Kentucky, 2020

Dense Fog in Kentucky, April 24, 2020

April 24, 2020 · NWS PAH · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Widespread dense fog formed over far western Kentucky, reducing visibility to one-quarter mile or less. The fog formed under a narrow ridge of high pressure extending north to south along the Mississippi Valley.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 PAH wrote it up.

Widespread dense fog formed over far western Kentucky, reducing visibility to one-quarter mile or less. The fog formed under a narrow ridge of high pressure extending north to south along the Mississippi Valley.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 24, 2:11 AM CST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 24, 2:11 AM CST, 49 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 3:33 PM CST, 11 hours 27 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Paducah KY
433 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2020

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-241000-
Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton-
White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-Johnson-Pope-
Hardin-Alexander-Pulaski-Massac-Gibson-Pike-Posey-Vanderburgh-
Warrick-Spencer-Fulton-Hickman-Carlisle-Ballard-McCracken-Graves-
Livingston-Marshall-Calloway-Crittenden-Lyon-Trigg-Caldwell-
Union KY-Webster-Hopkins-Christian-Henderson-Daviess-McLean-
Muhlenberg-Todd-Perry MO-Bollinger-Cape Girardeau-Wayne MO-Carter-
Ripley-Butler-Stoddard-Scott-Mississippi-New Madrid-
433 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern
Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast
Missouri.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

Patchy fog will be possible mainly over southeast Missouri and
southern Illinois overnight. Dense fog with visibilities under a
half a mile cannot be ruled out.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday

A few thunderstorms will be possible over portions of southeast
Missouri and southern Illinois Friday afternoon and evening, and
then along the southern border of southeast Missouri and west
Kentucky overnight. A small chance of thunderstorms will also be
possible over west Kentucky and southwest Indiana Saturday morning
into the afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be
the primary concerns.

A chance of thunderstorms is forecast Tuesday and Tuesday night,
and a few thunderstorms will also be possible on Wednesday.
Locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be the primary concerns.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated.

DRS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 24, 2:41 AM CST, 19 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Ballard

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Ballard forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
37.058, -88.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Carlisle

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Carlisle forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
36.853, -88.971 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Hickman

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Hickman forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
36.678, -88.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Fulton

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Graves

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Graves forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
36.723, -88.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, McCracken

When
April 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
McCracken forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
37.054, -88.713 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Dense Fog
Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, April 2020

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: 883591, 883592, 883593, 883594, 883595, 883597.