Paducah, KY

Weather Forecast Office

Event Summaries

Storm Data...for the Paducah Weather Forecast Office area

For the severe weather data for a particular month, choose the month and year and click "find". Note: the data is in .pdf format, and you will need Adobe Acrobat to view it. Note: The "Top 10 events of the year" since 1999 can be found on our old event summaries page.

Thunderstorms / Tornadoes
Flooding
Winter
Heat / Cold
Other

Thunderstorms & Tornadoes

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread thunderstorm outbreaks and tornadoes. Tornadoes, hail, wind damage, and flooding impacts can be found in these summaries. If the event was focused mainly on flooding it will be found under the "Flooding" section.

Scroll down the page for year, or go directly:

Severe Weather Climatology with Tornado Track Maps (1950-June 2023)

Hail Climatology Webpage (1955-March 2023)

WFO Paducah Science Page

Top Weather Events Each Year

2025

April 2, 2025: Historic tornado outbreak produces 23 tornadoes, which breaks the record for a single event in NWS Paducah history
March 14, 2025: Severe thunderstorms produce 14 tornadoes on the night of March 14. Six of those tornadoes were EF-3's.

2024

All Tornado Tracks for 2024
Top Weather Events of 2024: Review of weather events in 2024.
July 30, 2024: EF-1 tornado strikes parts of Vanderburgh and Warrick County in southwest Indiana.
July 9, 2024: The remnants of Hurricane Beryl cause a rare July tornado outbreak, including an EF-3 tornado in Mount Vernon, Indiana.
May 26, 2024 : Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms with widespread wind damage and tornadoes
May 8, 2024 : Severe thunderstorms produce damaging winds in excess of 70 mph, golf ball sized hail, and 9 tornadoes
April 2, 2024 : Outbreak of 19 tornadoes occurred during the overnight and early morning hours. Seven tornadoes were EF-2's.
March 14, 2024 : Two EF-1 tornadoes and severe thunderstorms cause damage primarily in areas of southern Illinois and western Kentucky.

2023

All Tornado Tracks for 2023
Top Weather Events of 2023: Review of weather events in 2023.
December 9, 2023 : Severe storms across southern portions of west Kentucky with significant damage in southern Todd County.
August 12, 2023 : Two EF-1 tornadoes occur in west Kentucky including one in the city of Hickman.
July 24, 2023: EF-2 tornado strikes near Bertrand in Scott County, MO.
June 29-July2, 2023: Several rounds of severe thunderstorms strike the region.
June 25, 2023: Golf ball to tennis ball sized hail hits portions of the region, mainly west Kentucky,
April 5, 2023: Deadly EF-2 tornado strikes Bollinger County, MO, in the early morning hours of April 5, 2023.
March 3, 2023 : Summary of the flooding, high winds, thunderstorms, and record low baromertic pressure on March 3, 2023.
January 11-12, 2023: Large hail up to golf-ball sized across west KY and an EF-1 tornado in Ballard County, KY.
January 2-3, 2023: 3 to 5 inches of rain across west KY produced flash flooding. Also, an EF-0 tornado occurred in Hopkinsville.

2022

Top Weather Events of 2022: Review of weather events in 2022.
August 1, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce wind damage and hail over SE IL, SW IN, and parts of W KY.
July 8, 2022: Scattered severe thunderstorms bring pockets of wind damage to southern Illinois and western KY.
June 17, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce widespread damaging wind gusts across S IL, SW IN, and W KY.
May 19, 2022: EF-2 tornado strikes Mount Carmel, IL, along with large hail and wind damage along the I-64 corridor in S IL and SW IN
April 30, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce hail up to golf ball size across southeast MO and an EF-0 tornado in Perry County MO.
April 13, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce wind damage primarily across western Kentucky.
March 30, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce 4 tornadoes across the region including an EF-1 in Carmi, IL.
February 22, 2022: Severe thunderstorms produce wind damage in southeast Missouri and an EF-0 tornado near Cayce, KY.
January 1, 2022: EF-2 tornado strikes Hopkinsville, KY

2021

All Tornado Tracks for 2021
Top Weather Events of 2021: Review of weather events in 2021
December 10-11, 2021: Destructive Long Track Tornado across western Kentucky
December 5-6, 2021 Severe Weather
October 24, 2021: Several tornadoes strike southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois.
October 15, 2021: EF-1 tornado occurs in Spencer County, Indiana
July 10, 2021 : EF-2 tornado hits Dexter, MO (Strongest July tornado in our area since 1971)
June 8, 2021: 3 brief tornadoes hit southwest Indiana
May 4, 2021: 6 tornadoes including an EF-2 in Fulton County, Kentucky
April 28, 2021: EF-1 tornado in Bollinger County, Missouri
April 9, 2021: Large hail up to golf ball size over southeast Missouri

2020

All Tornado Tracks for 2020
Top 10 Weather Events of 2020
July 15, 2020: An EF-1 tornado strikes southwest Indiana just before midnight.
May 4, 2020: Severe thunderstorms produce damaging winds over southern portions of southeast Missouri.
May 3, 2020: Severe thunderstorms produce widespread wind damage across portions of southeast MO and western KY & EF-1 tornado in Marston, MO.
April 8, 2020: Very large hail with 1.75" to 2.25" hailstones reported in portions of southeast MO and southwest IL.
March 28, 2020: Two EF-2 tornadoes hit the Henderson, KY and Newburgh, IN areas.
March 19, 2020: Two EF-1 tornadoes touchdown in southern Illinois.
March 12, 2020: Large hail and two EF-0 tornadoes occur in southeast Missouri.
March 2, 2020: Large hail in southeast Missouri and western Kentucky. EF-1 tornado near Crofton, KY.
January 11, 2020: Flash flooding, damaging winds, and tornadoes impact the region.

2019

All Tornado Tracks for 2019
Top 10 Weather Events of Decade (2010-2019)
Top 10 Weather Events of 2019
October 26, 2019: The remnants of Tropical Storm Olga bring heavy rain and damaging winds.
August 6, 2019: Large hail up to 3.5" in diameter occurs in Saline County Illinois
June 23, 2019: Severe thunderstorms produce damaging winds and 7 tornadoes including an EF-1 in Paducah
June 21, 2019: Derecho impacts region with widespread winds of 60 to 75 mph along with 6 tornadoes
June 19, 2019: Severe thunderstorms produce winds of nearly 70 mph and ping pong sized hail.
May 29, 2019: Two rounds of storms with hail, high winds, and a brief EF-1 tornado
May 1, 2019: Brief EF-1 tornado early morning in Ballard County, KY
March 24, 2019: EF-2 tornado in Bollinger County, MO
March 14, 2019: Training supercells produce tornadoes during the morning including an EF-2 tornado hitting Paducah
February 7, 2019: 2 days of heavy rainfall ends with line of storms producing damaging winds and a couple of tornadoes

2018

All Tornado Tracks for 2018
Top 10 Weather Events of 2018
December 31, 2018: Storms produce damaging winds and a couple tor
September 8, 2018: 4 tornadoes occur in Daviess and Spencer Counties
June 28, 2018: Derecho with widespread damaging winds especially across southern Illinois and western Kentucky.
June 26, 2018: Damaging winds impact the region as multiple rounds of storms move through
June 21, 2018: Damaging winds affect the region along with a landspout tornado in southeast MO
May 31, 2018: Multiple rounds of storms produce severe weather including 3 tornadoes
April 3, 2018: Damaging winds, numerous tornadoes, and large hail up to 3" in diameter
February 24, 2018: Damaging winds, tornadoes, and significant flooding impact the region including an EF-2 tornado in Hopkinsville, KY

2017

Top 10 Weather Events of 2017
All Tornado Tracks for 2017
November 18, 2017: Line of storms with damaging winds along with 5 tornadoes including an EF-1 near Bremen, KY
June 18, 2017: Microburst in Marshall County Kentucky
May 27, 2017: Widespread hail and damaging winds
April 30, 2017: EF-2 Tornado in northern New Madrid County MO
April 26, 2017: Damaging winds, heavy rain over southeast MO, southern IL and west KY. Also EF-1 tornado in Hickman & Graves Counties KY.
April 5, 2017: Brief EF-1 tornado in Williamson County IL and microburst in Enfield, IL
March 27, 2017: Event includes large hail and 1 EF-0 tornado in Trigg/Christian counties
March 9, 2017: A total of 10 tornadoes including 3 EF-2's over southeast MO and western KY
February 28 - March 1, 2017: Event includes 8 tornadoes including 1 EF-4 (Perryville, MO) and 1 EF-3 (Crossville, IL)
February 7, 2017: EF-0 tornado in Trigg County, KY

2016

Top 10 Weather Events of 2016
All Tornado Tracks and Summary for 2016
July 13, 2016: Line of storms with damaging winds mainly over southern IL/southwest IN
July 8, 2016: Two rounds of storms produce damaging winds and flooding mainly over southeast MO and western KY
July 7, 2016: Line of storms with sporadic wind damage
July 6, 2016: Widespread wind damage with bowing line of thunderstorms
July 3, 2016: Microburst hits Poseyville, IN along with weak tornado in Calloway County KY
June 15, 2016: Damaging winds associated with clusters of afternoon thunderstorms
May 11, 2016: Damaging winds, large hail, flash flooding, and 1 confirmed tornado
May 10, 2016: 5 tornadoes including EF-3 tornado in Mayfield, KY
May 7, 2016: EF-1 tornado in Pike County, IN and damaging winds along I-64 corridor
April 27, 2016: Damaging winds, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding over mainly western KY
April 26, 2016: Damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes affect the area
March 31, 2016: Afternoon damaging winds and 1 tornado, Pennyrile region of west KY
March 27, 2016: 3 tornadoes confirmed from storms in Christian/Muhlenberg counties in KY
March 12, 2016: EF-0 tornado hits Calloway County, KY south of Murray

2015

December 23, 2015: Severe weather event, including 8 tornadoes
July 27, 2015: Microburst in Union County KY
July 9, 2015: Microburst in Scott City, MO
July 8, 2015: Tornado hits Scott County, MO into Alexander County, IL
June 19, 2015: Tornadoes associated with remnants of Tropical Storm Bill

2014

October 13, 2014: Columbus Day severe weather event produces 6 tornadoes in our area
October 3, 2014: Severe weather event in western KY produces tornadoes and microburst
June 7, 2014: Thunderstorms produces macroburst over Graves and Calloway counties in KY
June 4, 2014: Thunderstorms produce tornadoes and damaging straight line winds in western KY
May 14, 2014: Tornado hits Christian County, KY
May 9, 2014: Macroburst affects Evansville and Boonville, IN
April 3, 2014: Storm survey results from thunderstorms affecting parts of southeast MO and southern IL

2013

November 17, 2013: Tornado Outbreak, deadly EF-3 at Brookport, IL
October 31, 2013: Halloween severe weather outbreak produces over a dozen tornadoes
August 31, 2013: Thunderstorms produce damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and intense lightning
April 10, 2013: Severe weather outbreak produces tornadoes and wind damage over southeast MO
January 29-30, 2013: Damage surveys and photos from thunderstorms that swept across the region
January 12, 2013: Livingston County, KY EF-2 tornado

2012

October 14, 2012: Mayfield, KY EF-1 tornado
July 31, 2012: Gibson County, IN Macroburst
June 4, 2012: Diehlstadt, MO EF-2 tornado
March 23, 2012: Jefferson and Jackson counties in southern IL hit by tornadoes
March 2, 2012: Posey County, IN and Union County, KY hit by EF-2 tornadoes
February 29, 2012: Harrisburg, IL deadly EF-4 tornado
January 22, 2012: Damage surveys and storm reports from severe weather event

2011

May 25, 2011: Severe weather outbreak produces numerous tornadoes
April 22-27, 2011: Daily rounds of severe storms and flash flooding plague the region
April 19, 2011: Bow echo produces damaging winds, particularly across northern part of the area.
April 15, 2011: 2 brief tornadoes strike Trigg County, KY
April 4, 2011: Several tornadoes touch down across western KY
February 24 & 27, 2011: Flooding and severe weather strikes the Heartland

2010

June 15, 2010: Severe weather produces numerous reports of damaging winds
May 1-2, 2010: Thunderstorms produced 6 tornadoes during the late evening/early morning hours
April 24, 2010: One of the strongest thunderstorm downburst events on record in our area occurred in East Prairie, MO

2009

August 4, 2009: Very humid, unstable airmass sets stage for thunderstorms with heavy rain and wind damage
June 8, 2009: Clusters of thunderstorms produce severe weather in southeast MO, southern IL, and far western KY
May 8, 2009: Derecho produces 70-100 mph winds across southern IL
May 8, 2009: Ripley County, MO sustained major damage due to wind gusts up to 90 mph
April 10, 2009: EF-3 tornado hits Mannington, KY in Christian County
April 9-10, 2009: Bow echo crosses southeast MO and western KY producing damaging winds
March 28, 2009: Severe thunderstorm outbreak affects western KY, southwest IN with EF-3 tornado hitting Union/Henderson counties in KY
March 8, 2009: Thunderstorms produce a total of 6 tornadoes across the area

2008

February 5, 2008: Deadly tornadoes hit western KY
January 29, 2008: Widespread wind damage and tornadoes

2007

October 18, 2007: Tornado outbreak
May 15, 2007: Damaging winds, and some hail
April 3, 2007: Large hail, flash flooding, and isolated damaging winds
February 20, 2007: Hail up to the size of golfballs affects some areas

2006

September 22, 2006: Numerous tornadoes stike area, including F4 in Perry County, MO and Jackson County, IL
July 21, 2006: Severe weather event includes downburst hitting Mount Vernon, IL area
May 25, 2006: Damaging winds, baseball-sized hail, and a couple tornadoes
April 30, 2006: Large hail, a few damaging wind gusts, and a brief tornado hit southeast MO and southern IL
April 7, 2006: Numerous large hail reports including nearly baseball-sized hail in Gibson County, IN
April 2, 2006: Severe weather event includes F3 tornado near Hopkinsville, KY
March 9-13, 2006: Widespread damaging winds hit the area along with an F3 tornado in Perry County, MO
February 16, 2006: EF-1 tornado hits Benton, MO

2005

November 27, 2005: F2 tornado strikes Ripley County, MO
November 15, 2005: Tornado outbreak in western KY (up to EF-4)
November 6, 2005: Evansville, IN area EF-3 (Also check out our Story Map for this event)
May 19, 2005: Severe weather produces a couple F1 tornadoes and baseball sized hail
April 12, 2005: Copious amounts of hail fall in storms mainly over southeast MO and southern IL

2004

October 18, 2004: Tornadoes in southern IL
July 13, 2004: Wind damage associated with complex of storms
July 5, 2004: Wind damage hits Evansville Tri-State Area
May 29-June 1, 2004: Active period for tornadoes, including F2 tornado in Newburgh, IN
May 27, 2004: Damaging winds and isolated tornado
April 24, 2004: Tornadoes in southeast MO

2003

July 28, 2003: Hail up to golfball size hits Doniphan and Poplar Bluff, MO
May 11, 2003: F3 tornado hits Sacramento, KY
May 6, 2003: F4 tornado tracks across extreme southern IL
May 4, 2003: Western KY pummelled by large hail including Paducah
May 4, 2003: A dozen tornadoes occur over the area
April 25, 2003: Two short-lived tornadoes and large hail event
April 20, 2003: Downburst and an embedded F1 tornado hit Crofton, KY

2002

November 9-10, 2002: Major tornado outbreak occurs across part of Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, with the worst being to our east
September 20, 2002: F2 tornado hits near Poseyville, IN
July 10, 2002: Thunderstorm microburst affects Kentucky Lake
Late April, 2002: A long track F4 tornado hits Carter and Butler Counties in MO amongst other tornadoes in the area
March 29, 2002: Numerous reports of large hail and a few isolated strong wind gusts east of Mississippi River
January 23, 2002: F2 tornado hits Calhoun, KY as severe storms and flooding move through the area

2001

November 24, 2001: F2 tornado strikes Calloway County, KY
October 24, 2001: Thunderstorms produce widespread damaging winds including microbursts and tornadoes
September 23, 2001: Large hail reported in western KY and far southeast MO
September 6-8, 2001: Each day thunderstorms produced isolated pockets of wind damage
August 18, 2001: Supercell thunderstorm produces tornado and golf ball size hail in Jefferson County, IL
May 31, 2001: Weak tornado touched down near Pinckneyville, IL
February 24, 2001: Strong winds, some produced by thunderstorms, others by the intense pressure gradient across the area

2000

September 20, 2000: Squall line moves through producing 50-65 mph winds
May 24, 2000: Flash Flooding and wind damage from storms near the Arkansas and Tennessee borders
May 23, 2000: Numerous reports of large hail from storms including baseball sized in Johnson County, IL
April 16, 2000: Severe storms over southeast MO and western KY including baseball sized hail near Zalma, MO
February 18, 2000: Cairo, IL downburst from an intense short-lived thunderstorm
January 3, 2000: Destructive F3 tornado produces direct hit on Owensboro, KY

1999

May 17, 1999: Derecho sweeps across the area with up to 90 mph winds
May 5, 1999: Two F2 tornadoes in Pike County, IN and 68 mph winds in Evansville among reports
April 5, 1999: Severe storms including downburst in Round Knob, IL (Masac County)
January 21, 1999: A series of tornadoes strike the area during the evening and early overnight hours
January 17, 1999: Thunderstorm wind gusts up to 100 mph with Hopkinsville, KY among hardest hit areas

Historic

May 29, 1982: F4 tornado hits Marion, IL and surrounding area of Williamson County
July 2, 1980: Derecho produces considerable damage across the area, particularly southern Illinois
May 21, 1957: F4 tornado hits Carter County, MO
March 18, 1925: Tri-State Tornado - Deadliest in American History. We also have a Story Map for this historic event.
Historic Tornadoes 1800-1949 : Brief description of most of the F2-F5 tornadoes that occurred prior to 1950 in our forecast area

Flooding

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread flooding. River and flash flooding can be found in these summaries. If the flooding event accompanied severe thunderstorms or tornado outbreaks, it will likely be included in that event's summary under the "Thunderstorms / Tornadoes" section.

2025

April 2025 : Significant flash flooding with amounts of 6 to 16 inches April 2-6. Moderate to major river flooding follows.
February 15, 2025 : Significant flash flooding with amounts of 2 to 7 inches. Hardest hit areas were across west Kentucky.

2024

2023

August 3-4, 2023 : Significant flash flooding across southeast Missouri and far southwest Kentucky with 6 to 12" of rain.
July 19, 2023 : Summary of the historic flooding that struck far west Kentucky and part of southern Illinois with 6 to 12" of rain.
March 3, 2023 : Summary of the flooding, high winds, thunderstorms, and record low barometic pressure on March 3, 2023
February 8-9, 2023: Heavy rain of 2 to 3+ inches causes some flooding. Strong winds of 40 to 60 mph causes scattered wind damage and power outages.

2022

August 4-5, 2022: Heavy rain causes flash flooding with pockets up to 3-6". Marion, IL and Central City, KY among hardest hit communities.
February 17, 2022: Heavy rain and thunderstorms bring widespread heavy rainfall of 2 to 5 inches with flooding issues across much of the region.

2021

February 28, 2021: Major flash flooding across southern portions of western Kentucky with 4 to 7 inches impacting Fulton, Murray, Hopkinsville, and Elkton areas.

2020

June 28, 2020: Flash flooding in northwest KY and southwest IN with a swath of 4 to nearly 8 inches

2019

November 30, 2019: Rounds of thunderstorms brought heavy rain and flash flooding.
June 16, 2019: Flash Flooding and severe thunderstorms, including water rescues in Union County IL where over 4 inches of rain occurred
Spring/Summer 2019: Major river flooding on Mississippi River in June along with prolonged duration above flood stage from March until August
February 2019: Major river flooding on Ohio River due to excessive rainfall Feb 6-23
February 23, 2019: Flash flooding over western KY and strong gradient winds area wide

2018

September 8, 2018: Flash Flooding associated with remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon, with amounts in excess of 7 inches in Jefferson County IL

2017

October 7-8, 2017: Frontal Boundary and remnants of Hurricane Nate cause heavy rainfall
August 31-September 1, 2017: Heavy rain from remnants of Hurricane Harvey
June 21-23, 2017: Heavy rainfall from remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy merging with incoming frontal boundary
Late April-Early May, 2017: Heavy rainfall April 28-30 and major to record river flooding on many area rivers

2016

July 6-7, 2016: Flash flooding including 8" in 6 hours in Marshall Co., KY
May 26, 2016: Flash flooding including over 3 inches in 1 hr in Cape Girardeau.
January 2016: Record flooding on Mississippi River

2015

July 28, 2015: Flash flooding in Caldwell County, KY
July 7, 2015: Flash Flooding with Paducah among hardest hit
July 1-3, 2015: Heavy Rainfall event
June-July 2015: Major river flooding along portions of Mississippi River

2014

2013

December 20-21, 2013: Heavy rain and flooding event
June 1, 2013: Flash flooding in Paducah after over 5 inches of rain falls in nearly 5 hours

2012

2011

April/May 2011: Major river flooding, wettest month on record at Paducah

2010

April 30-May 3, 2010: Some of the worst flooding of this event occurred on the Cumberland River below Barkley Dam

2009

2008

April 3, 2008: Heavy rain event with generally 2 to 5 inches along with localized higher amounts.
March 18-19, 2008: Historic flooding produces over 10 inches of rain in some spots

2007

January 12-16, 2007: 2 to 6 inches of rain falls over 4-day period

2006

September 12, 2006: Evansville, IN flash flooding
September 22-24, 2006: Major flooding including nearly 14 inches of rain in Mayfield, KY over 3 day period

2005

November 14, 2005: Major flash flooding from Wayne County, MO to Marion, IL and Henderson, KY
August 28-30: Heavy rainfall and gusty winds associated with remnants of Hurricane Katrina
January 2005: Major river flooding along Wabash River
January 2005: Major river flooding along lower Ohio River

2004

July 16, 2004: Flash flooding in Evansville, IN

2003

2002

May 2002: Mississippi River Flooding

2001

November 28-December 17, 2001: Repeated rounds of heavy rain with 3 to 4 week total rainfall of 10-15 inches common
July 19-29, 2001: Flash Flooding due to day-to-day slow moving thunderstorms

2000

June 16-18, 2000: Flooding over southeast MO and southern IL with up to 10 inches of rain in Carbondale, IL area

Historic

Winter Storms

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread winter storms. Heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, and blizzards can be found in these summaries. If the event focused on wind chills, it will be found under the "Heat / Cold" section.

Scroll down the page for year, or go directly:

2025

February 18-19, 2025: Heavy snow brought 3 to 8 inches to the region, localized up to 11" for southeast Missouri
January 10, 2025: Heavy snow brought 4 to 7 inches to the quad-state.
January 5, 2025: Major ice and winter storm brings widespread power outages to parts of the region.

2024

February 16, 2024: Quick-moving clipper system brings heavy snow to parts of southern Illinois and southwest Indiana.

2023

January 30-31, 2023: Winter storm impacts the Quad State with a wide swath of 1/2" to 1" of sleet and light freezing rain.
January 24-25, 2023: Winter storm impacts southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. Significant power outages across the Ozark Foothills.

2022

December 23-24, 2022: Arctic blast sends temperatures and wind chills plunging to near record levels.
November 12, 2022: Early season snow brings swath of 1 to 3 inches to many in the region.
February 23-24, 2022: Winter storm brings significant sleet and freezing rain accumulations to much of the area.
February 3-4, 2022: Ice storm in Pennyrile region of west KY. Sleet storm most other places.
January 6, 2022: First snowstorm of the season impacts the region. Heaviest swath of 3-6" across west Kentucky..

2021

April 20, 2021: Latest measurable snow on record in Paducah and Evansville hours after temperatures were in the 60s.
February 17-18, 2021: Snow impacts the region with amounts of 1-4" producing treacherous travel conditions
February 15, 2021: Major snowstorm with widespread amounts of 4-10"
February 10, 2021: Freezing rain produces a swath of 0.1" to 0.5" ice accumulations along with 0.5" to 1.5" of sleet
January 27, 2021: 2-4" of snow across southeast Missouri and portions of southern Illinois

2020

2019

November 11, 2019: Rare early season snow produces 1 to 3 inches across the region.
February 15, 2019: Around 1/4 inch of ice in parts of west KY and up to 5 inches of snow in southern IL.
January 19, 2019: Combination of accumulating snow, strong winds, and rapidly falling temperatures produces high travel impacts
January 11-12,2019: Snow and sleet impact travel with amounts as high as 4-7 inches in portions of southern IL.

2018

November 14-15, 2018: Rare November winter winter event with snow amounts of 1 to 4 inches and ice accumulation up to 1/4 inch
April 7, 2018: Rare April snow with amounts ranging from 0.5" to 1.5" in many locations
March 11, 2018: Snow event with amounts ranging from 2 to 5 inches, localized up to 6 inches.
February 6-7, 2018: Ice event with amounts from a few hundredths to 0.25" across much of the region.
January 15, 2018: Snowstorm produces 5 to 8 inch swath of snow across southeast MO into west KY; 1 to 4 inch totals area wide.
January 12, 2018: Sleet and snow accumulations impact region, up to 7 inches in parts of west KY.

2017

2016

February 23-24, 2016: Snow and heavy rain
February 14, 2016: Valentine's Day winter storm
January 22, 2016: Snowstorm blankets west KY with 4 to 10 inches
January 9, 2016: 1-3 inches

2015

March 4-5, 2015: Heavy Snowfall, 9-18" in west KY
Febraruy 20-21, 2015: Ice/Sleet/Heavy rain event
February 16, 2015: Heavy Snowfall, up to one foot
January 15, 2015: Banded snow impacts morning commute

2014

November 16-17, 2014: Record early season snowfall
March 2-3, 2014: Major winter storm - significant ice and snow accumulations
February 4, 2014: Map of snow and ice totals
February 2, 2014: Winter storm lays swath of snow over parts of southeast MO, southern IL, and western KY

2013

December 5-6, 2013: Winter storm produces up to 10-15 inches of snow over part of the region
February 21, 2013: Ice storm impacts southeast MO and southern IL

2012

December 26, 2012: Day after Christmas snowstorm produces swath of 10 to 14+ inches over part of the area

2011

February 7, 2011: Winter storm pummels bootheel of MO into western KY with heavy snow
January 25-26, 2011: Heaviest snow falls from Lakes region of western KY up towards Owensboro area

2010

February 14, 2010: Valentine's Night snowstorm dumps up to 6 to 8 inches up along portions of I-64 corridor
February 8-9, 2010: Swath of snow covers blankets area with heaviest in Pennyrile region of west KY into a portion of southwest IN
January 29-30, 2010: Many places experience heaviest snowfall since infamous pre-Christmas snowstorm of 2004

2009

January 26-28, 2009: Historic Ice Storm

2008

March 7-8, 2008: Biggest snowstorm of season waits until March
March 3-4, 2008: Snow, ice, and heavy rain
February 21, 2008: Winter storm produces over 2 inches of sleet and 1/2 inch of ice for some areas
February 11-12, 2008: Major ice storm hits lower Ohio Valley
January 31, 2008: Snowstorm dumps 4 to 6 inches from Carter County, MO to Jackson County, IL

2007

February 17, 2007: Snowstorm hits northern and eastern counties

2006

February 17-19, 2006: The only real winter weather of the year featured back-to-back snowfalls

2005

2004

December 22, 2004: Pre-Christmas record snowfall
January 25, 2004: Ice storm strikes area

2003

February 23-24, 2003: Heavy snow hits areas mainly north of Cape Girardeau, MO to Evansville, IN
February 15-16, 2003: Sleet storm in Evansville Tri-State area and southern IL
January 16, 2003: 3 to 4 inches of snow blanketed much of southeast MO and western KY

2002

December 24, 2002: Christmas Eve winter storm slams southern IL and part of southeast MO with heavy snow
December 4, 2002: Up to 9 inches of snow and 1 inch of ice cause widespread travel problems

2001

February 21, 2001: Sleet and ice produce up to a quarter inch of ice across much of southeast MO and western KY

2000

December 13, 2000: Heavy snow and ice cause power outages and transportation problems

1999

March 14, 1999: Heavy snow with amounts of 8-14 inches over portions of southeast MO, southern IL, and southwest IN
January 1-2, 1999: Ice storm rings in the new year with up to an inch of ice over portions of MO and IL

Historic

Significant Snowstorms 1895-Present

Extreme Heat & Cold

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread high heat or extreme cold. Dangerous wind chills and life threatening heat indices can be found in these summaries. If the extreme temperatures were associated with a summer or winter storm, it may be found under the "Thunderstorms & Tornadoes" or "Winter" sections. These events tend to more "rare" compared to others, and has not been broken into yearly sections.

August 20-26, 2023 : Extreme humidity levels lead to daily heat index readings of 105 to 120 degrees.
July 20, 2022 : Oppressive Heat and Humidity. Cape Girardeau ties their all-time highest heat index of 123 degrees.
July 4-8, 2022 : Excessive heat and humidity with 4 straight days of 110+ heat index for some areas including Paducah.
June 12-16, 2022 : Record breaking early season heat wave with temperatures exceeding 100 in a few places.
February 7-20, 2021: Prolonged arctic cold outbreak with numerous records established
September 29-October 3, 2019: Summer-like heat sets all-time warmest October temperatures
June 29 - July 5, 2018: Oppressive heat and humidity with heat index readings from 100 to 115 for 7 straight days
March 6, 2015: Record cold outbreak
February 17-19, 2015: Arctic Outbreak
January 5-7, 2014: Arctic Outbreak
July 2012: Record Summer Heat Wave
August 3, 2011: Excessive heat scorches the region
Summer Heat 2010: Hottest summer since 1930's in Evansville and 1952 in Paducah
Winter 2009-2010: Coldest winter since the early 1980's
March-April 2007: April freeze follows record warm March
January 2006: Warmest January on record in Paducah and 3rd warmest in Evansville
Late July 2005: From July 21-26 heat indices reached 110+ over portions of the area
December 2000: Coldest December on record in Paducah and 2nd coldest in Evansville
July Heat 1999: Afternoon heat indices frequently topped 105 degrees over last week of the month
November 11-12, 1911: Extreme temperature drop from highs in the 70s to lows in the teens following morning

Other Events

The following summaries cover events that don't fall under the other categories - such as high wind events (not associated with thunderstorms). Other atmospheric events, such as auroras, may be found here.

April 8, 2024 : Recap of the Total Solar Eclipse and Observed Weather Conditions
March 3, 2023 : Summary of the flooding, high winds, thunderstorms, and record low barometic pressure on March 3, 2023
Summer and Fall Drought/Low River Levels 2022: The Lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers fall to near record lows in October 2022.
October 14, 2022: Months of drought and periods of extreme heat lead to an outbreak of wildfires across the area
Fall Drought 2019: One of our driest September's on record leads to moderate/severe drought developing
August 21, 2017: Total Solar Eclipse: Observed Temperature Traces
Spring/Summer Drought of 2012
Summer/Fall Drought of 2010
February 11, 2009: Deepening low pressure system leads to high winds in our area
September 14, 2008: Remnants of Hurricane Ike, 50-75 mph wind gusts
Summer/Early Fall, 2007: Severe to extreme drought plagues region
April 11, 2007: Strong winds of 40-55 mph
Summer Drought/Low River Levels 2005: River levels reach critically low levels in August along Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
Summer Drought of 2002
Summer Drought of 1999: Paducah receives only 1.48 inches of rain over a 92 day period

Regional Outbreaks of Severe Weather Through Early Next Week; Early Season Heat Wave across the South

Event Summaries