A major winter storm affected the region from January 27th through the 28th, producing snow, sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain across Eastern Kentucky. This occurred as a low pressure system moved northeast from the Gulf Coast states on the 27th, reaching Eastern Kentucky on the 28th.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 major winter storm affected the region from January 27th through the 28th, producing snow, sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain across Eastern Kentucky. This occurred as a low pressure system moved northeast from the Gulf Coast states on the 27th, reaching Eastern Kentucky on the 28th. Runoff from the precipitation led to flooding of streams, creeks, and rivers, across portions of Eastern Kentucky. The flooding lingered in some areas through January 30th.
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 Jan 28, 7:42 AM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 742 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY/ THE MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT. THE LOW IS QUICKLY MOVING ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY. AS IT DOES...IT IS PUSHING THE WARM AIR TO THE NORTH AND HAS RESULTED IN SOME REALLY SIGNIFICANT WARMING SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY. THE WARMER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH NORTH FOR A FEW MORE HOURS AND THEN AS THE LOW MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST...IT WILL THEN PUSH THE COLD AIR TO THE SOUTH. THIS FORECAST HAS JUST GOT MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE OF THE EXTREMELY WARM TEMPERATURES THAT HAVE MOVED IN TO THE FAR SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA NEAR THE TN BORDER. THIS IS PARTLY WARM AIR ADVECTION...HOWEVER THERE IS A DOWN SLOPE CONTRIBUTION TO THIS AS WELL. THE QUESTION BECOMES AS THE COLD AIR SWEEPS ACROSS THE REGION...HOW QUICKLY WILL THE AIR COOL DOWN. SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE HOURLY TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AND THEN BASED THE PRECIP TYPE ON THE TEMPS. THIS COULD GET VERY COMPLICATED AS THERE WILL NO DOUBT BE SOME POCKETS OF RESIDUAL COLD AIR THAT COULD RESULT IN SOME AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN. THUS...ANY FREEZING RAIN WILL NOT BE AS WIDESPREAD AS IT WAS EARLIER. IN GENERAL...REDUCED THE SNOWFALL THAT WAS EXPECTED WITH THE BACK END OF THE SYSTEM DUE TO THE WARMER SURFACE TEMPS EXPECTED. A CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA STARTING ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING TO FRIDAY. THIS WILL BRING SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS...HOWEVER WE ARE NOT EXPECTING MUCH ACCUMULATION. EVEN THOUGH THERE IS SOME AREAS UNDER THE WINTER STORM WARNING THAT ARE NOW GETTING RAIN...I KEPT IT OUT BECAUSE ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THE GREATEST DANGER TODAY WILL BE FALLING TREES. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN PLACES WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF ICE AND THE WIND STARTS BLOWING. THIS COULD CREATE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS WITH MANY TREES FALLING IN A SHORT TIME. THE GREATEST THREAT AREA WILL BE GENERALLY NORTH OF THE MOUNTAIN PARKWAY. .LONG TERM.../WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/ FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT... THE MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THROUGH THIS PERIOD. AN H5 TROF WILL BE EXITING FRIDAY NIGHT...BUT NOT BEFORE BRINGING A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...MAINLY FOR AREAS FROM JKL AND EAST. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT AS AXIS OF COLD H8 AIR BEGINS TO SHIFT EAST. FRIDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE RATHER COLD...WITH LOWS IN THE TEENS. STAYED BELOW GUIDANCE SATURDAY GIVEN H8 TEMPS AND SOUNDING PROFILES. SHOULD SEE MORE OF A RIDGE VALLEY TEMPERATURE SPLIT SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE SURFACE HIGH SHIFTS EAST. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST WAS IN GOOD SHAPE. FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHING THROUGH THE AREA BY DY6...MONDAY. ECMWF IS SLIGHTLY SLOWER THAN OTHER OPERATIONAL MODELS. WITH ECMWF/S TYPICALLY BETTER RECORD TRENDED TOWARDS A SLIGHTLY SLOWER SOLUTION AS FAR AS TIMING OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ITSELF. OTHERWISE...MADE ONLY A FEW TWEAKS TO OTHER ISC GRID ELEMENTS FOR LATEST MOS. THE PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION IS BELOW... GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE MODELS LENDS ITSELF TO A FAIR AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE EARLY ON IN THE PERIOD...FOLLOWED BY A LOWERING OF CONFIDENCE AS MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW MORE VARIATION WITH TIME. A SURFACE RIDGE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST WITH DECREASING CLOUDS AS THE STORM SYSTEM DEPARTS TO THE NORTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. FAIR WEATHER THEN LASTS THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF LOW CLOUDS LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...SINCE MOISTURE IN FORECAST SOUNDINGS IS VERY SHALLOW. A POORLY DEFINED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THURSDAY NIGHT AND MOVE THROUGH ON FRIDAY. IT MAY BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS. BEHIND THIS THERE IS ANOTHER RETURN TO FAIR WEATHER THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEKEND...WITH A BRIEF WARM-UP AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE PASSES TO OUR EAST AND ALLOWS WARM AIR ADVECTION ON SUNDAY. YET ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED ABOUT MONDAY. TIMING OF THIS FRONT IS QUESTIONABLE. THE GFS HAS SLOWED ITS MOVEMENT OF THIS FRONT SINCE YESTERDAY...TRENDING TOWARD THE SLOWER ECMWF. IN LIGHT OF THIS...OPTED TO HOLD OFF ON THE CHANCE OF PRECIP WITH THE FRONT UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH THE POTENTIAL LINGERING INTO MONDAY NIGHT. PRECIP COULD BE RAIN AND/OR SNOW...BUT THE POP IS RELATIVELY LOW. LATE MONDAY... THE 12Z OPERATIONAL RUN OF THE GFS SHOWS A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM DEEPENING ALONG THIS FRONT AND LIFTING NORTHEAST OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...CROSSING THE SOUTHEAST CONUS. IT WOULD ENHANCE OUR PRECIP PROBABILITY. HOWEVER...THIS IS NOT WELL SUPPORTED BY GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS OR THE ECMWF...AND WILL NOT BUY INTO IT AT THIS TIME. THERE MAY VERY WELL BE SYSTEM THAT DEVELOPS...BUT THE TIMING...PLACEMENT AND STRENGTH ARE VERY UNCERTAIN. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/...UPDATED THIS AVIATION DISCUSSION IS BEING ISSUED BY WFO WILMINGTON OHIO. NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE GOING TAF FORECAST. LIFR/IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE ON THE WANE THIS MORNING AS THE WORST OF THE WEATHER PULLS EAST OF THE REGION. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW...EXPECTING THIS AT AROUND 16Z ACROSS THE TAF SITES. SNOW WILL DWINDLE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND INTO TONIGHT...STOPPING AFTER 00Z...WITH CEILINGS LIFTING TO MVFR AFTER THAT TIME. DO NOT EXPECT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE 00Z-12Z PERIOD AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA. && .HYDROLOGY LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE RAINFALL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA NORTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY. MUCH OF THIS HAS BEEN FREEZING RAIN FROM JACKSON AND POINTS NORTH. SOME AREAS HAVE SEEN TEMPERATURES RISING JUST ABOVE FREEZING. THINK THE RESULTING ICE MELT WILL HELP LEAD TO SOME ADDITIONAL RUNOFF...AND HAVE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORIES THROUGH MORNING FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. DID HAVE SOME LOCALIZED ROADWAY FLOODING IN BREATHITT COUNTY DUE TO RISING STREAMS/CREEKS...SO THE AREAL FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES. COULD SEE ANOTHER ONE HALF INCH OR SO OF PRECIP TODAY...SO THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THROUGH NOON. SEVERAL RIVERS WILL BE RUNNING HIGH...AND WILL LIKELY BE ISSUING HIGH WATER STATEMENTS ON THESE AS THEY REACH ACTION STAGE. WILL BE MONITORING THIS AS WELL FOR ANY POSSIBLE CHANGES. SOME RIVERS WILL LIKELY RUN HIGH THROUGH LATE IN THE WEEK. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR KYZ044-050>052- 058>060-068-069-104-106>112-114-119. FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR KYZ058>060-068-069-079-080- 083-104-106>112-114-116-119. && SHORT TERM... LONG TERM.... AVIATION...HATZOS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 455 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 KYZ044-050>052-291300- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD 455 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE AREA TODAY. AS A RESULT...A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CONTINUED FOR THE OUTLOOK AREA. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING PRODUCT FOR DETAILS AND EXPECTED SNOW AND ICE AMOUNTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOW...ICE AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS. KYZ058>060-068-069-104-106>112-114-119-291300- ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON- WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-OWSLEY-MARTIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... BOONEVILLE...INEZ 455 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE AREA TODAY. AS A RESULT...A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CONTINUED FOR THE OUTLOOK AREA. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING PRODUCT FOR DETAILS AND EXPECTED SNOW AND ICE AMOUNTS. RUNOFF FROM THIS PRECIPITATION COULD RESULT IN FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. ADDITIONALLY...AREA RIVERS WILL RISE THIS MORNING...AND CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH THROUGH LATE THIS WEEK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOW...ICE AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS. KYZ079-080-083-116-291300- PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-CLAY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... MANCHESTER 455 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. RUNOFF FROM THIS PRECIPITATION COULD RESULT IN FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. ADDITIONALLY...AREA RIVERS WILL RISE THIS MORNING...AND CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH THROUGH LATE THIS WEEK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH THROUGH LATE THIS WEEK. SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOW...ICE AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS. KYZ084>088-113-115-117-118-120-291300- MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-KNOTT-PERRY-LESLIE-LETCHER-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG... BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN...HINDMAN...HAZARD... HYDEN...WHITESBURG...PIKEVILLE 455 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOW...ICE AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS. JJ
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
456 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 AM FREEZING RAIN WEST LIBERTY 37.91N 83.27W
01/28/2009 E0.50 INCH MORGAN KY TRAINED SPOTTER
ONE HALF INCH OF ICE ACCRETION FROM FREEZING RAIN. ALSO 1
TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET FELL ACROSS THE COUNTY.
NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE.
&&
WJMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
533 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0515 AM FREEZING RAIN PAINTSVILLE 37.82N 82.81W
01/28/2009 E0.00 INCH JOHNSON KY EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN COUNTY WIDE. MORE THAN 8000
CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER. AT LEAST 0.75 TO 1.0 INCH OF ICE
ACROSS PORTIONS OF COUNTY.
&&
RAYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
534 AM EST WED JAN 28 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0515 AM FREEZING RAIN PAINTSVILLE 37.82N 82.81W
01/28/2009 E1.00 INCH JOHNSON KY EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN COUNTY WIDE. MORE THAN 8000
CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER. AT LEAST 0.75 TO 1.0 INCH OF ICE
ACROSS PORTIONS OF COUNTY.
&&
RAYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous roads were flooded due to the ice and debris in the Red River causing it to overflow its banks. Roads closures included Pompeii, Adams Ridge, Rosslyn, Bowen and Maple Street. These roads were all in the Clay City and Stanton areas.
Flooding from the Kentucky River closed Sang Branch Road, Drift Wood Drive and Dark Hollow Road.
One inch of snow fell 1 mile east southeast of Moon.
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, January 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: 145886, 145889, 145891.