Winter Storm — Marshall, Kentucky

2015-03-04 to 2015-03-05 · Marshall, Kentucky

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm dumped 6 to 18 inches of snow across western Kentucky. The Kentucky governor declared a state of emergency for the second time in less than a month. Snowfall amounts were lowest in the Henderson and Owensboro areas, where 6 to 8 inches was reported. The highest amounts were from 15 to 18 inches in a swath extending from Mayfield east across the Land-Between-The-Lakes area, then east through the Western Kentucky Parkway corridor to Central City. Rain gradually changed over to snow during the afternoon and early evening. A few hours of sleet and freezing rain occurred during the transition from rain to snow. Up to an inch of sleet accumulated, followed by snow. The snow fell heavily during the night, accumulating at the rate of two inches per hour and reducing visibility below one-half mile. The highest specific snowfall reports were about 17 inches in Muhlenberg, southern Hopkins, and northern Christian Counties. Paducah and Hopkinsville each reported 12 inches. Other specific snowfall reports included: 15 inches at Benton, Mayfield, and Cadiz, 10 inches at Murray and near Fulton, 8 inches at Owensboro, and 6 inches at Henderson. North winds gusted up to 25 mph, causing some drifting of the snow. Drifts were locally up to two feet deep. Travel became very difficult. In much of western Kentucky, unplowed roads were impassable to smaller, lighter vehicles. Interstate 24 was closed through most of western Kentucky due to numerous crashes and stranded vehicles blocking traffic. The closure extended from exit 11 in the Paducah area to the Cadiz exit in Trigg County. Two companies of the Kentucky National Guard were deployed to assist hundreds of individuals stranded in their vehicles on Interstate 24, some of them for almost 24 hours. Hundreds of semis were stranded, along with numerous other vehicles. The interstate was blocked or closed for most of the 24-hour period following the snowstorm. The most persistent blockages and closures were in Lyon, Caldwell, and northern Trigg Counties. In Hopkins County, a double-trailer semi crashed on southbound Interstate 69, blocking both lanes for several hours. A portion of the Western Kentucky Parkway was also closed due to a semi that was stuck in snow. Across western Kentucky, authorities received hundreds of requests for assistance from stranded motorists, and there were over one hundred accidents. In Christian County alone, at least 138 motorists required assistance after sliding off roadways or getting stuck. Christian County reported 45 accidents in that county, including nine with injuries. In Marshall County, an elderly man died after his car slid into a ditch and caught fire (indirect fatality). In Graves County, two persons were injured in a two-vehicle accident on the Purchase Parkway. The parkway was closed for about an hour. At Paducah, the U.S. 45 bridge over the Ohio River to Illinois was closed. Barkley Regional Airport at Paducah was closed for a day. Schools were closed for the remainder of the week in most counties. The 12.1 inches of snow at Paducah was the heaviest March snowstorm on record for that location. It was also the third largest snowstorm for any time of the year. This snowstorm was eclipsed only by the 14.2-inch snowstorm on Dec. 22-23 of 2004 and the 12.2-inch storm on January 16-17 of 1978. Some of the coldest air ever recorded in the month of March invaded western Kentucky the day after the snowstorm, hampering snow removal efforts. The low temperature of 6 below zero at Paducah on March 6 was the coldest reading not only for the date, but also for the month of March. In Hickman, a 60-year-old man died of hypothermia while seeking shelter after a car accident (direct fatality). The man did not sustain any injuries in the crash, which occurred while snow was falling during the night. He was wearing a thin layer of clothes. His body was found up against a business the following afternoon. Wind chills dropped as low as 8 degrees above zero on the morning of his death. Road crews stopped spreading salt because of its ineffectiveness in the cold weather. In the wake of a strong cold front that passed through on the night of the 3rd, an arctic high pressure center moved southeast into the central Plains. A deep 500 mb trough progressed slowly eastward from the Rockies across the Plains. This trough was responsible for a sustained period of moist southwest flow aloft. The relatively moist air overrunning cold air near the surface set the stage for widespread moderate to heavy snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 560338. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.