On January 18th, a front moved through the area and produced some rain. The cold air that moved in that night allowed some fog to develop and the combination of wet roads freezing, freezing drizzle, and fog created slick roads.
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.
On January 18th, a front moved through the area and produced some rain. The cold air that moved in that night allowed some fog to develop and the combination of wet roads freezing, freezing drizzle, and fog created slick roads.
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 17, 10:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1050 PM EST MON JAN 17 2011 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TONIGHT/...UPDATED THE SURROUNDING AREA DEW POINTS ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THEIR TEMPERATURE ALOT QUICKER THAN EXPECTED. THE RESULT HAS BEEN SOME MIST DEVELOPING IN THE VALLEYS. THEREFORE...UPDATED TO INCLUDE SOME PATCHY FOG AS SOME LOCALIZED AREAS MAY SEE DENSE FOG. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /THE REST OF TONIGHT/ CURRENT CONDITIONS AS OF 01Z HAS CWA WIDE TEMPERATURES MOSTLY IN THE UPPER 30S. DEW POINTS HAVE NOW JUMPED ABOVE FREEZING AND INTO THE MID 30S. THE RADAR RETURNS SHOW THE BULK OF MOISTURE AND PRECIP TO THE NORTH. A GENERAL DRYING IN THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ZONES IS PRESENT IN THE RADAR RETURNS AS WELL. THERE WAS A CONCERN IN THE WET BULB PROCESSES ACROSS THE AREA. THIS BEING SAID AND GIVEN HOW THE SURFACE TEMPS AND DEW POINTS HAVE RESPONDED...WILL MENTION THE POSSIBILITY TO THE NIGHT SHIFT OF SOME PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE AT LEAST IN THE EASTERN VALLEYS AND EVEN THE NORTHERN BLUE GRASS ZONES HAVE COOLED OFF A BIT. HOWEVER...GIVEN HOW THAT THE DEW POINTS HAVE COME UP A BIT ABOVE FREEZING...WILL GO ALL RAIN TONIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE EAST AND NORTH WILL HOWEVER...FLIRT IN THE MID 30S FOR LOWS TONIGHT. MODELS HAVE NOT HANDLED TEMPS WELL ALSO BUT A BIAS CONSENSUS DOES DROP TEMPERATURES A DEGREE OR TWO SO DROPPED THEM A BIT. MASSAGED THE POPS TOO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL DRYING AND DELAYED APPROACH OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE. OVERALL...NOT MUCH WAS CHANGED AND WILL PASS ON TO THE NIGHT SHIFT FORECAST CONCERNS. THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FOLLOWS... /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/ SURGE OF MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH HAS OPENED US TO SOME VERY LIGHT PCPN THIS AFTERNOON. ACTUALLY MEASURING MORE THAN A TRACE WILL BE DIFFICULT BASED ON HOW LIGHT THE PCPN IS. HAD TO USE RADAR IN LIGHT SNOW MODE TO SEE WHAT IS OUT THERE. MODELS ARE NOT HANDLING THE CURRENT PCPN VERY WELL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NAM. HAVE THEREFORE BLENDED ALMOST 50 PERCENT 12Z NAM WITH PREVIOUS FCST. TEMPS ARE A TAD COOLER THAN PREVIOUS FCST BY A COUPLE DEG BUT THIS COULD BE ENOUGH TO SEE A COUPLE FLURRIES AROUND DAWN TONIGHT AS TEMPS WET BULB DOWN TO THE MID 30S. BETTER RAIN WILL BE ON TUE IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. PASSAGE OF WHICH LOOK TO OCCUR LATE TUE AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW A TAD MORE COLD AIR TO INFILTRATE TUE NIGHT WITH POSSIBLY SOME VERY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS. BEST POSSIBILITY FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE ON THE RIDGES OF THE ERN HALF OF OUR CWFA WITH AMOUNTS GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH. THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO START EVEN AFTER INITIAL SNOWFALL AS THE RAIN...WET SURFACE AND WARM GROUND WILL DELAY ANY SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION. BY LATE WED WE SHOULD SEE THE LAST OF THE COLD FNTL PCPN EXIT THE REGION BUT CLOUDS WILL REMAIN IN THE COLDER AIR. EXPECT HIGHS ON TUE IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S BUT COOLER ON WED POST FNTL ONLY REACHING THE MID TO UPPER 30S. .LONG TERM.../WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/ THE ECMWF AND GFS MODELS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT TODAY THAN IN PREVIOUS RUNS OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO. FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...BOTH MODELS HAVE VERY SIMILAR SYNOPTIC PATTERNS. FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO MOVE OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS...AND ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY BY FRIDAY EVENING. THE GFS IS A FEW HOURS SLOWER WITH THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THIS LOW THAN THE ECMWF MODEL. THE SLOWER GFS SOLUTION USUALLY IS CLOSER TO REALITY FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY...SO THE FORECAST WAS ADJUSTED TOWARD THE SLOWER GFS. WITH GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT...FINALLY...DECIDED TO INCREASE PRECIPITATION CHANCES ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THE ENTIRE AREA FOR THE END OF THIS WEEK. THE BEST POPS WILL BE AROUND 50 PERCENT THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...ALONG AND BEHIND AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT AND ITS ASSOCIATED TROUGH. PRECIPITATION ONSET HAS BEEN ADJUSTED TOWARD THE THURSDAY AFTERNOON TIME FRAME PER THE SLOWER GFS SOLUTION. THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW LOOKS TO BE FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. AT THIS POINT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A PRETTY CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL TO END THE WEEK...WITH TWO OR THREE INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF POSSIBLE BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE MODELS DIVERGE A BIT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT...AS THE GFS TRIES TO BRING A SMALL DISTURBANCE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY...WHILE THE ECMWF KEEPS THE ENTIRE AREA DRY FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. FOR NOW...DECIDED TO KEEP THE WEEKEND DRY UNTIL MORE MODEL AGREEMENT IS SEEN FOR THAT TIME FRAME. THE LATEST RUNS OF THE MEXMOS AND HPC GUIDANCE WERE IN VERY POOR AGREEMENT REGARDING TEMPERATURES FOR DAYS 4-7. WITH THAT IN MIND...WENT WITH AS REASONABLE OF A BLEND AS POSSIBLE BETWEEN BOTH SETS OF GUIDANCE...GOING WARMER THAN THE LATEST MEXMOS...AND SLIGHTLY COLDER THAN THE LATEST HPC GUIDANCE. THESE TEMPERATURE ISSUES COULD LEAD TO A PERIOD OF MIXED PRECIPITATION THURSDAY EVENING...WITH A PERIOD OF COLD RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDS WERE ALSO ADJUSTED TOWARD THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS...TO BEST DEPICT THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT AND TROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY. THE LATEST HPC GUIDANCE AND MEXMOS && .AVIATION.../00Z TO 24Z/ SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE OVERSPREAD THE AREA. THE RADAR AND MODELS AGREE THAT A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION IS COMING. THE BIG QUESTION WITH THIS BREAK IS HOW INTACT THE SKY COVER WILL BE. IF THERE IS SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS...THEN THE MIST THAT IS FORECAST COULD BECOME DENSE FOG. HAVE GONE WITH VSBY OF 1SM AT THE TAF SITES FOR NOW AND WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP. THE MORE WIDESPREAD RAIN AND LOWER CIGS AREA EXPECTED BETWEEN 15-18Z AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DUSTY/SHALLENBERGER LONG TERM....AR AVIATION...JJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 354 PM EST MON JAN 17 2011 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-190000- 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- 354 PM EST MON JAN 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE LATER TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AND AGAIN FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. DUSTY
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1110 PM EST MON JAN 17 2011 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>088-104-106>120-181000- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON... HINDMAN...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD...MANCHESTER...HYDEN...WHITESBURG... INEZ...PIKEVILLE 1110 PM EST MON JAN 17 2011 ...LOCALIZED DENSE FOG TONIGHT... AS OF 11 PM...SOME LOCALIZED PATCHY DENSE FOG HAS WORKED ITS WAY INTO VALLEYS ACROSS THE AREA. VISIBILITY WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE AT TIMES WITH MOST LOCATIONS ONLY DROPPING BELOW 2 MILES. THE FOG IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE LATE MORNING HOURS. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA LATER TONIGHT WHICH WILL ONLY MOISTEN THE LOWER VALLEYS AND MAY PROLONG THE FOG UNTIL LATE MORNING. SHALLENBERGER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A thin glaze of ice accumulated on some surfaces from freezing drizzle and fog. Temperature at 30 degrees. Report received from 4 miles east of West Liberty.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 2011
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: 271488.