A potent winter storm began to take shape along the Gulf Coast on January 2nd and then lifted into the Carolinas early on the morning of the 3rd. Initially, above freezing temperatures caused the precipitation to begin as mainly rain while it spread across southern Kentucky early in the evening, reaching the remainder of eastern Kentucky by mid-to-late evening.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 potent winter storm began to take shape along the Gulf Coast on January 2nd and then lifted into the Carolinas early on the morning of the 3rd. Initially, above freezing temperatures caused the precipitation to begin as mainly rain while it spread across southern Kentucky early in the evening, reaching the remainder of eastern Kentucky by mid-to-late evening. Colder air working into the area caused the precipitation to transition over to snow for all but the deepest valleys of far southeast Kentucky by midnight. The snow quickly tapered off between 1 and 3 AM across most of the eastern Kentucky, but lingered through about sunrise in those counties adjacent to the Virginia/Kentucky border.
Very warm ground temperatures, due to anomalous warmth in recent weeks, caused the snow to melt on contact for a while. This melting, combined with a relatively short period of heavier snowfall rates, prevented notable accumulations for most locations north of the Hal Rogers Parkway and Highway 80 Corridor. However, near and to the south of the Hal Rogers Parkway and Highway 80 Corridor, the heavier rates and longer snowfall duration resulted 1 to 4 inches of heavy wet snow accumulations. The highest amounts were observed across the higher terrain of Pike, Letcher, Harlan and Bell counties. In these areas, roads became snow covered for a time during the early morning.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Maximum amount of snow is estimated to be 4.0 inches on Black and Pine Mountains from the Highway Department. Total snowfall is averaged 2.0 inches for the remainder of Harlan County.
Maximum amount of snow is estimated to be 4.0 inches on Pine Mountains from the Highway Department. Total snowfall is averaged 2.0 inches for the remainder of Letcher County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, January 2022
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: 1003741, 1003745.