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Overview

The coldest blast of arctic air in years and the most frigid Christmas weekend in decades enveloped eastern Kentucky from Friday, December 23rd through Christmas Day. On Thursday, December 22nd, eastern Kentucky was enjoying mild temperatures ranging from the mid 40s to lower 50s. Clouds were prevalent but peeks of sun shone through thin spots at some locations -- little indicated the arctic front and bitterly cold air mass rapidly encroaching on the Ohio Valley. The front reached the Lake Cumberland area between 10:30 and 11:00 PM and exited the far eastern tip of Pike County by around 2:00 AM Friday morning. Temperatures fell precipitously along the front, with rain changing to a heavy wet snow in a matter of minutes. Just behind the front, wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph blew the snow, leading to brief whiteouts at some locations. Temperatures continued to plummet after the front passed while snowfall rates were so intense that roads became slush and snow covered within an hour. By the time steadier snow ended one to two hours after the frontal passage, temperatures had fallen into the teens and many locations had been transformed into a wind-scoured snowy landscape.  Light flurries continued into the daylight hours on Friday but the massive temperature drop and brutally cold winds were by far the bigger concern. Most locations saw air temperatures dipping to between 0 and -5 degrees after sunrise on Friday. Friday morning's temperatures were 50 to 55 degrees colder than what was experienced a mere 18 to 24 hours prior. To add insult to injury, strong winds made it feel more like -10 to -30 degrees at lower elevations. Wind chills at some of the highest elevations approached -40 degrees. The winds finally diminished by later Friday and Friday night but temperatures recovered only very slowly over Christmas weekend and would not rise back above freezing until Tuesday, December 27th. Though snowfall amounts with the cold front were generally 2 inches or less, the bitterly cold temperatures preserved the snow which had fallen, yielding an elusive White Christmas for many. 

The cold snap was the harshest in several years. Wind Chill Warnings were hoisted for dangerous cold across eastern Kentucky for the first time since February 2015. The extreme cold and strong winds led to numerous small to medium-sized power outages as electrical infrastructure struggled in the bitter temperatures. There were also many reports of frozen pipes leading to water damage in buildings and ruptured water mains. Some of the most severe water disruptions occurred in those counties which saw catastrophic flooding in July and were still repairing water distribution infrastructure. Some residences of Perry County remained without public water supply for more than 2 weeks. 

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Ice-shrouded Entrance to Nada Tunnel
(Courtesy of LEX 18)

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Snow Depth 1 AM Christmas Morning
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