Cold/Wind Chill in Kentucky

Events

437

Deaths

14

Injuries

3

Damage

$318,000

• Cold in Kentucky, February 15 to 20, 20156 deaths · 1 injured · 6 eventsAn arctic outbreak brought frigid air to central Kentucky, which not only resulted in one of the heaviest snowfalls in a decade for the state, but led to several hypothermia fatalities as well.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 5 to 7, 20141 death · 22 eventsDangerously cold wind chills were observed from late on the night of the 5th through early on the morning of the 7th. Wind chills during this entire period were colder than 10 below zero.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in Kentucky, February 19 to 20, 20251 death · 22 eventsA Siberian airmass and an area of high pressure allowed for an extended period of sub-freezing temperatures that began on the 19th in the aftermath of a major snowstorm.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 20 to 21, 20251 death · 10 eventsAn extended period of sub-freezing temperatures that began on the 19th continued into the morning of the 21st as high pressure remained in control.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 11, 20161 death · 1 injured · 1 eventA weather system brought a quick inch or less of snow to much of central Kentucky during the early morning hours January 10 and then was followed by bitter cold temperatures and strong winds. Temperatures fell throughout the day, crashing into the teens by afternoon.
• Cold and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 6 to 7, 20141 death · 6 eventsAn arctic cold front barreled across eastern Kentucky late Sunday January 5th ushering in what would be the coldest temperatures and wind chills experienced in 20 years. Gusty winds up to 50 mph along the front created a few isolated power outages.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 11, 20101 death · 1 eventThe second hypothermia death in two days occurred in the Louisville metro area when a man died of exposure in southwest Louisville.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 26, 20101 death · 1 eventAn elderly man became locked out of his family's home overnight and froze to death. Low temperatures reached the middle 20s with around one half inch of snow.
• Cold in Kentucky, December 24 to 25, 20181 death · 1 eventSeasonably cold temperatures, in the mid to upper 20s, occurred early on Christmas morning. Light winds made for wind chill values also in the mid to upper 20s.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 16 to 17, 20241 death · 1 eventA long duration cold weather event continued as broad high pressure remained over a large portion of the eastern half of the country. Wind chills early the 17th bottomed out around -10 with lows of 0-5 in Northwestern Kentucky.
• Flooding and Heavy Snow in Kentucky, March 4 to 7, 2015$390,000 · 12 eventsA warm front lifted north through northeast Kentucky on the 3rd with a quarter to a half inch of rain. Late afternoon and evening temperatures rose into the 50s. Winds and dew points also increased. This combination helped accelerate the melting of the leftover snow pack.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 1 to 5, 1996$240,000 · 12 eventsArctic high pressure brought the coldest air of the season to the Ohio Valley. Greater Cincinnati\Northern Kentucky airport broke its record low on the 4th with 11 below zero.
• Cold in Kentucky, December 23 to 25, 2004$25,000 · 22 eventsBitterly cold temperatures arrived in the wake of a paralyzing snowstorm. This arctic outbreak resulted in burst pipes, dead car batteries, and many inconveniences. Two pipes burst in the Lyon County courthouse, flooding the building with three inches of water.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 4 to 5, 1996$35,000 · 7 eventsA fresh snow cover combined with an arctic cold wave to droptemperatures well below zero for 2 consecutive mornings. Ruralareas away from the rivers were around 20 below zero. Thecoldest was minus 24 near Grayson, Olive Hill had 20 belowzero.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 23, 20031 injured · 22 eventsWind chills fell to 10 below zero across western Kentucky during the morning hours. The extremely cold weather was a factor in the closing of some schools. Homeless shelters were filled well beyond capacity in Owensboro and Paducah.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 2 to 5, 199622 eventsThis was the worst cold snap of the 1995-96 winter season. The high temperature at Paducah on the 3rd was 7 degrees, making this one of the coldest February days on record. The low at Paducah was 3 below zero on both the 3rd and 4th.
• Cold in Kentucky, March 8 to 9, 199622 eventsA 76-year-old man died of hypothermia after he apparently wandered away from his home. A late-season cold snap held temperatures in the teens for most of the day.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 10 to 11, 199722 eventsAn outbreak of arctic cold followed in the wake of a departing winter storm. Wind chills were occasionally minus 20 to minus 25. Area shelters reported a sharp rise in the number of homeless people checking in. Two vagrants were found by police suffering from severe exposure.
• Cold in Kentucky, February 19, 2015$10,000 · 22 eventsRecord-breaking cold and brisk winds combined to produce dangerously low wind chills. Bitterly cold wind chills from 10 to 24 below zero were observed across western Kentucky. Western Kentucky had not seen a cold stretch of this magnitude this late in the season since 1960.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 1, 201822 eventsArctic high pressure over the central Plains brought bitterly cold temperatures and gusty northwest winds to start the new year.
• Extreme Cold and Cold in Kentucky, January 25 to 27, 202622 eventsA cold air mass with sub-freezing temperatures that originated from Siberia was reinforced by a major winter storm that brought a snowpack across portions of western Kentucky on the 25th.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 23 to 26, 202622 eventsA strong cold front moved across western Kentucky, followed by a ridge of high pressure that originated from Siberia, bringing prolonged sub-freezing temperatures beginning on the 23rd.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 19 to 22, 202520 eventsAn Arctic front had moved across the Quad State region the previous day, bringing dangerous cold temperatures and breezy conditions beginning on the 19th.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 30 to 31, 202615 eventsAn Arctic cold front moved through western Kentucky on the morning of the 30th, bringing cold temperatures down to the teens. Blustery northwest winds caused wind chills to fall around -5 to -7 the night of the 30th into the morning of the 31st.
• Cold in Kentucky, January 7 to 8, 201511 eventsAlong and northeast of a line from Marion to Princeton to Hopkinsville, wind chill values plunged to around 10 below zero during the early evening and remained there until mid-morning the next day.

Cold/Wind Chill everywhereEvery kind of event in Kentucky

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.