During the early morning hours on January 25, a weak inverted trough associated with the southern branch of the jet stream moved across Tennessee. Ahead of this feature, southerly winds aloft brought a limited amount of moisture northward, overrunning an arctic airmass already in place across the Commonwealth.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 LMK wrote it up.
During the early morning hours on January 25, a weak inverted trough associated with the southern branch of the jet stream moved across Tennessee. Ahead of this feature, southerly winds aloft brought a limited amount of moisture northward, overrunning an arctic airmass already in place across the Commonwealth. Light freezing rain began during the early morning hours and overspread southern Kentucky by dawn. Freezing rain fell into very cold dry air with temperatures around 25 degrees, promoting efficient ice accumulations. Overall, rainfall totals ranging from nearly 2 tenths to as much as 4 tenths of an inch brought ice accretions ranging from nearly a tenth of an inch from near Bowling Green eastwards through Casey County to as much as one quarter of an inch over Cumberland and Clinton Counties.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather, 2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Light freezing rain led to a mufti-vehicle accident along Interstate 65 near the Glendale Exit. The interstate was closed for a couple of hours. Around one tenth of an inch of ice accumulated on area roads and other surfaces.
Light freezing rain led to a brief closure of Interstate 65 near the Horse Cave exit in Hart County. The interstate was closed to allow salting operations. Ice accumulations on local streets approached one tenth of an inch.
Freezing rain brought ice accumulations of around one quarter of an inch. A Kentucky Mesonet rain gage measured 0.36 hundredths of an inch of rain, the bulk of which fell in a 28 degree environment.
Ice accumulations around Clinton County approached one quarter of an inch. A Kentucky Mesonet gage measured one half inch of rain during the morning hours. The bulk of this rain fell with air temperatures in the upper 20s.
Light freezing rain falling in 25 degree air brought a light glaze to local streets. The morning rush hour at Bowling Green was adversely affected with several accidents reported around town. Ice accumulations approached one tenth of an inch.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 2013
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: 421271, 421272, 421274, 421275, 421273.