A paralyzing winter storm dumped up to 20 inches of snow across parts of eastern Kentucky from the early morning hours of Friday January 22nd through the day on Saturday January 23rd. The snowfall produced by the storm was the heaviest to fall across eastern Kentucky since the Blizzard of March 1993.
Every event with a place to put it; 33 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.
A paralyzing winter storm dumped up to 20 inches of snow across parts of eastern Kentucky from the early morning hours of Friday January 22nd through the day on Saturday January 23rd. The snowfall produced by the storm was the heaviest to fall across eastern Kentucky since the Blizzard of March 1993.
The storm system responsible for the east Kentucky snow originated over Texas, tracked across the Deep South and Carolinas, and finally up the East Coast. Precipitation overspread east Kentucky during the early morning hours of Friday January 22nd. The precipitation fell as a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow over southeast Kentucky through the morning and into the midday hours on Friday, before changing to snow Friday afternoon. The precipitation fell as mostly snow for the remainder of the area throughout the event. The snow fell very heavy at times during the morning and early afternoon hours on Friday, with snowfall rates of 2 or more common as a heavy snow band set up across the heart of eastern Kentucky.
The Automated Surface Observing System located at the Jackson, KY National Weather Service office reported 11 hours of continuous moderate to heavy snow with a visibility of 1/2 mile or less. Snowfall rates were 1 to 2 inches per hour during this time.
The snow gradually diminished in intensity Friday night into Saturday morning, with the last of the snow pulling east out of the area late Saturday afternoon. Final snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches in Knox, Bell and Harlan counties, with up to 12 to 20 inches in a strip from Hart County in central Kentucky eastward through the heart of eastern Kentucky into central West Virginia. Freezing rain accumulated up to 3/10 inch in places near the Tennessee border Friday morning, before the changeover to snow occurred.
The storm total snowfall of 18.5 from this winter storm at the National Weather Service office near Jackson, KY is the greatest January snowstorm since records began at this station in 1981. In fact, this winter storm is 2nd only to the Blizzard of March 1993 in the station's record books as far as snowfall goes.
The storm caused major impacts across eastern Kentucky, especially with travel. Interstate 75 was shut down in Rockcastle County at times Friday afternoon through Saturday morning due to multiple crashes leaving 3,000 people stranded in their vehicles at one time. Power was also knocked out for thousands of customers during the peak of the storm with the hardest hit areas lying close to the Tennessee border, which experienced up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation before the changeover to snow occurred. The weight of the snow and ice also caused some roof collapses including boat docks on Lake Cumberland and Paintsville Lake.
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 22, 12:57 AM EST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 1257 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1144 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 BLENDED OBS INTO THE FORECAST GRIDS AGAIN...WITH ONLY MINOR CHANGES. WILL LEAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES BASED ON THE 00Z RUNS TO THE NEWLY ARRIVED MID SHIFT. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THE NAM SHOWING CONVECTIVE SNOW FRIDAY EVENING OVER SE KY AND THE INTENSE SNOWFALL RATES WHICH RESULT. THE GFS IS FURTHER SOUTH WITH THIS FEATURE. CONFIDENCE IN A SMALL...ALBEIT SIGNIFICANT...FEATURE SUCH AS THIS IS NOT HIGH...BUT ITS MODEL EXISTENCE POINTS TO THE POTENTIAL. UPDATE ISSUED AT 829 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 MADE ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST BY BLENDING IN OBS. THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE WAS A FASTER INCREASE IN CLOUDS THIS EVENING. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 456 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 ...DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS EXPECTED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... A STRONG CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE TOWARDS OUR AREA OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AS IT DEEPENS RAPIDLY. THIS LOW WILL SHIFT NORTHEAST AND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TN VALLEY BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE ASSOCIATED SFC LOW WILL TAKE A SIMILAR TRACK ACROSS THE LOWER TN VALLEY AND OFF THE EAST COAST SATURDAY AFTERNOON. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SO HAVE TRENDED TOWARD A BLEND OF THESE MODELS IN THE SHORT TERM. PRECIPITATION TYPE IS TRICKY REGARDING THIS SYSTEM AS MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE TRENDING TOWARDS COLDER TEMPERATURES REMAINING GENERALLY BELOW FREEZING THROUGH THE COLUMN. SOUNDINGS DO SHOW A WEAK WARM NOSE AT THE ONSET OF THE EVENT MAINLY IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS IS WHERE THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A MIXED BAG OF PRECIP INCLUDING...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...RAIN AND SNOW. HOWEVER...FURTHER NORTH...PRECIP SHOULD BE ALL SNOW...AND ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON DIDN/T WARM AS MUCH AS MODELS INDICATED...IS FURTHER PROOF THAT IT WILL BE COLD ENOUGH TO SNOW. ALL PRECIP SHOULD CHANGE OVER TO SNOW AROUND 1 PM TOMORROW WITH HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE AT TIMES THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. A WIDE SWATH OF TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 17 INCHES IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES WILL LIKELY BE LIMITED TO 4 TO 8 INCHES DUE TO THE MIXING OF RAIN/FREEZING RAIN. THAT BEING SAID...THESE AMOUNTS COULD QUICKLY CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE TEMPERATURES AND IF THE WARM NOSE COMES IN MORE PRONOUNCED. SO STAY ABREAST TO THE WEATHER OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS FOR ANY CHANGES THAT MAY OCCUR. DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL BE TREACHEROUS SO PLEASE STAY OFF THE ROADS IF POSSIBLE. IF NOT...MAKE SURE TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT IN YOUR CAR. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 456 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 PRECIPITATION WILL BE FALLING AS ALL SNOW BY FRIDAY EVENING NORTH OF THE CORE OF THE SYSTEM...WITH SOME OF THIS CONTINUING TO BE OF THE HEAVIER VARIETY. DURATION AND INTENSITY OF THIS WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON WHETHER ANY DEFORMATION BANDING CAN MATERIALIZE AS STOUT EARLIER DAY DEEP LAYER OMEGA PROFILES WANE. GIVEN HOW LOCKED IN THE RECENT MODIFIED ARCTIC AIR MASS HAS BEEN...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED FOR UPPER LOW TO PASS EVEN FARTHER SOUTH THAN CURRENTLY PROGGED THUS SHUNTING ANY SIGNIFICANT DRY SLOTTING POTENTIAL EAST OF THE BLUEGRASS STATE. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY MORNING AND GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST AS LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE BUILDS INTO THE REGION. NOT EXPECTING TEMPERATURES TO BREACH THE FREEZING MARK SATURDAY GIVEN THE EXPECTED SNOWPACK IN PLACE. SURFACE RIDGE BUILDING IN SATURDAY NIGHT ON TOP OF A FRESH SNOWPACK AND IN THE PRESENCE OF LIGHT WINDS SHOULD PROMOTE COLD TEMPERATURES BOTTOMING OUT MAINLY IN THE LOW-MID TEENS. RISING HEIGHTS ALOFT FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK WILL FINALLY SEND TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING...BUT WILL STILL LIKELY REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE THROUGH THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. DAMPENING UPPER TROUGH...EXTENDING FROM CANADA WELL INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...WILL THEN PUSH EAST EARLY NEXT WEEK...BRINGING PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL BACK INTO THE PICTURE BY LATER IN THE DAY ON MONDAY. WHILE PHASE WILL INITIALLY KICKOFF AS RAIN GIVEN THE PRESENCE OF WARM AIR ADVECTION...WILL HAVE TO WATCH APPROACH OF A CANADIAN AIR MASS INTO TUESDAY IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION TRANSITIONING TO THAT OF A WINTRY TYPE BEFORE COMING TO AN END. FOLLOWING THIS INTO MID AND LATE WEEK...CONTINUED NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY LOOKS TO TRANSLATE ACROSS THE REGION...THEREFORE KEEPING TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES IN THE OFFING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1257 AM EST FRI JAN 22 2016 IT IS THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM...WITH VFR AREA WIDE TO START THE PERIOD. PRECIPITATION IS STARTING TO NOSE ITS WAY INTO SOUTHERN KY...AND WILL SPREAD NORTH OVER THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING...ACCOMPANIED BY MAINLY IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS. POOR CONDITIONS SHOULD THEN PERSIST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THE PRECIPITATION WILL INITIALLY BE A MIXED BAG OF WINTER WEATHER IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE JKL FORECAST AREA...BUT WILL TRANSITION TO MAINLY SNOW ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. IN THE NORTH...IT SHOULD BE MAINLY SNOW THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR KYZ044-050>052-060-104-106-107-119. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR KYZ058-059-068- 069-108>115-118-120. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY FOR KYZ079-080- 083>088-116-117. && UPDATE...HAL SHORT TERM...JVM LONG TERM...KAS AVIATION...JMW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 506 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 KYZ044-050>052-060-104-106-107-119-230115- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-MENIFEE-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON- MARTIN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...CAMARGO... JEFFERSONVILLE...MOUNT STERLING...OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD... FRENCHBURG...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE...INEZ 506 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM FRIDAY TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE AREA FRIDAY MORNING...AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS EVENT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS...AS WELL AS ANY POWER OUTAGES OR OTHER STORM RELATED INCIDENTS DURING THIS EVENT. KYZ079-080-083>088-116-117-230115- PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-CLAY- LESLIE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BURNSIDE...SOMERSET...LONDON... MONTICELLO...STEARNS...WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG... BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO...PINEVILLE...CUMBERLAND...HARLAN... MANCHESTER...HYDEN 506 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...BRINGING A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...AND RAIN TO THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY...WITH SNOW BECOMING THE PRIMARY CONCERN. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS EVENT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS...AS WELL AS ANY POWER OUTAGES OR OTHER STORM RELATED INCIDENTS DURING THIS EVENT. KYZ058-059-068-069-108>115-118-120-230115- ESTILL-POWELL-ROCKCASTLE-JACKSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-FLOYD-LEE- BREATHITT-KNOTT-OWSLEY-PERRY-LETCHER-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...IRVINE...RAVENNA...CLAY CITY... STANTON...BRODHEAD...MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...ANNVILLE...CAMPTON... SALYERSVILLE...PRESTONSBURG...WHEELWRIGHT...BEATTYVILLE... JACKSON...HINDMAN...PIPPA PASSES...BOONEVILLE...HAZARD... JENKINS...WHITESBURG...COAL RUN...ELKHORN CITY...PIKEVILLE... SOUTH WILLIAMSON 506 PM EST THU JAN 21 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM FRIDAY TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...BRINGING A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...AND RAIN TO THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY...WITH SNOW BECOMING THE PRIMARY CONCERN. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS EVENT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING FOR FURTHER DETAILS. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO REPORT SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS...AS WELL AS ANY POWER OUTAGES OR OTHER STORM RELATED INCIDENTS DURING THIS EVENT. JVM/GEOGERIAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 heavy snow, 13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Three to six inches of snow was reported across the county with ice amounts varying from a few hundredths of an inch up to nearly a quarter of an inch.
Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 10 inches across the county with up to a quarter inch of freezing rain also reported.
Storm total snowfall across the county ranged from 8 to 16 inches. The highest snowfall amount of 16 inches was reported 9W Monticello. Up to a quarter inch of freezing rain also occurred.
Storm total snowfall amounts around the county ranged between 7 and 10 inches. The highest snowfall amount 10.3 inches was reported just northwest of Williamsburg. Up to a quarter inch of freezing rain also fell.
By the time the storm end late in the day on the 23rd, 4 to 10 inches of snow had fallen across the county. An area just north of the town of Harlan had the highest storm total snowfall of 10.1 inches. Freezing rain that occurred early in the morning of January 22nd left a coating of ice on tree limbs and other exposed objects.
Knox county experienced periods of rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow early on January 22nd. As of 630 am, 0.25 inches of freezing rain had accumulated on exposed objects and surfaces across the county. The precipitation changed over to snow during the late morning hours on the 22nd, with 3 to 5 inches of snow reported across the county by storms end.
Countywide storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 15 inches. The highest reported snowfall amount occurred near Bee Lick, where 15 inches was measured. Up to 2/10 inch of freezing rain also occurred across parts of the county. The heavy wet snow caused the roof of an unoccupied Dollar General Store to collapse in Somerset.
Storm total snowfall accumulations around Clay county varied from 6 to 13 inches. The highest amount was recorded in Hensley, where 13 inches ended up accumulating. Manchester picked up 10 inches of snow by storms end. Up to 2/10 inch of freezing rain also fell prior to the complete changeover to snow.
Storm total snowfall amounts around the county ranged from 6 to 12 inches, with Bunch reporting the highest total of 12 inches. Up to a quarter inch of freezing rain also fell.
Snow accumulations of 6 to 11 inches were reported across the county. The highest snow total occurred in Hyden, where 11 inches was recorded. Up to 3/10 of freezing rain also fell before the changeover to snow.
Storm total snowfall amounts of 12 to 15 inches were reported. The highest amounts occurred in Brodhead where 15 inches fell, and in Mount Vernon, where 14 inches was measured. Interstate 75 was shut down in Rockcastle County at times Friday afternoon through Saturday morning due to multiple crashes leaving 3,000 people stranded in their vehicles at one time.
Five to nine inches of snow fell across the county after a light glaze of freezing rain. The highest snow total occurred near Ulvah, where 9 inches end up accumulating.
Snowfall amounts ranged from around five inches in the south end of the county up to around 15 inches in the north end of the county near Buckhorn Lake. There was also up to 2/10 inch of freezing rain reported before the changeover to snow took place.
Storm total snowfall amounts of 12 to 18 inches occurred around the county.
Four to eight inches of snow fell across the county after up to 1/8 inch of freezing rain fell. Carrie and Redfox each received 7.5 and 8 inches of storm total snow respectively.
Around 20 inches of snow was reported across the county.
The highest snowfall amount reported in Pike county was 10 inches, which occurred in both Belfry and Turkey Creek. The rest of the county picked up around 8 inches.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 11 inches in Lost Creek up to 20 inches in Lawson. There were some reports of roof collapses in Jackson and across the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from 12 to 15 inches of snow.
Snowfall totals ranged from around 11 inches over the south end of the county, up to 16 inches in the north end of the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from around 12 inches over the north end of the county, up to 18 inches around Beattyville.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 14 inches up to 17 inches.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 10 to 12 inches across the county.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 18 to 20 inches across the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from around 6 inches in the north end of the county up to around 12 inches at Cave Run Lake Dam.
Snowfall amounts ranged from around 6 inches in the northwest part of the county up to 10 inches in the Sharkey community.
Snowfall totals ranged from 13 inches up to around 18 inches.
Around 16 inches of snow fell across the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 11 inches.
Snowfall totals ranged from around 12 inches up to 21 inches near Mize.
Snowfall of around 16 inches fell across the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from 9 to 11 inches across the county.
Snowfall totals ranged from 9 inches up to 15 inches, with the highest amounts in the east end of the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 2016
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: 614170, 614238, 614254, 614255, 614183, 614199, 614251, 614173, 614201, 614213, 616924, 614214, 614246, 616938, 614195, 616943, 616946, 616950, 616952, 616962, 616964, 616966, 616968, 616969, 616970, 616973, 616974, 616975, 616977, 616981, 616995, 616999, 617004.