It’s been cold in KY, but have we broken records? Take a look at state’s chilly history

It’s cold out there, and with snow on the ground and sub-zero wind chills in the forecast, you may be wondering how this arctic blast compares to some of Kentucky’s coldest winter weather events.

“Our most recent cold spell … probably doesn’t fall into the Top 10 list we have, but it could be close,” depending on what happens this weekend, the National Weather Service in Louisville said in a statement to the Herald-Leader Thursday.

To put things in perspective, here are some of the coldest events in Central Kentucky, according to records maintained by the agency, but first, a look at what normal temperatures are for our area.

What are normal winter weather temperatures in Central KY?

According to the NWS, the normal high and low temperatures for Lexington throughout each winter month include the following:

• December: 44 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees

• January: 40 degrees/24 degrees

• February: 45 degrees/27 degrees

However, as with the rest of the country, Kentucky is experiencing the effects of a strong El Niño, an atmospheric phenomenon that begins when warm water builds up in the eastern Pacific Ocean along the equator. During the winter, the phenomenon tends to bring warmer, drier conditions to the northern half of the country, and cooler, wetter conditions along the nation’s Sun Belt.

During a moderate to strong El Niño, Kentucky falls roughly between these two extremes. For the northern half of Kentucky, you might expect a strong El Niño to lead to warmer temperatures and a reduced chance of snowfall, but not so fast.

As previously explained by NWS forecaster Tom Reugh, “El Niño increases the chances of having a winter that is drier than normal as a whole, and possibly warmer though the precipitation signal is stronger than the temperature signal.”

“There are many other atmospheric phenomena that affect our weather,” Reaugh stressed. “We will still have occasional cold outbreaks and wet systems passing through.”

Will we see an early spring in Kentucky this year? A strong El Niño may hold the key

Kentucky’s coldest winter weather events

While state and local officials prep for extreme cold and poor conditions Friday and into the weekend, here’s a look back at some of the coldest winter weather events on record with NWS.

1. Blizzard of 1994 - According to the NWS in Louisville, this three-day event resulted in some of the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Kentucky, including an all-time record of minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit in Shelbyville Jan. 19, 1994. A frigid mass of air from Canada’s northwest sent temperatures across the Midwest and Northeast plummeting into the negatives. Shortly before the cold arrived, snow buried Central Kentucky, dropping up to 20 inches of snow in some parts.

2. Easter freeze of 2007 - Record daily snowfall arrived April 6, 2007, which also happened to be opening day for Keeneland in Lexington. The event was especially surprising given the warm, early spring that preceded it. But when an arctic cold front whipped through the region, temperatures plummeted into the 20s and 30s every morning for nearly a week. The freeze also had devastating consequences for agriculture in the region, dealing huge losses to peach, apple, pear, grape, berry, corn, wheat and soybean harvests that year. The economic damage numbered in the tens of millions and rippled across multiple industries.

3. Arctic air spurs wild temperature swings in 1963 - In late January 1963, a cold front moved from Canada across the Midwest and settled in the Southeast, towing arctic air in its wake. What came next was a six-day period in which temperatures dove into the minus 30s, with the lowest temperature recorded in Bonnieville, in Hart County, at minus 34 degrees. What made this arctic episode truly unique, however, was the wild temperature swings it created. The biggest was in Cynthiana, where one temperature high reached 47 degrees with a low of minus 24. That’s a difference of about 70 degrees.

4. The Great Storm of 1951 - Though short-lived, this three-day event packed a punch, delivering heavy snowfall and below-zero temperatures throughout the region. At the tail-end of January, a system raced through the region, leaving bitter cold and snow in its wake. In some parts of the state, temperatures dropped to minus 30. In Lexington, cars were stranded in deep snow for days along Main Street.

5. Snow buried Central KY in 1899 - Between Feb. 8 and 14, 1899, seemingly never-ending snowfall buried the region. According to the NWS, many stations reported more than 10 days with measurable precipitation. In Louisville, the agency reported 18 days with precipitation. On top of that, highs and lows in the negatives meant the snow stuck around. It was gone by the end of the month, however, with temperatures reaching into the mid-60s.

Do you have a question about Kentucky weather for our service journalism team? Let us know via the Know Your Kentucky form below, or email us at ask@herald-leader.com.