KENTUCKY — Kentucky is no stranger to unusual weather swings, and the state has occasionally seen snowflakes fall weeks before winter officially begins.
According to records maintained by the National Weather Service, the earliest measurable snowfall in Lexington occurred on October 19, 1972, when the city recorded 0.1 inch of snow.
Louisville’s earliest measurable snowfall came later, on October 19, 1989, when 1.4 inches fell at Standiford Field.
Although trace amounts of snow have been observed earlier in the month in some years, measurable snowfall in October is rare across Kentucky. Most years see the first measurable snow arrive in late November or December.
Climatologists note that Kentucky’s location between the Midwest and the Southeast contributes to its variable winter weather. Arctic cold fronts can occasionally push far enough south to combine with moisture from the Ohio Valley, producing snow well before the season’s norm.
These early events remain outliers in the state’s climate history, but they serve as reminders of just how unpredictable Kentucky weather can be.
