On March 2nd, a large area of low pressure tracked across the southern United States. A combination of cold air from Canada being drawn into the circulation of this system from the north, and lift associated with the low itself and upslope affects, led to the formation of scattered snow showers across portions of eastern Kentucky.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
On March 2nd, a large area of low pressure tracked across the southern United States. A combination of cold air from Canada being drawn into the circulation of this system from the north, and lift associated with the low itself and upslope affects, led to the formation of scattered snow showers across portions of eastern Kentucky. The areas that received accumulating snowfall were in Knott, Harlan and Letcher counties.
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 Mar 2, 6:40 AM EST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 640 AM EST TUE MAR 2 2010 .SHORT TERM.../TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/ THE SFC CHART SHOWS LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO... MOVING EASTWARD WITH AN INVERTED TROUGH STRETCHING N INTO THE TN VALLEY REGION. HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS. ALOFT... THE PLAINS RIDGE IS BUILDING INTO SRN CANADA AS SHORT WAVE ENERGY IS DROPPING SOUTHWARD OUT OF THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. A RATHER DEEP UPPER LEVEL... STACKED BEHIND THE SFC FEATURE PRESSES ACROSS THE GULF SATES. A RATHER LARGE BAND OF OVERRIDING MID LEVEL MOISTURE IS CREEPING NORTHWARD INTO TN... WITH WEAK RETURNS IN ADVANCE IN SERN KY. THUS FAR HAVE BEEN HARD PRESSED TO FIND ANYTHING REACHING THE GROUND. BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF SOME SPRINKLES WERE REACHING THE SFC IN SOME OF THE HIGHER RETURNS. LOOK FOR LOW CLOUDS... SPRINKLES AND FLURRIES TO LINGER ACROSS THE AREA... GENERALLY SOUTH AND EAST OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY AND HWY 80... THROUGH MUCH OF THE EARLY PERIODS. EXPECT LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE TN VALLEY REGION AS THE PARENT STORM SYSTEM TRACKS EASTWARD ACROSS THE GULF COAST. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY REACH INTO THE FRINGES OF EASTERN KY THIS MORNING... WITH OUR SOUTHERN MOST COUNTIES AND COUNTIES ALONG THE KY/VA STATE LINE HAVING THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO SEE MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION TODAY. PRECIPITATION TRANSITIONS INTO AN UPSLOPE MODE BY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AS SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVES...AND A SECOND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ROTATES AROUND THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AS IT TRACKS OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. THE COMBINATION OF RELATIVELY DEEPER MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND TROUGH AND UPSLOPE FLOW WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A PERIOD OF ENHANCED POPS FOR OUR FAVORABLE UPSLOPE LOCATIONS. THEREFORE WILL CARRY AT LEAST CHANCE POPS FOR THIS AREA TOWARDS DAWN WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. EXPECT RESIDUAL SNOW SHOWERS TO CONTINUE IN UPSLOPE FLOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE TAPERING OFF TO FLURRIES BY DAWN THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE THROUGH THE PERIOD. MOS GUIDANCE WAS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT. GENERALLY CONTINUED THE PATTERN OF A SMALLER DIURNAL TREND BY LEANING TOWARDS THE COOLER SIDE OF GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS AND SLIGHTLY WARMER SIDE OF MOS FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/ LOW LEVEL FLOW BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR WEST AND A MASSIVE DEPARTING LOW TO OUR EAST WILL BRING CONTINUED COLD AIR ADVECTION ON UPSLOPE N TO NW WINDS AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...PRESENTING AT LEAST A CHANCE OF FLURRIES IN THE LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST THURSDAY NIGHT WINDS WILL SLACKEN...AND WILL LOOK FOR FLURRIES TO DIMINISH. CLOUDS WILL ALSO BREAK UP...WITH THE RIDGING AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT DOMINATING OUR WEATHER AT LEAST INTO SUNDAY. SUNDAY INTO MONDAY THE RIDGING WILL GRADUALLY SLIP TO THE EAST AS THE NEXT WX SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE 00Z ECMWF SEEMS TO BE AN ODD MODEL OUT IN HANDLING THIS SYSTEM. IT IS SLOWER THAN THE GFS...THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN...THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN...AND THE NEW 12Z ECMWF. THE 00Z ECMWF ALSO ALLOWS ANOTHER COLD FRONT TO PROGRESS SOUTH THROUGH OUR AREA ON MONDAY...NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM FROM THE WEST. HAVE DISREGARDED THE 00Z ECMWF AND INSTEAD USED A GENERALIZED SCENARIO AS PRESENTED IN THE ENSEMBLE MEANS. THIS PRESENTS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. IN TERMS OF TEMPS...DECREASING CLOUDS AND A LACK OF COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL ALLOW THE INCREASINGLY STRONG LATE WINTER SUNLIGHT TO WARM TEMPS TO NEAR NORMAL BY SATURDAY...WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION ADDING AN EXTRA KICK TO POSSIBLY BRING US A RARE EPISODE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. && .AVIATION.../12Z TO 12Z/...UPDATED A SURFACE LOW IS SKIRTING THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND WILL GAIN STRENGTH AS IT MOVES OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST TODAY. THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF MOISTURE FROM THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO EDGE THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF EAST KENTUCKY THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. EXPECT CIGS TO HOVER AROUND THE VFR/MVFR THRESHOLD FOR A BRIEF PERIOD THIS MORNING BEFORE GRADUALLY DEGRADING TO SOLID MVFR CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF THE DAY. LIGHT SNOW HAS OVERSPREAD THE REGION ALONG THE TENNESSEE AND VIRGINIA BORDERS AND WILL MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO THE MVFR RANGE AS WELL. CANNOT RULE OUT A BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR AT TIMES TODAY IN MORE PERSISTENT SNOW SHOWERS...WITH THE BEST LIKELIHOOD AT KLOZ. SURFACE WINDS WILL BACK FROM NORTHEASTERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD AND STAY AROUND THE 10 MPH RANGE. A DUSTING OF SNOW CANNOT BE RULED OUT ON RUNWAYS THROUGH THIS FORECAST PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY LONG TERM....HAL AVIATION...SCHOETTMER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 342 AM EST TUE MAR 2 2010 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-031145- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN- ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE-BREATHITT-KNOTT- OWSLEY-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- 342 AM EST TUE MAR 2 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW TODAY AND TONIGHT... ESPECIALLY DURING THE MORNING WITH NO MORE THAN A DUSTING EXPECTED IN MOST AREAS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE SNOW IS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY AND KY HIGHWAY 80 CORRIDOR. A DUSTING TO AN INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THIS AREA... WITH THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS ON THE RIDGETOPS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS DURING THIS PERIOD... GENERALLY ABOVE 1500 FEET... FOR LOCATIONS CLOSE TO THE KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA STATE LINE. A FEW FLURRIES MAY LINGER INTO THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE COUNTIES ALONG THE VIRGINIA BORDER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT. DUSTY
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 611 AM EST TUE MAR 2 2010 KYZ079-080-083>088-107-109-110-112-113-115>120-021700- PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-JOHNSON- MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-BREATHITT-KNOTT-PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...PAINTSVILLE...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG... JACKSON...HINDMAN...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 611 AM EST TUE MAR 2 2010 ...LIGHT SNOW THIS MORNING... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSING BY... SOUTH OF THE AREA WILL PUSH THE THREAT FOR LIGHT SNOW INTO EASTERN KENTUCKY THIS MORNING. THE LIGHT SNOW COULD ARRIVE DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE. AT THIS POINT IN TIME... IT APPEARS THAT THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE FROM SHORTLY BEFORE DAWN THROUGH MIDDAY TODAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR... OR JUST ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK IN MOST AREAS WHEN ANY SNOW FALLS... LIMITING ACCUMULATIONS. SLIGHTLY COOLER READINGS ARE EXPECTED ON THE RIDGETOPS. BY THE TIME ANY PRECIPITATION ENDS ON THIS AFTERNOON IT SHOULD BE MIXED WITH RAIN. SNOW ACCUMULATION BY MIDDAY WILL RANGE FROM A DUSTING TO AN INCH... WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ON THE RIDGETOPS GENERALLY SOUTH OF THE HAL ROGERS PARKWAY AND EAST OF THE KY HIGHWAY 80 CORRIDOR. JP/DUSTY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
The county Dept of Transportation reported that two inches of snow fell in Hindman in the higher elevations.
A worker at the FAA site on Black Mountain reported that 3 inches of snow had fallen on the mountain during the day.
The county Dept of Transportation reported that 3 inches of snow had fallen on Jenkins Mountain.
Three inches of snow fell on Pine Mountain.
A spotter confirmed that 2 to 3 inches of snow had fallen in Van.
Three inches of snow fell in Pound Gap near Jenkins.
Two inches of snow fell 2 miles southeast of Puncheon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, March 2010
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: 217727, 217730, 217732, 217734, 217737, 217739, 217741.