Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 29 to 30, 2010

Name: Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 29 to 30, 2010
Start: 2010-01-29T11:00
End: 2010-01-30T06:00
Location: Kentucky

January 29 to 30, 2010 · NWS PAH · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

An upper level storm system moved slowly east across the Mid-Mississippi Valley, producing widespread heavy snow. The surface low pressure center moved east across the Gulf Coast states.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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 PAH wrote it up.

An upper level storm system moved slowly east across the Mid-Mississippi Valley, producing widespread heavy snow. The surface low pressure center moved east across the Gulf Coast states. Accumulations across western Kentucky were generally from 4 to 6 inches. Specific amounts included 6 inches at Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Benton, Clinton, Greenville, and Calhoun, 5 inches at Owensboro, Paducah, and Marion, and 4 inches at Dawson Springs, Mayfield, and Murray. There was some blowing and drifting of the snow due to gusty winds. Drifts to a foot were reported at Hopkinsville. Roads were snow-covered and very slippery. Numerous accidents were reported, mainly vehicles sliding off roads. In Henderson County, an accident with injuries (indirect injuries) occurred on the Pennyrile Parkway at mile marker 68. A vehicle crossed all lanes and ended up in a ditch. Visibility was reduced to around one-half mile in the snow.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 28, 3:01 PM CST, 19 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 28, 3:01 PM CST, 19 hours 59 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 28, 4:17 PM CST, 18 hours 43 minutes 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

22 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Fulton

When: January 29, 11:00 AM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Graves

When: January 29, 12:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Graves forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hickman

When: January 29, 1:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Hickman forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ballard

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Ballard forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Carlisle

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Carlisle forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McCracken

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: McCracken forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calloway

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Calloway forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.621, -88.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marshall

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.884, -88.329 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Livingston

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.210, -88.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Trigg

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Trigg forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.806, -87.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Christian

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Christian forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.894, -87.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Todd

When: January 29, 2:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.836, -87.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lyon

When: January 29, 3:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.019, -88.083 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Muhlenberg

When: January 29, 3:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Muhlenberg forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.216, -87.142 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hopkins

When: January 29, 3:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Hopkins forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.309, -87.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Caldwell

When: January 29, 3:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Caldwell forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.145, -87.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Crittenden

When: January 29, 4:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Crittenden forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.353, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Webster

When: January 29, 5:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.518, -87.683 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McLean

When: January 29, 5:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.529, -87.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Union

When: January 29, 5:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.659, -87.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Henderson

When: January 29, 6:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.796, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Daviess

When: January 29, 7:00 PM CST to January 30, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Daviess forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.732, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 207880, 207881, 207879, 207877, 207878, 207882, 207883, 207884, 207885, 207888, 207889, 207891, 207887, 207892, 207893, 207894, 207895, 207896, 207897, 207898, 207899, 207900.