Kentucky, 2010

Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 3, 2010

December 3, 2010 · NWS JKL · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Black ice on bridges and access roads leading into Prestonsburg was the cause of 20 car accidents during the morning of Friday, December 3rd. Five of the accidents resulted in the injuries of 3 people.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.

Black ice on bridges and access roads leading into Prestonsburg was the cause of 20 car accidents during the morning of Friday, December 3rd. Five of the accidents resulted in the injuries of 3 people. The most serious accident occurred on the Bert T. Combs bridge coming into Prestonsburg. The bridges and access ramps had to be shut down until the ice was cleared from them later in the morning.

What forecasters said that day

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 3, 3:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 3:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 3, 4:40 AM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 3, 5:00 AM EST, 1 hour before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Floyd

When
December 3, 6:00 AM EST to 7:30 AM EST
Where
Floyd forecast zone
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
37.557, -82.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Between 6 and 730 am on December 3rd, a total of 20 weather related traffic accidents occurred within Prestonsburg city limits. Five of the 20 accidents resulted in injuries to 3 people. Most of the accidents took place primarily along access roads coming into Prestonsburg. The worst accident occurred on the Bert T. Combs bridge.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 2010

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 269828.