Heavy Snow — Laurel, Kentucky

2025-01-10 · Laurel, Kentucky

Event narrative

Snow fell intermittently in Laurel County, beginning around midday on January 10th and continuing through the evening, with variable accumulations reported across the county. On the morning of January 11th, a series of storm total reports highlighted this variability. The Department of Highways reported approximately 2.5 inches of snow 2 miles west-southwest of Pittsburg. A trained spotter reported 3.0 inches about 1 mile south-southwest of the London-Corbin Airport. A broadcast meteorologist reported about 3.2 inches in the Sublimity City area, 2 miles south of London. The highest reported amount came from a member of the public at Lamero, with approximately 4.0 inches of snowfall.

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 1283108. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.