Kentucky, 2019

Winter Weather in Kentucky, December 10 to 11, 2019

December 10 to 11, 2019 · NWS JKL · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A low pressure system tracked up the Appalachian Mountain Range as a cold front moved through eastern Kentucky. Cold air filtering in behind this front resulted in rain changing to snow.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 JKL wrote it up.

A low pressure system tracked up the Appalachian Mountain Range as a cold front moved through eastern Kentucky. Cold air filtering in behind this front resulted in rain changing to snow. Banded snowfall developed mostly over far southeastern Kentucky with 1 to 2 inches across the lower elevations and 2 to 3 inches in the higher elevations. A few roads were reported to have been snow covered for a period of time.

Below are snow reports throughout southeast Kentucky:

Bell County...|Middlesboro 3.0 in |Stony Fork 2.0 in |Beverly 1.5 in |Miracle 1.0 in

Harlan County...|Harlan 3.1 in (1981 ft elevation)

Leslie County...|Smilax 1.0 in

Letcher County...|Skyline 3.0 in (1200 ft elevation)|Thornton 3.0 in (1400 ft elevation)|Whitesburg 2.5 in (1240 ft elevation)|Isom 2.0 in |Blackey 2.0 in

Pike County...|Pikeville 3.0 in|Mouthcard 3.0 in|Fishtrap Lake 2.0 in |Shelby Gap 1.5 in |Lookout 1.0 in.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Leslie

When
December 10, 5:30 PM EST to December 11, 12:30 AM EST
Where
Leslie forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
37.094, -83.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Letcher

When
December 10, 6:15 PM EST to December 11, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Letcher forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
37.121, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Harlan

When
December 10, 6:30 PM EST to December 11, 4:30 AM EST
Where
Harlan forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
36.857, -83.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Bell

When
December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Bell forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.731, -83.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pike

When
December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Pike forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
37.469, -82.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, December 2019

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 861358, 861354, 861353, 861356, 861357.