT MELT OFF IT COULD HELP MORE LOCATIONS INTO THE UPPER TEENS. TEMPERATURES RECOVER TO THE MID 40S ON SUNDAY WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES IN ORDER. SOME UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO ADVECT INTO THE REGION ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AN UPDATED LONG TERM DISCUSSION WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY. .LONG TERM.../SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/ 04/00Z AND 12Z MODELS OFFER NO BIG SURPRISES SYNOPTICALLY NEXT WEEK AND FEW CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE FORECAST DURING THE PERIOD. 04/00Z ECMWF IS THE PREFERRED MODEL WHERE ANY DIFFERENCES EXIST. THE DEGREE OF COOLING BEHIND OUR MIDWEEK SYSTEM IS THE BIGGEST QUESTION MARK... WITH THE GFS BEING 6 TO 7C DEGREES COOLER AT 850 MB THAN THE ECMWF AT 12Z THURSDAY. THE FAST PROGRESSIVE FLOW SHOULD MEAN LESS OVERALL INTRUSION OF COLDER AIR THIS FAR SOUTH... THUS THE PREFERENCE FOR THE WARMER ECMWF. AS FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER... A WEAK SYSTEM IS STILL ON TAP TO BRING A THREAT FOR PRECIP TO OUR AREA ON MONDAY. ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS ARE VERY DRY AND THERE IS NOT A LOT OF MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM SO CONTINUED TO ONLY OFFER A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS DURING THE DAY. THICKNESSES UP NORTH INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A LITTLE SNOW TO MIX IN... IF ANYTHING OCCURS AT ALL. OTHERWISE... A BRIEF LULL IN RAIN CHANCES MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY CHANCE POPS ON TUESDAY AS OUR NEXT... MUCH MORE ROBUST SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. PROGS INDICATE A VERY POTENT LOW LEVEL JET WITH THIS SYSTEM... WITH GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE. IN FACT... WINDS MAY BE THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS SYSTEM. A RESULTING RAIN SHADOW SHOULD MEAN A DELAYED ONSET TO THE PRECIP... HOWEVER... DYNAMICS WILL LIKELY OVERCOME THIS AND WE INCREASED POPS INTO THE LIKELY RANGE FOR TUESDAY NIGHT. PROGS INDICATE A SLIGHTLY MORE PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM SO DROPPED POPS BEHIND THE FRONT ON WEDNESDAY BUT THERE REMAINS A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY WITH WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AFFECTING THE AREA AS THE UPPER TROUGH PASSES BY TO OUR NORTHWEST. ANY LINGERING RAIN WILL MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT... BUT ANY PRECIP SHOULD BE VERY LIGHT BY THAT TIME. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SLIDE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY LEAVING DRY CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT BUT PROGS ARE ADAMANT THAT ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL THREATEN THE AREA BY FRIDAY IN THE PROGRESSIVE FLOW ALOFT SO WILL BRING IN FRIDAY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. THE 04/12Z GFSX GUIDANCE TEMPS SEEM VERY REASONABLE WITH THE EXPECTED PATTERN NEXT WEEK... EVEN FOR TEMPS ON THURSDAY WHERE THE MOST UNCERTAINTY LIES. THE GUIDANCE AGREES WELL WITH THE INHERITED FORECAST NUMBERS TOO SO MADE FEW CHANGES OVERALL. && .AVIATION.../06Z TO 06Z/ TAF SITES WILL START OUT ALL VFR...HOWEVER EXPECT GRADUALLY LOWERING CEILINGS FOR THE REST OF THE OVERNIGHT. HAVE ALL TAF SITES GOING TO MVFR BY 09Z WITH LIGHT SNOW BEGINNING TO FALL. BASED ON LATEST VWP AND RADAR TRENDS SNOW COULD BEGIN TO FALL AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE THIS. HAVE INCLUDED A TEMPO GROUP AFTER 12Z TO WITH CIGS/VIS FLIRTING WITH THE MVFR/IFR RANGE. AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM QUICKLY DEPARTS THIS AFTERNOON...EXPECT GRADUALLY IMPROVING CIGS AND SNOW ENDING AFTER 18Z. CONDITIONS SHOULD BE BACK TO VFR BY DUSK ON SATURDAY EVENING. SURFACE WINDS SHOULD REMAIN LIGHT AND GENERALLY OUT OF THE NORTH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...BEFORE VEERING TO SOUTHEASTERLY LATE IN THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR KYZ087- 088-110-113-115-117>120. && NEAR TERM...JP SHORT TERM...SCHOETTMER LONG TERM...ABE AVIATION...SCHOETTMER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 438 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083-084-104-106>109-111-112- 114-061245- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE- MAGOFFIN-LEE-BREATHITT-OWSLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...BOONEVILLE 438 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 64 SHOULD EXPECT LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION OF SNOW. AREAS NORTHWEST OF A WHITLEY CITY TO LONDON TO JACKSON TO PAINTSVILLE LINE...BUT SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 64...CAN EXPECT AN INCH OR LESS OF ACCUMULATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS MONDAY MORNING. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL THEN AFFECT THE OUTLOOK AREA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE FROM STRONG WINDS AS A COLD FRONT BARRELS ACROSS THE STATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH A POSSIBILITY. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A THREAT FOR A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON. KYZ085>088-110-113-115>120-061245- WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-FLOYD-KNOTT-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER- MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE... MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN...PRESTONSBURG...HINDMAN...HAZARD... MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG...INEZ...PIKEVILLE 438 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY...TAPERING TO SNOW SHOWERS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE OUTLOOK AREA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE FROM STRONG WINDS AS A COLD FRONT BARRELS ACROSS THE STATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH A POSSIBILITY. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A THREAT FOR A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE OUTLOOK AREA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE FROM STRONG WINDS AS A COLD FRONT BARRELS ACROSS THE STATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH A POSSIBILITY. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A THREAT FOR A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON. HAL/SCHOETTMER
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 446 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 KYZ052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083-084-104-106>109-111-112-114- 051715- ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE- MCCREARY-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-LEE-BREATHITT-OWSLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...BOONEVILLE 446 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009 AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA THIS AND OFFSHORE OF THE CAROLINAS LATER TODAY. MEANWHILE...A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE MID LEVELS WILL SLIDE EAST ACROSS THE AREA. BECAUSE OF THE COLD AIR MASS IN PLACE... PRECIPITATION HAS TAKEN THE FORM OF SNOW. EXPECT LIGHT SNOW TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AND BECOME MORE SHOWERY AFTER NOON. THESE SNOW SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS THE STORM SYSTEM PULLS AWAY AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE SNOW MAY CAUSE AN INCONVENIENCE TO MORNING TRAVELERS BY CREATING A FEW SLICK SPOTS...ESPECIALLY FOR BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES ON UNTREATED ROADS. HAL/SCHOETTMER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
32 winter weather, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight tenths of an inch of snowfall was measured near McKee.
One and half inches of snow fell 2 miles Northwest of Bledsoe.
One and a third inches of snow fell in Bush.
An inch of snow fell in Keavy.
An inch of snow fell in Williamsburg.
An inch of snow fell in Annville.
Two and a half inches of snow fell 1 mile west of Middlesboro.
Two inches of snow fell at the Jackson weather office.
Three inches of snow fell in Middlesboro.
Three inches of snow fell in Hazard.
Two inches of snow fell 2 miles southeast of Talbert.
Between 1 and 2.5 inches of snow fell in Somerset.
Two and a half inches of snow fell in Auxier.
An inch and a half of snow fell in Hazard.
One and eight tenths of an inch of snow fell in Van Lear.
An inch of snow fell 1 mile west of Annville.
An inch and a half of snow fell in Middlesboro.
Two and seven tenths of an inch of snow fell in Emma.
Three inches of snow fell 3 miles west of Prestonsburg.
An inch of snow fell 2 miles southeast of Salyersville.
An inch of snow fell in Harlan.
Three inches of snow fell in Mouthcard.
Three inches of snow fell in Whitesburg.
Three inches of snow fell in Pikeville.
Four inches of snow fell in Allen.
Two inches of snow fell in Phelps.
Two inches of snow fell in Falcon.
A half inch of snow fell in Owingsville.
Two inches of snow fell in Harlan.
Two and a half inches of snow fell 1 mile west of Van Lear.
An inch of snow fell 3 miles southwest of Clay City.
An inch of snow fell in Van Lear.
Four inches of snow fell in Shelbiana. Four and three tenths of an inch of snow also fell in Meta.
Two and a half inches of snow fell in Jenkins.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 2009
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: 201805, 201806, 201807, 201808, 201809, 201810, 201811, 201812, 201813, 201815, 201816, 201817, 201818, 201819, 201820, 201821, 201822, 201823, 201824, 201814, 201825, 201826, 201827, 201828, 201829, 201830, 201831, 201832, 201833, 201834, 201835, 201837, 201836, 201838.