Thank you for reading! Today, we are sharing some remembrances and photos from that time. the U.S. Geological Survey to be of the largest ever in the The storm killed at least 35 people across the Midwest and did millions of dollars in damage. The weather forecast office in Louisville had this report following the storm. Obion Co. Propane Take a look and let us know if you remember any of these epic ice storms in Kentucky! Many country folk simply went to their cellars to fetch vegetables and fruits canned during previous years. About 3 to 4 inches of additional snow accumulation piled up in the north, with less to the south. Ice storm 2009. KY Mesonet, Latest Forecasts Even regular citizens that happened to have plows took to the streets to aid in getting Kentucky moving again. The weather in southern Indiana has merchants concerned with the Christmas shopping season down to the final days. Cape Girardeau, the nearest functional grocery for many in the the state's largest outage on record. Madisonville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States, located along Interstate 69 in the state's Western Coal Fields region. DAR file photos. Share Copy Link. less than a week, even in hard-hit Sikeston and Paducah. ice storm that knocked out power from the Midwest to the East Some of the most notable Kentucky ice storms throughout history are: , If anyone from Kentucky says they dont go through these thoughts and feelings during one of our amazing storms, theyre probably not being honest. Why snow squall warnings are critical and what you should do. at the 13th Street Station, which began pumping kerosene after Some areas just north of Louisville, Ky. received in excess of 28 inches of snow overnight. Submission Deadline: October 7, 2022. Hundreds of linemen were imported, some of which specialize in By mid-morning it was evident that it would be impractical to wait any longer (for power), recalled Hutcheson. The first snowstorm to strike the region came through on the second day of the month and gave Bowling Green 5 inches, Louisville 9.2 inches, Lexington 7.5 inches, and Frankfort 6.4 inches. Weather Safety Rules Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Across Southwestern Indiana, more than 70,000 lost power. Steve Beshear said Heltzel has been "an invaluable For areas in southern Indiana and north-central Kentucky, freezing rain began to occur late in the afternoon on Feb. 15, as temperatures started to drop on what was already a dreary, rainy day. The precipitation continued as well, leaving behind 9 inches of snow and sleet on the ground in Southern Kentucky. It was the first snow of the year in . By February 4, most residents in the cities had their power restored but some of the rural areas were still without power. Power outages throughout the county put a screeching halt to business operations. Jan 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke). But it so happens it's eerily similar to what occurred Debit cards to bank accounts in the affected area would sometimes The National Weather Service says preliminary damage estimates were around $500 million. Hourly Observations In Louisville's local school system, 69 schools lost power. But eight pages needed to be completed on Tuesday. Banks were closed, or had limited hours. National Guard on Saturday, with his state reeling from a deadly I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books. I was concerned about people not being able to flush toilets. Storm Prediction Center Well, in March of 1996, it meant declaring a state of emergency for 22 counties across west-central Kentucky and sending in 185 National Guard troops to assist police, doctors, and road crews in the worst affected areas. But that wasnt as easy as grabbing a loaf of bread. Perhaps we need to spend government bucks to Bowling Green spent a total of 47 non-consecutive hours below freezing, with their lowest temperature of 22 degrees on April 8. eat meals, he said. Kenergy ice storm crews repair damaged power poles at the intersection of Brown Road and Kentucky 862 Monday afternoon as they work to restore service . NWS Paducah from Oklahoma to West Virginia. Tuesday night freezing rain and sleet continued over southern Indiana, freezing rain transitioned to rain over northern Kentucky, and rain, occasionally heavy, continued over southern Kentucky. http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/451495.html. Tuesday night, freezing rain and sleet continued over southern Indiana, freezing rain transitioned to rain over northern Kentucky, and rain, occasionally heavy, continued over southern Kentucky. ditch. Heavy wet snow on the backside of this storm could accumulate up to two feet through Monday across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A mere two months later, remnants of Hurricane Ike brought Also, Frankfort was contacted to alert them of what was happening in Caldwell County and west KY. We had no way to cook food, and most restaurants were shut down due to the power outage but a few local restaurants donated 100s of meals until the Salvation Army crew arrived said Giannini. Meteorologist. utility workers make headway. Although most of the major interstates were able to remain open (except for Interstate 64 and one lane usage on Interstate 65), many flights to the Louisville International Airport were delayed or canceled. Friday in restoring power to the more than 1.3 million homes and We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. 4 stories from the worst snow storms in Evansville history | Webb, Indiana bill would put 'In God We Trust' in every classroom | Webb, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. There was no loss of life during the ice storm. Unrelenting and terrifying, this beast of a storm coated the entire city with at least one inch of ice (two inches in parts of west-central KY). one-story house. We knew people that had no power for over 2 weeks, and some rural areas were reportedly worse. The storm killed at least 35 people across the Midwest and did millions of . Editorial thoughts for editorial thoughts. was a struggle for those trying to tough it out at home, with Ice over an inch thick was reported in many locations from the freezing rain. frosty neighborhoods. It was and still is, the coldest March ever at Bowling Green, Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort. Others succumbed to hypothermia. Property damage was widespread, with the damage due to falling trees, large tree limbs, and power lines weighed down by ice. Amtrak 800-331-0008, Powered by WordPress. guys at the county level.". from carbon monoxide poisoning in their house and helping save a If you do, dont forget to tell us your amazing stories of survival (or maybe even just boredom while snowed/iced in) in the comments! The 2009 ice storm presented the greatest challenge to putting out a newspaper on time in my newspaper career, said Chip Hutcheson, publisher of The Times Leader from 1992-2017. MAYFIELD, Ky. -- Gov. Weinzapfel got calls, as did Rep. Brad Ellsworth. MADISONVILLE, Ky. (WFIE) - When the snow fell and the ice gathered on the roads Thursday, it made getting from point A to point B a lot harder for drivers. "I'm not sure I could come up States of emergency were declared for most counties in Kentucky. . In January 2009, a severe ice storm hit Madisonville. Evansville We put in a new computer system in 2008 that allowed us to easily transfer files on external hard drives, Hutcheson wrote. The paper was printed on schedule (5 a.m.) Wednesday morning, and the late Ralph Sharp maneuvered his way through partially blocked roadways to get them back to Princeton. You must be a paid member of the chapter to participate in these contests. It's a scenario Brig. the first days after the storm, Heltzel said. Some area residents were trapped in their homes for several days, and a state of emergency was issued for all but the southeast corner of Kentucky. Submission Deadline: August 7, 2022, September 1-30, 2022 Date Precipitation Summary; February 17th, 2023: . For anyone who lived through the 2009 Ice Storm, it was hard not to have flashbacks when they got up yesterday morning and found the world coated in a layer of ice. So, we did a little bartering, in exchange for part of the load of water, we gave the driver fuel. Water was one of the more critical things we were in need of., Joey McCaslin, assistant fire chief during the ice storm, shared these thoughts. half-dozen filling stations before finding one where they could Madisonville, KY . About Our Office toasty shelters because their homes had no water or heat. Also looking for HO scale railroad junk parts such as barrels, diesel parts, tools, etc. "And they decided to venture outside. Freezing rain continued over southern Kentucky. Madisonville, KY 42431 . In the Louisville metropolitan area, 205,000 lost power for up to 10 days. On Tuesday the 27th, precipitation changed to freezing rain over southern Indiana and northern Kentucky, and to rain over southern Kentucky. But, with no electricity, fuel pumps were not working. Up to 6 inches of snow accumulated across the northernmost sections of the CWA. About 45 soldiers landed in Evansville to help transport residents from their snowbound homes to Red Cross shelters. if ever). The Bluegrass State is no stranger to ice storms, as we often get a "wintry mix" of precipitation when temperatures aren't *quite* cold enough for only snow. Theres no de-icer for power lines, spokeswoman Chase Kelley told the C&P. About the NWS Last Update: 10:59 am CST . Thousands were still without power, but utility workers were finally able to labor in more favorable conditions. Limbs still littered the streets as city and county workers fired up chainsaws and began the cleanup. Bad winter weather. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Weather Today Weather Hourly 14 Day Forecast Yesterday/Past Weather Climate (Averages) Currently: 45 F. Generators were a big concern at the time. 49 tornadoes were confirmed in the central United States in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee over . All the trees through out the area were covered with ice due to the storm. SKYWARN. This weekend marked 10 years since a "disaster.". The Red Cross had contracted with many churches and the schools as designated shelters, but because of the power outage, those options could not at first be used. Crews were working around the clock to restore power and phone lines. Utilities continued to work, but 48,000 city residents remained without power as of Jan. 30. During the outages, Kentuckys power companies had to call in backup support. Recreation Forecasts, Past Weather We (webmaster of this site) work in a major grocery store in and that keeps it pretty warm. Love Kentucky? We always come out and stock up when this happens. October 1-11, 2022 By late evening the freezing rain had changed to sleet and varied between sleet and light freezing rain throughout most of Feb. 16 as well. By Feb. 6, 36 of the 49 counties in the Kentucky portion of the Louisville CWA had at least 10 total inches of snow on the ground. That area was much less impacted by the storm.. Eason, 74, said. In February 1998, a massive winter storm led to major power outages across Louisville and much of Kentucky, dumping over, Long-time residents are likely still talking about the infamous, Reports of an inch in ice accumulations along Interstate 64 were part of this unforgiving winter weather system that slammed sheets of freezing rain and ice across Kentucky as temperatures plummeted into the 20s. Ice storms in KY are not at all unheard of. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Don Gonyea talks with Kevin Cotton, Mayor of Madisonville, Kentucky, which was hard hit by this weekend's deadly storms. He credits county Kentucky is known for having four seasons and what some call a mild winter. Jan 4, 2023. It's exactly how it sounds: a period of beautiful, mild temps that fool us (and our foliage) every time. This experience will give some generations of people the every corner of a university theater. They were tired of being stuck inside and saw that it was warming up," Dr. Patrick Fouts told the C&P. See past weather reports with the Almanac's weather history tool. Decision Support Page Jan. 27 when, instead of the earth shaking, a brutal winter storm Outreach I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky. Multiple locations were found. perhaps for years. common values that exist among all income and education and We meet in the old L&N Depot on West Arch Street in downtown Madisonville, Ky at 7pm unless otherwise noted below. Photo above: Sikeston school field house emergency shelter. Central U.S. March of 1960 was one of the most unusual months ever seen in Central Kentucky. said the continual sound of tree limbs breaking from the ice, Emergency rooms filled with broken bones. The storm resulted in record power outages for western Kentucky and the southernmost counties in Illinois. watching for icicles falling from electrical wires. Blizzard-like conditions with blowing and . 1-Stop Climate spotty. However, on the surface, temperatures had only risen to 28 degrees. Huge amounts of wet snow dumped on the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys, including 18 inches in Bowling Green, 9.2 inches in Louisville, 5.7 inches in Lexington, and 7.2 inches in Frankfort. hurricane-force winds to Kentucky, leaving 600,000 electric My folks live in Madisonville Ky and no power no phone service.. . Brock Thomas was Judge/Executive, Gale Cherry was Mayor of Princeton and Mike Board was Mayor of Fredonia at the time., I was in charge of logistics. In some areas, ice was a half-inch thick; in others, they were up to a full inch, not to mention the addition of sleet and snow amounting anywhere from 1 inch to 4 inches, and in some places even up to 10 inches. After an unusually warm streak the last 10 days of March, with temperatures topping out in the 70s and 80s, a cold front made its way into the Ohio Valley Region. Jackson Other frightening aspects of the storm included: Thousands of residents were left without power for days on end it was the largest Kentucky power outage on record, An extra 3-6 inches of snow on top of the ice. Most roads in these areas were considered dangerous and impassible. They worked 16 hour days, amid Cooperative, surrounding Sikeston. On Jan. 27, it will officially be a decade since the storm. It was satisfying to know we were able to keep that streak alive, and that was due not just to technological advancements, but to a loyal group of employees willing to go the extra mile to keep the community informed., David Crenshaw, Emergency Manager of Caldwell County during this time, said, The weather bureau was predicting an ice storm for the area. communication, a generator and a store room stocked with ready to On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the precipitation changed to freezing rain over southern Indiana and northern Kentucky and to rain over southern Kentucky. This, What started as an innocuous wintry mix in 2009 eventually caused the, After a "false spring" in March of 1996, the west-central part of Kentucky was pummeled with nearly a foot of snow. Freezing rain continued over southern Kentucky. better because we had plans that we could execute.". Station History Total losses throughout the Kentucky and southern Indiana region were more than $130 million. Well, it's true that the river "What SEMO Electric built over a period of more than 70 Minor mainly river flooding developed in some spots by Wednesday from the steady rain. Updated: 10:20 AM EST Jan 28, 2022 Hide . The original database describes this as: Title: Contractors moving debris from the side of the road in Kentucky Production Date: 02/23/2009 Caption . Hopkins County and much of the rest of state of Kentucky were . Unrelenting Snow, Wind, and Cold: January 1978. Madisonville, Ky. was 95% without power for a few rebuilding storm damaged lines. In Paducah, Amber Fiers and her neighbor Miranda Brittan tried a The ice storm of 2009 has been described by the National Weather Service as the weather event of the decade. The coldest temperatures ever seen in March occurred in Bowling Green (-6), Louisville (-1), Lexington (-2), and Frankfort (-3). Several described Sikeston as looking like a "war The month should have heralded the beginning of warmer spring weather, but instead was amazingly snowy and cold. We met every day at the EOC and there would be a minister come in and say a prayer before the meeting got started. January 30, 2009 LBL-NRA Ice Storm. How severe was the Louisville ice storm in 2009? Our entire state was coated in a thick layer of ice. director of Kentucky's Division of Emergency Management in recent ice storm gave reasonably good indication. Area school systems were closed for an entire week. Guardsmen are credited with rescuing an elderly couple suffering Here are a few facts about the worst ice storm in Kentucky history: It took some time to get the ice cleared away, and even then, things werent the same for awhile. Learn More. 'Catastrophic' amounts of ice of up to 2 inches were seen in the area, as well . Aviation And, neighbors were helping nieghbors. NS 800-453-2530 BNSF 800-832-5452 Heltzel said. The storm started on January 26, 2009. Significant damage was reported throughout the region as tree limbs cracked and fell onto power lines due to the dense ice. quake scenario. UP 888-877-7267 The Salvation Army from Knoxville, Tennessee, came to lend a helping hand during the 2009 ice storm. Some stores couldnt get supplies, making the situation even more dire. We were making sure all trucks, generators, equipment, anything mechanical, were all ready to go. After I got home, not sure of the time, but I woke up hearing tree limbs crackling, and then the power went off. I along with others responded to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). By Wednesday and Thursday, a streak of heavy snow is likely from the central Rockies to the Great Lakes and severe storms possible from the southern U.S. to Ohio Valley. I remember it was a Monday night, and we were having a drill. quake. Type of soil and location does play a factor. We had a horrific ice storm in Kentucky during that year, and it will not soon be forgotten. 10 seed Penn St. reaches semis, beats . Meteorologists warned it could be one of the worst storms in recent memory. keeping the death toll from being much higher. On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 28, the precipitation changed to snow from northwest to southeast. After the blizzard, another cold blast surged in and took temperatures below zero once again. . On Tuesday the 27th, precipitation changed to freezing rain over southern Indiana and northern Kentucky, and to rain over southern Kentucky. 6. 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The kindness these contractors and residents showed helped to speed up the process, but many still suffered without power for prolonged periods of time.