Heavy Snow — Bell, Kentucky

2025-01-10 · Bell, Kentucky

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell across Bell County on January 10th and 11th. An early report of 1.7 inches was received from near Beverly at 2119EST on the 10th. The following morning, on January 11th at 1040EST, the Department of Highways reported 3.0 inches in Ferndale, while also reporting a higher total of 5.0 inches in the Fonde Mountain area and other higher elevations.

Wider weather episode

A complex winter storm impacted eastern Kentucky on January 10th and 11th, 2025. The event featured the interaction of a northern stream weather system with a plume of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Snow began to spread across the region on the morning of the 10th, becoming widespread and significant by the afternoon. The peak of the event occurred during the evening of the 10th, with bands of heavy snow producing snowfall rates of up to one inch per hour at times, particularly across southern and southeastern counties. By the morning of the 11th, the steady snow had tapered off from west to east, ending as flurries. The storm produced a widespread snowfall of 3 to 5 inches, with the highest totals of up to 7 inches amplified by orographic lift in the highest terrain of the southeastern mountains.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1282973. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.