Winter Storm — Crittenden, Kentucky

2026-01-24 to 2026-01-25 · Crittenden, Kentucky

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm that brought Paducah's 7th largest snowstorm on record impacted western Kentucky on the 24th with light to moderate snow developing during the morning hours. After a brief lull in the evening, moderate to heavy sleet developed with a second wave that continued overnight into the morning hours of the 25th as above freezing temperatures aloft advected north. The warm layer was deep enough across far southern Kentucky into part of the Pennyrile that allowed for a period of freezing rain to occur. Colder air wrapped around on the backside, allowing for precipitation to transition back to all snow before ending during the afternoon hours. Between 4 to 8 inches of snow and sleet was observed. Ice amounts were generally a glaze to a tenth of an inch, but localized amounts in Muhlenberg, Todd, and Christian County, KY were near 1/4 inch of ice accretion.

Significant travel impacts were experienced with snow instantly accumulating on all surfaces due to temperatures only in the upper single digits and teens during the bulk of the event. Roads became impassible closer to the Ohio River where 1 to 2 inches of sleet led to a very dense accumulation on road surfaces and the worst driving conditions in 15 to 20 years in McCracken County, KY. Between exit 7 and 4 westbound on Interstate 24, a semi-truck slid off the highway near Paducah. The weight from the sleet also caused a carport collapse in West Paducah. The Sheriff's Office in Lyon County, KY posted multiple requests to limit travel to emergency and essential situations only after responding to stranded motorists and observing abandoned vehicles in several locations. Multiple four-wheel drive vehicles even became stuck in the snow and sleet. Due to the very dangerous travel conditions, even first responders got stuck during the early morning hours of the 25th while a plow truck was also trapped in a ditch while trying to clear roads of ice and snow. Across Daviess County, KY, emergency crews responded to 10 calls for non-injury accidents with law enforcement providing assistance to 88 motorists that included drivers stuck in the snow. An 84 year old man and sports hall of famer had passed away at his son's home in Livingston County, KY near Salem the Wednesday following the storm after experiencing a medical emergency. The man walked a short distance to his home after his vehicle became stuck in the snow on the 28th. The greatest power outages were confined to mainly Todd County, KY where 10-15% customers were without power due to an ice storm clipping the area locally. The HPX WSR-88D radar at Fort Campbell in Christian County, KY had 2 inches of ice accumulated on the antenna that made it difficult for technicians to reestablish communications for several days. The City of Paducah, McCracken County, and the entire commonwealth of Kentucky, all declared a State of Emergency prior to the storm. Wind gusts around 20 to 25 mph led to blowing and drifting snow before the transition to a wintry mix. The extreme cold after the event hampered clean-up efforts and made snow and ice removal extremely difficult. Key Impacts: transportation delays, traffic accidents, road closures, government closures, scattered power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1305022. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.