From October 28-30 2012, the remnants of Hurricane Sandy merged with a large mid-latitude cyclone over the northeastern United States. This hybrid storm produced a very heavy snowfall all along the central Appalachian Mountains, including portions of eastern Kentucky.
Every event with a place to put it; 40 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.
From October 28-30 2012, the remnants of Hurricane Sandy merged with a large mid-latitude cyclone over the northeastern United States. This hybrid storm produced a very heavy snowfall all along the central Appalachian Mountains, including portions of eastern Kentucky.
Precipitation type from this system was heavily elevation dependent. Nearly continuous rain fell over the far eastern part of Kentucky beginning as early as Saturday October 27th. The rain began to change over to a heavy, wet snow as early as the afternoon hours of Sunday October 28th when snow first began accumulating on top of Black Mountain at around 4000 ft. elevation. The snow levels then lowered gradually over the next 24 hours, with 4 of snow reported at 2800 ft. elevation near Dorton in Pike County by the late afternoon hours on Monday October 29th. The snow then made it down to the valleys of east Kentucky during the overnight hours Monday night and Tuesday morning. The snow then quickly changed back to rain on Tuesday below 2000 ft. elevation, but remained as snow above 2000 ft. through Wednesday morning October 31st.
Snowfall accumulations were highly variable across east Kentucky, ranging from nothing up to 18. Most lower elevation locations below 1500 ft. received light accumulations. Amounts quickly escalated above 1500 ft. however with 12 to 18 reported above 2000 ft. The highest report received was from a trained weather spotter at 2400 ft. elevation on Pine Mountain in Letcher County with 18 of snow. Based on reports received from similar elevations in southwest Virginia, it is likely up to 2 feet of snow accumulated at the top of Black Mountain, above 4000 ft. elevation.
The heavy, wet snow on the ridges downed trees and power lines. On the morning of Tuesday October 30th, it was estimated that around 10,000 east Kentucky residents were without power. Also, travel across the higher terrain was very difficult Monday night and Tuesday with near impassable conditions reported at times on Hwy 23 over Pound Gap and on Hwy 160 crossing Black Mountain.
The storm system also dumped heavy amounts of precipitation across the region with 2 to 4 inches of liquid precipitation observed over much of east Kentucky between Saturday October 27th and Wednesday October 31st. Luckily, dry antecedant conditions and the prolonged nature of the precipitation allowed everything to runoff without creating any flood problems.
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 Oct 28, 10:45 AM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1145 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1145 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 LIGHT RAIN HAS BEEN FILLING IN FROM THE SOUTH...WITH MOST MODELS EXPANDING THIS PRECIPITATION FIELD ACROSS MUCH OF OUR AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AS SUCH...BEEFED UP POPS A BIT WHERE ONGOING RAIN IS OCCURRING. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT MOVE MUCH TODAY...WITH A FEW PLACES SEEING A DEGREE OR SO RISE FROM CURRENT READINGS THAT ARE MAINLY IN THE MID 40S. WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE OBSERVATIONS AT BLACK MOUNTAIN...CURRENTLY 36...AND THE KENTUCKY MESONET SITE NEAR DORTON...CURRENTLY REPORTING 40 DEGREES. SO FAR...THE NAM LOOKS LIKE IT INITIALIZED A LITTLE TOO COOL FOR THESE LOCATIONS ON THE 12Z RUN. WILL HAVE AND SEE WHAT THE GFS HAS IN STORE...AS TEMPERATURES WILL BE CRITICAL IN DETERMINING THE SNOW IMPACTS FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. UPDATE ISSUED AT 824 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 RAIN HAS BEEN DEVELOPING A LITTLE QUICKER THAN WAS FORECAST THIS MORNING...AND HAVE INCREASED THE PROBABILITY THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...LEFT THE OVERALL 12 HOUR POP UNCHANGED FOR TODAY. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 400 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 MONSTER STORM IS COMING TOGETHER...WITH MODELS CONVERGING ON A SOLUTION NOW. WITH WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS POTENTIALLY BEGINNING ON MONDAY AND MORE SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER IN LATER PERIODS...THE LONG TERM FORECASTER IS ISSUING A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR OUR HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG THE VA BORDER BEGINNING ON MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE INFLUENCE OF THE SYSTEM CAN BE SEEN ON LOCAL RADAR...WITH THE LIGHT PRECIP BACKING WESTWARD OVER THE AREA. MOISTURE IS RATHER SHALLOW...SO IT IS IN THE FORM OF DRIZZLE IN MANY PLACES. HOWEVER...DEEPER MOISTURE TO THE -10C LEVEL IS BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD THIS MORNING AND WILL RESULT IN LIGHT RAIN TODAY FOR MOST OF THE AREA EXCEPT THE FAR SW. THIS GENERAL REGIME WILL HOLD THROUGH MONDAY...WITH HIGHEST POPS IN THE EAST AND LOWEST IN THE WEST. ENOUGH COOLING TAKES PLACE FOR WINTERY PRECIP AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS...WITH SNOW EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACCUMULATING ON MONDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 414 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 HURRICANE SANDY WILL BE COMPLETING THE TRANSITION TO AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE MONDAY NIGHT AS IT FULLY MERGES WITH A DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC. A BAND OF DEEP MOISTURE AND STRONG FORCING WILL BEND BACK SOUTHWEST INTO OUR AREA MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS INLAND AS FAR AS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. THIS WILL CAUSE A BAND OF MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION TO SHIFT WESTWARD INTO OUR AREA MONDAY NIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY BEFORE SLOWLY TAPERING DOWN AND SHIFTING TO OUR NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW FILLS AND MOVES SLOWLY OFF NORTHEAST INTO NEW ENGLAND. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE SEVERAL IMPACTS ON OUR AREA... HEAVY SNOW THREAT AND WINTER STORM WATCH... WITH REALLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT...CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT A HEAVY WET SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER OUR HIGHER TERRAIN COUNTIES MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY EVENING. WE WILL BE ISSUING A WINTER STORM WATCH THROUGH 8 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR LOCATIONS ABOVE 2000 FEET IN BELL...HARLAN...LETCHER AND PIKE COUNTIES. IT SHOULD BE STRESSED THAT CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THIS TO BE A HEAVILY ELEVATION DEPENDENT EVENT WITH TOWNS LIKE PIKEVILLE...WHITESBURG...HARLAN AND MIDDLESBORO LIKELY SEEING LITTLE IF ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2000 FEET WILL LIKELY GET PLASTERED THOUGH WITH UP TO A FOOT OF HEAVY WET SNOW. I HAVE ADDED IN A MIX OF SNOW AND SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EVEN DOWN TO THE VALLEY FLOORS FROM JACKSON EAST LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING DUE TO THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE ABUNDANT FORCING WILL CAUSE DYNAMIC COOLING TO LOWER FREEZING LEVELS LOW ENOUGH THAT WET SNOW CAN FALL. STRONG FORCING CONTINUES THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY...BUT MODELS SHOW SOME WARM ADVECTION TAKING PLACE FROM THE NORTHWEST AND THIS SHOULD TAKE ALL PRECIP BACK TO RAIN BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON BELOW 2000 FEET. ABOVE 2000 FEET...WET SNOW WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO FALL WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION LIKELY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. WINDS... A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RESULT IN WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY. A WIND HEADLINE MAY INDEED BE NEEDED BUT WE CAN WAIT ON THAT FOR NOW. THE STRONG WINDS WILL LIKELY COMBINE WITH THE HEAVY WET SNOW AND DOWN TREES OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE GRADIENT WILL RELAX TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AND WINDS WILL SUBSIDE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS... QPF WILL RANGE FROM LESS THAN 1/2 INCH WEST OF I-75 TO UPWARDS OF 2 TO 2 1/2 INCHES OVER PIKE COUNTY. FLOOD GUIDANCE IS HIGH AND THIS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL SHOULD BE HANDLED WELL WITH JUST SOME MINOR RISES ON AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS. THE STORM SYSTEMS INFLUENCE ON OUR WEATHER WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH JUST SOME LINGERING POPS OVER OUR NORTHEAST AND FAR EAST COUNTIES THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY. MODERATING TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 824 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 LARGELY STEADY STATE CONDITIONS SHOULD OCCUR DURING THE PERIOD. MOSTLY IFR IS EXPECTED IN OUR EASTERN COUNTIES AROUND PAINTSVILLE AND PIKEVILLE. CONDITIONS IN THE WEST FROM MONTICELLO TO MOUNT STERLING WILL BE MVFR TO OCCASIONALLY VFR AT TIMES. THERE WILL ALSO BE DRIZZLE AND LIGHT RAIN AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR KYZ087-088-118-120. && UPDATE...GEOGERIAN SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM....ABE AVIATION...HAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 535 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 KYZ087-088-118-120-291245- BELL-HARLAN-LETCHER-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...HARLAN... WHITESBURG...PIKEVILLE 535 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING ABOVE 2000 FEET ELEVATION... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW AND FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE 2000 FEET LATE TONIGHT. LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE ABOVE 2000 FEET ON MONDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ABOVE 2000 FEET ON MONDAY AND CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH TUESDAY...AND POSSIBLY INTO WEDNESDAY. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE 2000 FEET. RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW AT TIMES BELOW 2000 FEET...BUT LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOWFALL MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. KYZ052-104-106>110-112-113-115-117-119-291245- ROWAN-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-BREATHITT-KNOTT- PERRY-LESLIE-MARTIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOREHEAD...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY... PAINTSVILLE...CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...JACKSON... HINDMAN...HAZARD...HYDEN...INEZ 535 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW AT TIMES MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER...IF ANY ACCUMULATION OCCURS...IT SHOULD BE LIGHT. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. KYZ044-050-051-058>060-068-069-079-080-083>086-111-114-116-291245- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON- PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-LEE-OWSLEY-CLAY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG...MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE... SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN... WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...BEATTYVILLE...BOONEVILLE...MANCHESTER 535 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HAL/ABE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
24 winter weather, 16 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
An estimated two inches of snow had fallen where Hwy 160 crosses Big Black Mountain above Lynch at an elevation of 3700 feet.
Ten inches of snow had fallen where Hwy 160 crosses Big Black Mountain at 3700 feet elevation.
A foot of snow had fallen where Hwy 160 crosses Black Mountain. The snow drifts at this location were up to 3 feet deep.
Five inches of snow measured at Dorton Mesonet location at 2774 feet elevation. It continued to snow heavily at the time of the measurement.
A KET technician measured 3 to 4 inches of snow at the Phelps NOAA weather radio transmitter location that sits near 2800 feet elevation.
Fourteen inches of snow fell at the State Line Food Mart in Payne Gap near the Kentucky Virginia state line at 2400 elevation.
Nine inches of snow fell outside of Blackey at an elevation of 2100 feet.
Eighteen inches of snow fell on the south side of Pine Mountain at an elevation of 2400 feet 4 miles southeast of Whitesburg.
Six inches of snow was reported in the Cloverlick Community just outside of Benham at an elevation of 2310 feet.
Six inches of snow had fallen on Hwy 421 where it crosses Pine Mountain.
Nine inches of snow fell at Kingdom Come State Park.
Seven inches of snow fell 4 miles southeast of Vicco at 1800 feet elevation.
Four and three tenths of an inch of snow was measured along Hwy 421 on Pine Mountain at 2000 feet elevation.
Three inches of snow had fallen where US 421 crosses Pine Mountain at 2600 feet elevation.
Five inches of snow reported in Jenkins.
Three to three and a half inches of snow was estimated to have fallen near East Ridge High School at around 1600 ft. elevation.
Three inches of snow fell near Thornton at 1400 feet elevation.
Three and a half inches of snow fell in the Fleming-Neon Community.
Two inches of snow fell 2 miles southeast of Whitesburg.
Three inches of snow fell in Meta.
An inch and a half of snow fell in Whitesburg.
A tenth of an inch of snow fell in Wellington.
Three inches of snow fell on Hwy 421 in Leatherwood.
An inch of snow had fallen in Skyline.
An inch and a half of snow fell just southwest of Fedscreek.
A power line was downed by heavy wet snow at the Old Path Bible Church in Kimper.
Heavy wet snow brought down trees along Hwy 80 in Elkhorn City.
Three inches of snow fell in Canada.
Two and a half inches of snow fell at the Big Sandy Regional Airport at an elevation of 1221 feet.
Four inches of snow measured on Hall Mountain at 1500 feet elevation. Still snowing heavily at time of observation.
Final total of six inches of snow on Hall Mountain at 1500 feet elevation.
Four inches of snow fell on Hwy 319 between Belfry and Blackberry making the road impassable at times.
Coop observers reported from a half inch of snow near the dam on Cave Run Lake up to 2.5 inches on grassy areas around Morehead.
An inch of snow fell 2 miles east of Inez.
Two inches of snow fell 7 miles south of Olive Hill.
Two to three inches of snow had fallen near the Elliott county line in the town of Elliottville. Stretches of Hwy 32 were snow covered during the event.
Two inches of snow fell in Sharkey.
Six tenths of an inch of snow fell in Pippa Passes.
One and one-tenth inch of snow fell at the Jackson weather office at an elevation of 1358 feet.
Two tenths of an inch of snow fell in downtown Pikeville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, October 2012
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: 415856, 415859, 415864, 416579, 416580, 415892, 415898, 415903, 416584, 415865, 415900, 415887, 416590, 415860, 415861, 416589, 415883, 416587, 415870, 415872, 415874, 415862, 415863, 415866, 415871, 415885, 415888, 415894, 415897, 416581, 416582, 416585, 415867, 415869, 415875, 415879, 415881, 415891, 415899, 415868.