KENTUCKY — Kentucky has already logged at least one high-impact winter weather event in 2026, and historical climate data indicate there is still time left in the season for additional snowfall, according to the National Weather Service, though the timing and amounts cannot be forecast reliably beyond the short range.
The National Weather Service office in Louisville documented a major winter storm from Jan. 24–26 that produced 6 to 13 inches of snow and sleet across parts of northern Kentucky, along with significant ice accretion in portions of central and eastern Kentucky.
In the weeks since, daily climate reporting for Louisville showed 18.3 inches of snowfall since Dec. 1 as of Feb. 11—above the site’s 1991–2020 normal for that period. Farther west, the National Weather Service office in Paducah reported that January 2026 snowfall was well above normal in its region because of the late-January storm, with Paducah measuring 8.2 inches and finishing as its 8th snowiest January on record.
Looking ahead, the remaining window for snow is still open. Climatological averages show that snow in Kentucky is not limited to December and January; at Paducah, long-term normals include measurable snowfall in February and March. However, the National Weather Service notes that seasonal outlooks are built around temperature and total precipitation probabilities and do not project seasonal snowfall totals, since snowfall is generally not predictable far in advance.
What can be said, based strictly on the data available so far this winter, is that Kentucky has already experienced conditions capable of producing major snow and ice, and climatology supports the possibility of additional snow before spring. Whether that comes as a single late-season storm or a series of lighter events will depend on storm tracks and day-to-day temperature profiles that are not knowable weeks in advance.
