Heavy Rain and Historic Snowstorm of March 4-5, 2015

A historic storm system affected the Ohio Valley beginning early Wednesday, March 4th and lasting into Thursday, March 5th. This system came in two waves, one containing heavy rainfall which caused minor flooding of area rivers along with substantial ponding of roadways. Below is the map of the two-day liquid amounts from this event, showing anywhere from 2 to locally 4 inches!

After the flooding rainfall, the precipitation slowly transitioned from rain, to a brief period of sleet, to all snow beginning as early as late Wednesday morning over southern Indiana. This heavy snowfall then pushed southeast, sitting over portions of northern and central Kentucky through much of the overnight hours. Heavy banding of snowfall occured during this timeframe, with even some unofficial reports of thundersnow. This band sitting in the same locations through the overnight hours caused some amounts in the 18-24 inch range!

Below is a radar image, showing the persistent snow banding that set up across much of central Kentucky and southern Indiana during the evening and overnight hours.

There were March records and all-time records broken for this event, which are listed below.

These are the heaviest 2-day storm snowfall totals in March:

Louisville: 12.4" March 22-23, 1968 (11.9" with this storm)

Lexington: 10.3" March 4-5, 1902 (broken with this storm, 17.1")

Bowling Green: 21.0" March 8-9, 1960 (7.2" with this storm)

Heaviest 2-day storm snowfall totals ever:

Louisville: 17.9" February 4-5, 1998 (11.9" with this storm)

Lexington: 13.5" January 13-14, 1917 and January 26-27, 1943 (broken with this storm, 17.1")

Bowling Green: 21.0" March 8-9, 1960 (7.2" with this storm)

Low temperature records set on March 6:

Lexington: -2, tying the all-time record for the month of March. 5th sub-zero March temperature in city history.

Bowling Green: 1, tying a new record for the date. All-time low for March is -6 set March 5, 1960.

Frankfort: -10, setting a new all-time record for the month of March. The old record was -3 set March 5 and 6, 1960. 8th sub-zero March temperature in city history.

Also, a new all-time low temperature for Kentucky in the month of March was set at Hillsboro in Fleming County at -16.