Heavy Snow — Floyd, Kentucky

2025-01-10 to 2025-01-11 · Floyd, Kentucky

Event narrative

Snow began falling in Floyd County on the afternoon of January 10th and continued in some areas until about midnight. The following morning, on January 11th, a series of storm total snowfall reports showed variable amounts across the county. A social media report showed 3.5 inches of measured snowfall in the Emma community. A trained spotter reported a measurement of 4.0 inches at Dotson. The Department of Highways reported two higher totals: approximately 4.5 inches of snow 1 mile west of Minnie and approximately 5.0 inches 1 mile northeast of Dwale.

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 1283125. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.