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Snowfall: Snowfall in the Barren River Area
Records of snowfall in the Barren River Area are incomplete. Bowling Green has
the longest and most complete record dating back to the winter of 1932-33
(Figure 11-1). Most climate stations within the region have shorter periods of
record with occasional gaps in the data. Still, the available information can
be used to characterize the threat of heavy snowfall in the region.
Figure 11-1. Annual snowfall at Bowling Green.
Snowfall totals vary significantly from year to year in the Barren River Area.
The average annual snowfall based on stations from across the region is almost
13 inches, with little variation from place to place. Based on the record for
Bowling Green, only about 15 percent of winters have brought more than 20 inches
of snow (Figure 11-2).
Figure 11-2. Distribution of annual snowfall totals at Bowling Green.
Snow is more frequent during the cold winter months of January and February.
Bowling Green has received at least three inches of snow in a day on 85
occasions since the winter of 1932-33, an average 1.3 days per year on which
three inches or more of snow falls, and more than 75 percent of these days
occurred in January and February (Figure 11-3). While snowfall amounts from
individual storms may be small, snow can cover the ground for extended periods
when frigid Arctic air settles over the region. This is exactly what happened
during the winter of 1977-78, one of the snowiest winters on record in the
Barren River Area. Some places within the region, including Bowling Green,
Munfordville, and Scottsville, recorded at least a trace of snowfall for ten
consecutive days in mid January. Persistent snow and cold temperatures that
winter left the ground covered for 48 consecutive days from early January
through all of February.
Figure 11-3. The seasonal distribution of 3-inch or more daily snowfall amounts, Bowling Green.
Heavy snowfalls frequently occur near the beginning or end of the winter
season. Bowling Green has received at least six inches of snow on 17 occasions
since the winter of 1932-33, and nine of these days were in November, December,
and March. These storms often leave a heavy, wet blanket of snow that falls
while temperatures hover around the freezing mark. This was the case in the
winter of 1959-60, a record season for snowfall in the Barren River Area with an
average of 46 inches over the region and measuring 54 inches in Glasgow. As
much as 30 inches of snow fell in some locations during March. Another heavy
snowfall occurred in early November of 1966 when at least 12 inches of snow fell
in locations from Scottsville to Mammoth Cave National Park. But warm
temperatures melted the snow in less than one week.
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