Good Sunday, everyone. A crushing winter storm arrives in Kentucky today and continues into Monday. Significant snow and freezing rain will effectively shut down much of the state during this time.
Here are some headlines as the storm arrives:
- The leading band of snow is going to lay the smack down on many areas with 1″-2″ snowfall rates PER HOUR this morning into the afternoon.
- This band starts in the southwest and rapidly intensifies as it moves northeastward.
- Gusty winds may spike to 20-30mph at times, leading to whiteout conditions.
- As this band moves northeast, sleet and freezing rain follow it from the south and southwest.
- As the heavy snow continues in the north and northeast, sleet and freezing rain take over northward toward Interstate 64 by evening.
- Thunder and lightning is possible today into the evening. Thundersnow, Thundersleet and Thunderfreezingrain are all possible.
- Southern Kentucky starts as snow then goes to ice and then rain by the afternoon and that continues into tonight.
- Heavy snow continues into the north as an ice storm unfolds from around Interstate 64 and south. This may get fairly deep into southeastern Kentucky.
- Power outages become a big concern tonight and early Monday as some areas may pick up .50″ to nearly 1″ of freezing rain.
- As the low spins from far southeastern Kentucky into southern West Virginia early Monday, snow wraps back in from northwest to southeast.
- The snow on Monday is pretty hefty across central and eastern Kentucky. With winds gusting to 30mph at times, whiteout conditions are again possible.
- Travel will be an absolute nightmare through Monday night, at least. Will parts of some roads be shut down? That’s possible.
I’m rolling with my last call as I feel it has a decent handle on where things stand. Keep in mind, this is for everything that falls today through Monday night…
As of this writing, we find the forecast models in decent agreement. The GFS is opening up a can with snowfall that exceeds my totals…
The Canadian family goes well above my numbers and continues to be much farther south…
The EURO is about right on with my numbers..
All the models also agree with the area I’ve been highlighting for the greatest threat for the worst of the ice…
Here are the models and their respective freezing rain forecasts…
To make matters worse, temps threaten to hit zero or below by Wednesday and Thursday. The GFS is showing lows going well below zero…
Wind chills would be much colder than that.
A few flurries and snow showers may continue to fly Wednesday and Thursday with another winter storm possibly moving in Friday and Saturday…
I will be on WKYT from time to time through the day as we update the progress of this major winter storm. I’ll also drop by for a few KWC updates.
Until then, I have your tracking tools including our Kentucky Weather Cams to watch the flakes flying across different parts of the state…
Have a great Sunday and take care.
I wonder why all the models except Euro have such a different amount in terms of snowfall? Best case scenerio would be a sleet storm… I’m trying to remember there ever being a forecast like this with a winter storm…with the potential for that much snow and that much freezing rain in ONE storm…. also, it’s weird how it just is almost due west/east… trying to remember another one like that…. and the fact that temps regardless will be super cold all week. Then potentially another storm? Crazy… at the very least it’s definitely not boring
Everyone might beg for “boring” after this.
You are right Jeff the ice is what worries me. What a mess coming our way. My sister in Indiana is suppose to get 6-11 inches of snow.
Crystal, in my home town in South Central Indiana their expecting maybe a foot of Snow. I wish I was there to enjoy it.
Mark I can’t remember another storm like this either with every precipitation . I remember an ice storm or just snow storm but not this. Which is worse freezing rain or ice???
Crystal, Freezing Rain ( the worse Wintertime precipitation ) freezes on contact, with anything that has a below 32 degree surface. Sleet is nothing more than Ice pellets that bounces off objects.
Schroeder got about 4 inch snow but now the ice or sleet or freezing rain is falling sounds scary
Thanks Chris for the update. I’m hopping that the temperatures rise above freezing this evening and overnight ahead of the expected Arctic front, but the warm air aloft, at the present has a cap on the cold air at the surface. I’m hoping that the ” warm nose ” moves farther north, and puts us in the dry slot. I do not expect any accumulating Snow in my area either today or tomorrow. Going to be a miserable week, especially if we lose power. I HATE La Nina Winters here in Kentucky. Just Too many Ice storms. I notice that in December, the PDO reading has made a moved towards positive. That’s the only good news I can share.
Stay Safe Everyone !
Thundering in Paducah
We need Jim Cantore here.
Currently, in Twin Elms subdivision, Bowling Green, the temperature is 31.3°F, the dewpoint is 31.1°F, with moderate freezing rain. Roads are extremely treacherous, and ice buildup on trees is averaging 0.5″.
Only about 2 ” of Snow fell this morning. At the present we have freezing rain, and it’s beginning to coat the trees limbs. Still could lose power, and one does not want to lose power here in the sticks. Just looked at the GFS model and they are predicting 7 inches of Snow for Maple. What a joke that is. The dry slot with some just plain rain scattered is heading in this direction with temperatures above freezing at the surface.
Boring is in WKY.
31.8 °F with moderate snow right now in BG. It won’t last long.
Cantore will be wild in the lightning
What’s with the zr/sleet all the way to Chattanooga in tenn.
Now rain here in Paducah. RIP snow…..
Been Snowing all morning here in Maple. Really didn’t expect that to happen. I admit I was wrong earlier. We have about an inch on the ground and still Snowing / with big flakes. Freezing rain / sleet off to my southwest is suppose to move in this afternoon killing the beautiful Snow we have now. The dry slot is also moving in this direction. This will end the precipitation, hopefully keeping our power on.
So far it just light sleet falling here in Western ky of Union. Co. Hope it stays that way. no ice forming on the lines either
Hope everyone else stays free from ice storms stay safe and don’t fall down.
Hoping that HRRR ice map turns out to be snow or sleet for you guys North and west
Really hoping this isn’t going to be a last minute upgrade to a WSW in SE KY
I don’t know where you are but Pikeville and pike county is a winter storm warning.
South Central Kentucky, including the Bowling Green area, has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. Currently 31°F at my PWS with 9n and off freezing rain. Trees in my neighborhood have picked up a half inch of ice.
1,100 customers have lost power in the BG area, so far.
Looks like Jackson upgraded us to a Winter Storm Warning, of course that’s after we’ve already picked up 5 inches of snow.