Winter Storm — Johnson, Kentucky

2025-01-05 to 2025-01-06 · Johnson, Kentucky

Event narrative

A winter storm brought a mix of heavy snow and significant ice to Johnson County on January 5th and 6th. On the afternoon of January 5th, multiple public reports of heavy snow were received. At 1520 EST, an estimated 6 inches of snow was reported in Paintsville. At 1539 EST, a member of the public reported 5.0 inches of snow in Wittensville. Later that evening at 2200 EST, another public report noted a measurement of 5.0 inches of snow at Flat Gap. The precipitation then transitioned to freezing rain. On January 6th, a public report from Staffordsville at 1159 EST indicated approximately 0.50 inches of flat ice accretion. A final storm total of 5.5 inches of snow was reported for the entire event by a CO-OP Observer located 1 mile east of Paintsville.

Wider weather episode

The first significant winter storm of 2025 brought a mix of heavy snow and significant icing to eastern Kentucky on January 5th and 6th. A deep surface low tracked across southern Kentucky, spreading precipitation across the region. Snow began across the western counties of the forecast area as early as 0900 EST on January 5th, with snowfall rates up to one inch per hour quickly covering roadways. By 1000 EST, warmer air aloft began to change the snow over to freezing rain in southern counties, with this transition spreading north and east through the day. Through the evening and overnight hours of January 5th into the 6th, a prolonged period of freezing rain occurred, with the heaviest icing focused along the US-460 corridor. The highest icing amounts were observed across Menifee and Morgan counties where 0.50 to 0.75 inches of flat ice accretion were reported. Accumulating snow was observed across all of eastern Kentucky, with the highest amounts generally northeast of US-421, where 3 to 7 inches were common. The combination of snow and significant ice led to widespread impacts. Thousands of customers lost power, particularly in a narrow corridor through Menifee, Morgan, and Johnson counties, with some outages lasting nearly a week. Numerous trees were also damaged or downed by the weight of the ice.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1278321. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.