Heavy rainfall caused by a low pressure system moving across the area led to flooding of some roads, streams, creeks, and even some larger rivers, on January 7th through the 9th.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Heavy rainfall caused by a low pressure system moving across the area led to flooding of some roads, streams, creeks, and even some larger rivers, on January 7th through the 9th.
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 7, 3:03 AM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 303 AM EST WED JAN 7 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED CURRENT WEATHER HAS LIGHT TO MOD SHRA CONTINUING IN THE ERN 2/3 OF THE CWFA. EVEN AS THIS CONTINUES THE BEST PCPN IS EXITING TO THE NE WITH ONLY LIGHT PCPN IN TN TO ADVECT INTO AREA. FAIRLY SHARP LINE FOR ENDING PCPN TO OUR SOUTH RUNS FROM NEAR CSV TO THE WRN FL PANHANDLE. THIS AREA CONTINUES TO SWING EAST AND CURRENT FCST SEEMS TO HAVE THIS WELL IN HAND WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT PCPN MAY NOT ACCUMULATE AS MUCH AS PREV THOUGHT. WILL CONTINUE THE FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 AM AS PLANNED. DO NOT THINK THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE ANY WIDESPREAD AREAL FLOODING BUT WE HAVE SEVERAL RIVERS THAT ARE GOING TO COME CLOSE TO FLOODING AS THE RUNOFF CONTINUES TO SEEP INTO THE LARGER WATERWAYS. THE MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ALOFT INITIALLY...BUT THEIR SIMILARITIES DEGRADE WITH TIME. THEY ALL TAKE A DEEP TROUGH THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY ON WEDNESDAY. EVEN BY 36 HOURS THE GFS IS DEVIATING FROM THE NAM BY SWINGING ITS UPPER TROUGH EAST QUICKER...EVEN THOUGH ITS VERSION IS THE STRONGER ONE...ESPECIALLY FURTHER SOUTH. THE HIGHER RESOLUTION NAM12 IS ALSO DEPICTING A PARTICULARLY STRONG AND POTENT BATCH OF ENERGY PUSHING THROUGH KENTUCKY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH HINTS ALSO SEEN IN THE ECMWF. THIS ENERGY MOVING THROUGH THE BASE OF THE TROUGH WILL BE SUPPORTED BY A DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL JET AND IS MODELED TO COME ACROSS THE CWA WITH VERY ROBUST LIFT AND ENOUGH QPF TO RESULT IN ACCUMULATING SNOWS. FOR NOW...THIS SOLUTION LOOKS REASONABLE SO HAVE INCLUDED THE SCENARIO IN THE GRIDS AND THE FORECAST...THOUGH NOT QUITE TO THE MAGNITUDE SUGGESTED BY THE NAM12. FOLLOWING THIS...THE STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY ON THURSDAY...AS NORTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES OVER KENTUCKY AND HEIGHTS RISE. SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL FEATURE THE STREAM OF RAIN EXITING TO THE EAST EARLY WEDNESDAY WITH PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LEFT BEHIND. COLD ADVECTION IN THE WAKE OF THIS WILL COOL THE COLUMN SUFFICIENTLY ENOUGH TO ALLOW A TRANSITION OF ANY LINGERING PCPN TO SNOW TOWARD EVENING. AFTER AN EVENING LULL...A SECONDARY COLD FRONT CHARGES THROUGH KENTUCKY BRINGING A LIKELIHOOD OF LIGHT TO MODERATE AND ACCUMULATING SNOW TO EAST KENTUCKY FROM LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THE PREFERRED NAM SOLUTION COUPLED WITH HPC GUIDANCE WOULD YIELD A SWATH OF 1 TO 3 INCH SNOWFALL SPREADING ACROSS THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA WITH GENERAL 1/2 TO ONE IN ELSEWHERE. HAVE INTRODUCED THIS POSSIBILITY IN THE GRIDS AND ZONES. THIS FRONT THEN MOVES EAST EARLY THURSDAY TAKING ITS SNOW ALONG WITH IT AND TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN A SLOW MODERATION TREND DURING THE DAY THURSDAY. .LONG TERM.../WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/ DUE TO SOME QUESTIONS WITH A COUPLED JET DEPICTED IN THE GFS EARLY ON...HAVE FOLLOWED A NAM/ECMWF BLEND MORE CLOSELY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. THE PATTERN CONTINUES TO DEAMPLIFY OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY BEFORE THE NEXT TROUGH TAKES AIM AT THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES...COMING OUT OF WESTERN CANADA. AS PROGGED BY THE PREFERRED ECMWF...THIS TROUGH SLIDES THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY OVER THE WEEKEND...BUT WITH A MUCH SHALLOWER ARC THAN THE GFS/S VERSION. THE ECMWF THEN TAKES A WEAKER...BUT DEEPENING...WAVE INTO THE PLAINS AND QUICKLY ACROSS KENTUCKY ON MONDAY. MEANWHILE... THE GFS IS MAINTAINING SOUTHWEST FLOW THROUGH THE EASTERN HALF OF THE NATION IN RESPONSE TO A MORE PHASED SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. THE LARGE MODEL DIFFERENCES EARLY NEXT WEEK LEAD TO LOWERED CONFIDENCE IN EITHER SOLUTION...BUT THE MORE CONSISTENT ECMWF... SHOWING A TROUGH CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY ON TUESDAY...WAS FOLLOWED AS OPPOSED TO THE GFS AND ITS PROLONGED PERIOD OF MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW. COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL KEEP CONDITIONS DRY AND QUIET INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE NEXT SFC WAVE SETS UP A WARM FRONT TO THE NORTH OF THE CWA. AS A RESULT...WE WARM UP QUITE NICELY ON FRIDAY AND STAY MILD THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE NEXT DEVELOPING LOW MOVES IN FROM THE WEST LATER SATURDAY. THIS LOW AND ITS ELONGATED COLD FRONT SLIPS EAST SATURDAY NIGHT ALLOWING COLDER AIR TO MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA AND PERHAPS CHANGE ANY LEFT OVER PCPN TO ALL SNOW ON SATURDAY NIGHT. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IN THE WAKE OF THE LOW AND ITS FRONT WILL HOLD ON FOR THE DAY SUNDAY BEFORE THE NEXT NORTHERN STREAM SYSTEM DIPS INTO THE OHIO VALLEY WITH A RENEWED CHANCE FOR RAIN OR SNOW MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS SYSTEM NOW LOOKS TO TAKE ITS COLD FRONT THROUGH KENTUCKY LATER TUESDAY WITH VERY COLD AIR POISED TO CHILL THE AREA FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. IN GENERAL...GIVEN MY PREFERENCE FOR ITS PARENT MODEL...FOLLOWED THE MET GUIDANCE MORE CLOSELY THAN THE MAV FOR BOTH TEMPERATURES AND POPS THROUGH FRIDAY. LATER ON...UNDERCUT THE TEMPS AND POPS THROUGH THE LONG TERM FROM THE MEX...GOING CLOSER TO CONTINUITY AND HPC GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION.../06Z TO 06Z/ A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY...WITH A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTHWEST THROUGH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...WILL CONTINUE TO BRING RAIN TO THE AREA INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH THE RAIN COMING TO AN END. EXPECTING MAINLY IFR TO OCCASIONAL LIFR CONDITIONS INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. EXPECTING IFR...IMPROVING TO VERY LOW END MVFR...DURING THE AFTERNOON. COLDER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT...ALONG WITH AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE AND MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND THE SURFACE LOW...WILL BRING -SHSN TO THE AREA IN THE AFTERNOON THROUGH THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD. GUSTY WEST WINDS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR KYZ080-084>088-107- 109-110-112>120. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST THURSDAY FOR KYZ087-088-110-113-115-117-118-120. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY LONG TERM...GREIF AVIATION...WJM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 358 AM EST WED JAN 7 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-083-104-106-108-111-081200- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-WAYNE-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-WOLFE-LEE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...MONTICELLO...SANDY HOOK... WEST LIBERTY...CAMPTON...BEATTYVILLE 358 AM EST WED JAN 7 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW WILL BEGIN TO FALL LATE TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. LOOK FOR ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR LESS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. EXPECT A FEW FLURRIES TO CONTINUE EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN RAINFALL TOTALS TODAY AND ANY OBSERVATIONS OF FLOODING. KYZ080-084>086-107-109-112-114-116-119-081200- LAUREL-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-JOHNSON-MAGOFFIN-BREATHITT-OWSLEY-CLAY- MARTIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LONDON...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN... WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...PAINTSVILLE...SALYERSVILLE...JACKSON... BOONEVILLE...MANCHESTER...INEZ 358 AM EST WED JAN 7 2009 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. RAIN WILL TAPER OFF TODAY... BUT AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE WITH THE HEAVY RUNOFF. SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. EXPECT A FEW FLURRIES TO CONTINUE EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN RAINFALL TOTALS TODAY AND ANY OBSERVATIONS OF FLOODING. KYZ087-088-110-113-115-117-118-120-081200- BELL-HARLAN-FLOYD-KNOTT-PERRY-LESLIE-LETCHER-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN... PRESTONSBURG...HINDMAN...HAZARD...HYDEN...WHITESBURG...PIKEVILLE 358 AM EST WED JAN 7 2009 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST THIS MORNING... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST THURSDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. RAIN WILL TAPER OFF TODAY... BUT AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE WITH THE HEAVY RUNOFF. SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG THE VIRGINIA BORDER COULD RECEIVE TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF NEARLY 4 INCHES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. EXPECT A FEW FLURRIES TO CONTINUE EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN RAINFALL TOTALS TODAY AND ANY OBSERVATIONS OF FLOODING. DUSTY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter weather, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several roads around Barbourville were under water including Shymug Hollow, State Highway Garage Road, Kentucky 3153, Black Lick, Green, Waler Road, Hasher Hollow, Emanuel Hollow, and Kentucky 1527.
Standing water was reported on California Hollow Road, Disapointment Hollow Road, Hammons Fork Road, and Bull Creek Road.
Six tenths of an inch of snow fell at the Jackson Weather Office between 7 and 8pm. There were 0.8 inches of snow on the ground at 8pm.
Two inches of snow was reported on Amos Ridge outside of Frenchburg.
Letcher County State Highway Garage reported that around two inches of snow had accumulated on the top of Pine Mountain near the Virginia state line along U.S. Highway 23.
Two inches of snow accumulation was reported to have occurred along the Harlan and Letcher county line off of Highway 510.
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: 144655, 144656, 144657, 144658, 144659, 144660.