Raise your hand if you remember Louisville’s snowstorm of 1994.
ICYMI (or were just a wee snowflake at the time), here’s what happened: On the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, Louisvillians woke up to an all-time record-busting snowstorm with 15.9 inches of snowfall — the most in a single day in Louisville history.
Louisvillians and LOUtoday’s readers have a lot of memories from that day. Take a sleigh ride back in time with their memories.
While 1994 holds the single-day record, Lousville twice saw deeper total snow depths: 18 inches in both 1978 + 1998.
Here are some more snowtable facts about Derby City’s relationship to snow:
❄️ Other heavy snowfalls in Louisville
- 15.9 inches, January 1994
- 15.0 inches, December 1917
- 12.9 inches, November, 966
- 12 inches, March 1968
- 11.6 inches, February 1998
❄️ The earliest snowfall
- The earliest snowfall on record in Derby City took place on Oct. 10, 1906, when just a trace of snow fell.
- The earliest measurable snow: Oct. 19, 1989 at 1.4 inches.
❄️ The latest snowfall
- On May 20, 1894, Louisville saw trace amounts of snowfall.
- The latest measurable snowfall took place on May 6, 1898 — two days after the Kentucky Derby. It’s the only time Louisville has seen measurable snowfall in the month of May.
- Bonus: Louisvillians of a certain age might remember the sleet that fell over Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day in 1989.
The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting a wet, cold, and white winter for the region this season — so you might want to stock up on bread, milk, and eggs.
