Kentucky, 2014

Extreme Cold in Kentucky, January 6 to 7, 2014

January 6 to 7, 2014 · NWS RLX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An arctic cold front sweep through northeast Ohio just after midnight on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the upper 40s and lower 50s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by the predawn hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
0
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 RLX wrote it up.

An arctic cold front sweep through northeast Ohio just after midnight on Monday the 6th. Rain showers and temperatures in the upper 40s and lower 50s quickly became snow showers with temperatures falling through the 20s by the predawn hours. Snow accumulations were less than 2 inches. Temperatures continued to fall during the day on the 6th, with blustery winds. Readings reached down to either side of zero by sunset.

Temperatures at dawn on the 7th were mostly around 5 below zero. Wind chill readings bottomed out in the minus 20 to minus 25 degree range overnight and into the morning hours.

Despite sunshine, temperatures were slow to rise during the day on the 7th. However, winds did subside during the afternoon.

A scattering of frozen pipes, power outages, home furnace difficulties, and vehicular engine problems occurred during the cold wave. There were over 100 leaks in the Greenup water system, affecting around 2,500 customers. Repair companies were kept busy. County public schools were closed.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 6, 1:55 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 1:55 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 6, 2:50 AM EST, 12 hours 10 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
250 AM EST MON JAN 6 2014

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-WVZ005>011-070800-
GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE KY-PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-
JACKSON OH-VINTON-MEIGS-GALLIA-LAWRENCE OH-WAYNE-CABELL-MASON-
JACKSON WV-WOOD-PLEASANTS-TYLER-
250 AM EST MON JAN 6 2014

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 PM EST
TUESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO...CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN WEST
VIRGINIA AND WESTERN WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.
   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

WVZ032-035>040-046-047-070800-
TAYLOR-RALEIGH-FAYETTE-NICHOLAS-WEBSTER-UPSHUR-BARBOUR-POCAHONTAS-
RANDOLPH-
250 AM EST MON JAN 6 2014

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 PM EST
TUESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL WEST
VIRGINIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.
   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

VAZ003-004-WVZ013>020-024>031-033-034-070800-
DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-LINCOLN-PUTNAM-KANAWHA-ROANE-WIRT-CALHOUN-RITCHIE-
DODDRIDGE-MINGO-LOGAN-BOONE-CLAY-BRAXTON-GILMER-LEWIS-HARRISON-
MCDOWELL-WYOMING-
250 AM EST MON JAN 6 2014

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 PM EST
TUESDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...CENTRAL
WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.
   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WIND CHILL WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Boyd

When
January 6, 3:00 PM EST to January 7, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Boyd forecast zone
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.360, -82.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Carter

When
January 6, 3:00 PM EST to January 7, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Carter forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.318, -83.049 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Greenup

When
January 6, 3:00 PM EST to January 7, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Greenup forecast zone
Property damage
$250,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.546, -82.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lawrence

When
January 6, 3:00 PM EST to January 7, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Lawrence forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
38.068, -82.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 2014

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: 482139, 482140, 482141, 482142.