By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
We may be two weeks into spring, but Old Man Winter is not yet done with Kentucky with one more round of snow forecast this weekend.
Early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for Friday evening into Saturday for the northern two thirds of Kentucky, except for Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties.
Snowfall scenes like this one in Richmond may be in order Saturday in certain parts of Kentucky (Kentucky Today/Tom Latek)
They originally called for four to six inches of snow during that time frame, but forecaster Joe Sullivan with the NWS office in Louisville says that is changing.
“The latest model data is trending toward a one- to four-inch accumulation,” he said. “Although there will be some isolated areas that could see higher amounts.”
Sullivan admits significant April snowstorms are a rarity in Kentucky. “This is the first Winter Storm Watch we’ve had in April since at least 2005, according to the records in our office.”
He says other parts of Kentucky experienced record April snowfall 31-years ago. “Lexington had 4.8 inches and Jackson 8.2 inches, on April 3-4, 1987.”
Louisville’s record one-day snowfall in April is 3.2 inches, in 1917, which could be threated this weekend. Other records at official reporting stations in Kentucky include Paducah’s three inches in 1971 and five inches at Bowling Green in 1904.
Like other recent snowfalls this winter, he says there will be a sharp cut-off between areas that see little if any snow and those that receive several inches.
There is another concern with April snows. “The trees and other vegetation have started leafing out and the additional weight of snow could cause tree limbs to go down, leading to power outages,” Sullivan said.
The reason for the April snow and cold is a stagnant low-pressure system over northern Canada, sometimes called the polar vortex. Sullivan says it has been parked over Hudson Bay and has not moved, which is unusual this time of year.
The good news is the snow will not remain on the roads and ground very long. He says many parts of Kentucky will warm up to the 40s after the snow ends on Saturday, get closer to normal on Sunday, and possibly hit 60 by Monday.
However, with the Ohio River at flood stage from Louisville downstream to the confluence with the Mississippi River, any rain or melting snow could exacerbate flooding or slow the river from receding back within its banks.
