Ice Storm — Carter, Kentucky

2003-02-16 to 2003-02-17 · Carter, Kentucky

Wider weather episode

Ice from freezing rain accumulated 1 to 2 inches on power lines and trees. Fallen trees and branches blocked roads and knocked out electricity and phone service. The worst conditions were in western portions of Carter and Greenup Counties compared to points further east, in Boyd and norther Lawrence Counties. Olive Hill reported an inch of ice on exposed surfaces, with no electricity for 8 days. The power outages forced the state parks at Carter Caves and Greenbo to temporarily close. A South Shore resident of Greenup County reported about 2 inches of solid ice. He said, "It looks like a war zone, all of our trees are just mangled".Governor Patton requested a disaster declaration from President Bush, covering both the severe icing and the flooding across portions of the Commonwealth. The disaster was approved, including the 4 northeast Kentucky counties. See FEMA disaster number 1454 for county assistance.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5342041. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.