Heavy Snow in Pike, Kentucky

Heavy snow impacted portions of the county, particularly in eastern and high-elevation sections. The KYTC maintenance garage in Canada estimated an event total of 4.0 inches, as did the garage in Phelps. High points along KY-194 between Phelps and Biggs saw estimated totals reach 6.0 inches. A public report from Mouthcard measured 6.5 inches of snow by 1730EST on the 23rd, while a estimate of 4.0 inches was reported two miles south of McAndrews. In the lower elevations over southwestern portions of the county, KYTC estimated only 0.5 inches at Shelbiana and 1.5 inches at Dorton along US-119.

A prolonged period of wintry weather impacted eastern Kentucky from February 22 into February 24, 2026, as a deep upper-level trough over the eastern United States funneled a moist, modified polar airmass into the region. This setup established a persistent northwesterly upslope flow regime, resulting in scattered to numerous snow showers. These showers were frequently cellular in nature and produced squall-like conditions at some locations.

Accumulations varied significantly across the region due to the convective and orographic nature of the event. While many locations near and west of Pottsville Escarpment saw only a dusting to an inch, higher terrain in the southeast experienced much more substantial totals. The heaviest totals were generally concentrated near the Pine and Black Mountains in the far east, where persistent upslope forcing maximized snowfall. However, isolated similarly heavy swaths were also noted upstream of these higher mountains over portions of Lee and Owsley counties, where convective snow bands persisted for extended periods. Despite high snow-to-liquid ratios of 15:1 to 40:1 for most locations, leading to dry, fluffy snow, the intensity of the showers caused slick and hazardous travel conditions on untreated roads.