Winter Storm — Mccracken, Kentucky

2018-01-12 · Mccracken, Kentucky

Wider weather episode

An Arctic cold front moved southeast across western Kentucky on the night of the 11th. Rain changed to a brief period of freezing rain, then to sleet during the overnight hours. The sleet changed to snow on the 12th as the Arctic air flooded in. A vigorous disturbance in the upper levels of the atmosphere prolonged the snow through the day on the 12th. Total accumulations of sleet were from one-half to one inch in most areas. On top of the sleet, snow accumulated from 3 to 4 inches in most places. An area of locally higher accumulations from 5 to 7 inches was observed in the Kentucky Lake area, specifically Marshall and Calloway Counties. The lowest snow and sleet accumulations were from Hopkinsville south and east, where accumulations were mainly two to three inches. Across all areas, freezing rain produced a thin layer of glaze under the sleet and snow. Following the changeover to snow, visibility was reduced to one-quarter mile at times. Peak snowfall rates were near one-half inch per hour. Strong north winds frequently gusted to 35 mph, producing wind chills near zero at times. A few wind gusts over 40 mph were reported, which caused isolated power outages in the Pennyrile region. A tree was blown over across a power line near Beech Creek in Muhlenberg County. Numerous accidents were reported during the storm. On Interstate 24 near Paducah, a tractor-trailer rig jack-knifed across the westbound lanes. The westbound side of the interstate was closed for hours. On Interstate 24 near Hopkinsville, a 10-car pileup closed the eastbound lanes for several hours. In western Graves County, Highway 80 was closed for 12 hours due to a wreck involving a tractor-trailer rig. An overturned tanker truck prompted the closure of U.S. Highway 62 at Highway 286 in western McCracken County. In Christian County, three prisoners were injured when their transport bus slid off the road. There was one winter storm fatality in Paducah that occurred during the storm. An elderly man was found dead outside his house. The coroner determined hypothermia was the primary cause of his death. Very cold temperatures in the wake of the storm reduced the effectiveness of melting agents such as salt. Dangerous travel conditions persisted well after the ending of the precipitation. On the day following the storm, a 10-mile section of Interstate 24 was closed in Marshall County due to vehicle crashes. The Ohio River bridge connecting Paducah with Brookport, IL was closed for days due to ice on the steel-grating surface. In addition, early on the 14th, McCracken County sheriff deputies responded to a report of someone calling for help in the distance. After searching the area, deputies found a 90-year-old woman who had fallen in the snow outside her home while searching for her dog. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia symptoms (indirect injury).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 728565. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.