Ice Storm — Johnson, Kentucky

2021-02-14 to 2021-02-16 · Johnson, Kentucky

Event narrative

Half inch of ice accumulation due to freezing rain occurred near Stambaugh. The weight of the ice caused trees and power lines to come down on Highway 23. The highway had to be temporarily shut down due to the road being blocked by the trees and power lines.

Wider weather episode

A significant winter/ice storm struck eastern Kentucky from February 14th to 16th 2021. Ice accumulations from freezing rain ranged from 0.25 inches to as much as 0.75 inches by the the time the storm had ended. Sleet accumulations of 0.3 to as much as 2 inches also occurred. The weight of the ice brought down tree limbs, entire trees, power lines, and power poles all across eastern Kentucky. The highest ice accumulations occurred primarily along the higher ridges around eastern Kentucky with much lower amounts in the surrounding valleys. During the height of the icing event, many roads around eastern Kentucky were impassable or nearly so. Many power outages resulted from downed power lines.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 938055. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.