KENTUCKY MONTHLY AND ANNUAL CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR -- 2022
By: Matt Dixon -- UK Agricultural Weather Center

* Data tables courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate 
Center cli-MATE toolkit, available at: https://mrcc.purdue.edu/CLIMATE/

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period December 2022
 
Near Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Precipitation: 

The Bluegrass State averaged 3.74 inches of precipitation for the month of December, 
marking a fourth straight month of below normal precipitation. The latter third of 
the year also pushed the state average below normal for 2022, marking the first time 
that has happened since 2017. Still though, just like 2017, it’s only a minor 
deficit. Although we ran below normal in December, it was enough to diminish drought 
impacts across the region. In doing so, the U.S. Drought Monitor reduced the spatial 
coverage of drought across the state by roughly 80% since the end of November.

Looking at temperatures, Kentucky saw a highly impactful Arctic air event just prior 
to the Christmas holiday. Following the passage of a strong cold front on the 22nd, 
temperatures dropped over 40+ degrees. Minimum temperatures were lowest on the 
morning of the 23rd when nearly the entirety of the state was below zero. Making 
matters worse, high winds led to wind chills dropping into the -20 to -30 range at 
times and creating very stressful conditions for animals. Luckily, the state saw a 
quick turnaround with highs back in the 50s and 60s for the end of 2022. Prior to the 
cold air event, mild temperature were pretty common for the first half of December.

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period November 2022
 
Slightly Above Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Precipitation: 

In what has been a trend over the fall season, the state saw yet another month of 
much below normal rainfall. Ultimately, the state only averaged 2.58 inches, which 
kept drought conditions entrenched across the area. Fall is typically Kentucky’s dry 
season, but it was taken to another level in 2022. Overall, it was Kentucky 11th 
driest fall season on record. The state only averaged 5.89 inches, which is nearly 5 
inches below normal over that time span. When only looking at Western KY, it was the 
third driest fall on record. 

November started on a warm note with highs in the 70s and sometimes touching 80.  The 
warm spell was short-lived as some very chilly air moved into the area for the middle 
sections of November. Winter essentially came early as highs struggled in the 30s 
over multiple days. Some nights dipped into the teens. Temperatures then rebounded 
over the last week of the month. In fact, highs on the Thanksgiving holiday lifted 
into the middle 60s to low 70s.  

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period October 2022

Below Normal Temperatures and Much Below Normal Precipitation: 

Kentucky saw a second straight month of much below normal rainfall. In fact, it was 
the 17th driest October on record for the state with an average of 1.40 inches. While 
fall harvest continued with little in the way interruptions, drought coverage 
continued to expand and intensify. The dry conditions combined with high winds and 
low relative humidity’s, led to multiple periods of increased fire risk and nearly 
half of Kentucky counties were placed under a burn ban. The longevity of the drought 
also led to low water levels on the Mississippi River, limiting transport. By the end 
of October, roughly 82% of Kentucky was in a drought according to the U.S. Drought 
Monitor. The Purchase area was on the upper-end of intensity, landing in the 
‘extreme’ category.

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period September 2022

Slightly Below Normal Temperatures and Much Below Normal Precipitation: 

Following a couple months of drought improvement on the U.S. Drought Monitor, 
September turned dry. The state only averaged 1.91 inches, which is over 1.5 inches 
below normal. That averaged dropped to 1.48 when looking at Western KY, alone. By the 
end of August, almost 2/3rds of Kentucky was classified as abnormally dry and the 
Purchase Region saw the reappearance of moderate to severe drought impacts, mainly in 
the way of pasture deterioration. In a similar setup compared to June, some areas 
across Western KY went 2+ weeks without any rainfall.

Temperature-wise, the Bluegrass State saw plenty of ups and downs throughout the 
month, ultimately ending August slightly below normal. On the high side, Kentucky saw 
high temperatures well into the 90s on the 21st. Some even hit 100+, including 
Paducah-Barkley Regional AP at 101. This ended up being the hottest day in Paducah 
since early August of 2012. A strong cold front then brought an abrupt end to the 
heat. On the low side of spectrum, some saw an early season light frost on the 
morning of the 28th as lows dipped well into the 30s.

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period August 2022

Near Normal Temperatures and Above Normal Precipitation: 

The Commonwealth saw an active pattern over the first half of August. Many saw 2 to 
4+ inches, although there were pockets that missed out. Hit and miss activity was 
more common over the second half, up until the 28th. Over the course of a couple 
days, the northern half of Kentucky saw 1-2+ inches of rainfall. Overall, the state 
averaged 4.57 inches for the month, which is about an inch above normal for August. 
Western KY, which had moderate to severe drought conditions in place to start the 
month, averaged 4.30 inches.

Heat and humidity remained across the area over early August, before the state saw a 
reprieve mid-month with highs only in the upper 70s to mid-80s and low humidity in 
place. Prior to the cool spell, unrelenting heat was commonplace through the summer 
months. Kentucky saw its 22nd warmest June/July period on record. The last time 
Kentucky saw a warmer June/July was in 2016. Unfortunately, it was only a minor break 
from the heat and humidity as it all returned to end the month.

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period July 2022

Well Above Normal Temperatures and Much Above Normal Precipitation: 

Following a dry June, Kentucky went to the other side of spectrum in July. The state 
averaged 8.04 inches for the month, which was the 4th wettest July ever recorded in 
Kentucky history. The highest amounts were seen across South Central and Eastern KY, 
where many topped 10 inches. Some exceeded 15.  The average for Eastern KY, alone, 
was 11.10 inches, marking the wettest July this area has ever seen. Most of that 
total can be attributed to a catastrophic flooding event over the last week of the 
month where a large section of Eastern KY saw 5 to 10+ inches of rain. A good portion 
of these totals fell in a matter of hours, leading to tremendous loss in many Eastern 
KY communities.

The high rainfall totals were not shared with the Purchase region of Western KY, 
where many saw less than 3 inches for the month. This further intensified drought 
conditions across this area. On the last update of the month to the U.S. Drought 
Monitor, most of this region was classified in a severe drought. A small portion of 
Graves and Calloway Counties were even degraded into an extreme drought. 

===
Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period June 2022

Above Normal Temperatures and Much Below Normal Precipitation: 

The story of June was the expansion and intensification of drought conditions across 
the state, ultimately creating stressful and deteriorating conditions for Kentucky 
agriculture. The state only averaged 2.70 inches in June, most of which fell on the 
6th and 7th. This is roughly 2 inches below normal and good for the 12th driest June 
ever recorded in Kentucky. Most of the southern half of Kentucky ran anywhere from 1 
to 3+ inches below normal for the month. Some even went 20+ days without seeing a 
drop. 

Making matters worse, Kentucky saw its first heat wave of the summer over the middle 
stages of June. Highs jumped into the mid to upper 90s at times. High humidity pushed 
heat indices into the 105 to 115 range, prompting stressful conditions for humans and 
animals, alike. Combined with the lack of rain, streams flows started running below 
normal and shallow soil moisture diminished rapidly. By the end of June, the U.S. 
Drought Monitor had deemed ~31% of Kentucky in a moderate drought, most of which 
across the Lake Cumberland Region and up into North Central KY and the Green River 
region. This was the highest spatial coverage of moderate drought across Kentucky 
since October of 2019. 

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period May 2022
 
Above Normal Temperatures and Slightly Below Normal Precipitation: 

The first full week of May featured an active pattern as a couple frontal systems 
moved through the area. The state averaged 1.40 inches for the week. That number 
increased to 2.26 for Eastern KY, alone, which had run abnormally dry for weeks on 
the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Bluegrass State finally saw a dry and warm pattern over 
the second week of May, allowing farmers to get back on track with spring planting. 
Precipitation was then more of the hit or miss variety over the rest of the month. 
Overall, the state averaged 4.86 inches for the month, slightly below normal for this 
time of year, but that didn’t tell the whole story. While much of Eastern KY was 1-2+ 
inches above normal for May, many across the western half of Kentucky were 1-3+ 
inches below normal.

Temperatures were consistently mild, running above normal for the month. Highs well 
in the 80s and at times, low 90s, were seen multiple times from mid-May, onwards. 
Putting in perspective, normal highs for this time of year run in the mid-70s to low 
80s. This ultimately pushed Kentucky to its 23rd warmest May ever recorded with data 
going back 128 years. 

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period April 2022

Below Normal Temperatures and Slightly Below Normal Precipitation

Kentucky saw a chilly first month to the growing season. Overall, the state average 
ran about two degrees below normal. Freeze warnings and frost advisories were issued 
on multiple occasions. This included the first weekend of the month where lows in the 
upper 20s to low 30s were common. A couple more threats followed on the mornings of 
the 9th and 19th. While it was a cool start to the growing season, the bigger problem 
for agriculture was a very active pattern, which hindered planting opportunities. 
Most of the western half of Kentucky recorded 5-8+ inches, most of which fell over 
the first few weeks of April. It was ultimately the 21st wettest April on record for 
Western KY (128-year record). Saying that, the excessive rainfall was not shared 
statewide. Southeastern KY missed out and ran 1-2 inches below normal for the month, 
pushing this area into the ‘abnormally dry’ category on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Severe weather accompanied the wet conditions on the 13th. A strong line of storms 
pushed through the area, producing multiple reports of damaging winds and even 14 
tornadoes. All were relatively weak and short-lived, rated EF-0 or EF-1.

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Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period March 2022
 
Above Normal Temperatures and Below Normal Precipitation: 

Following Kentucky’s 16th wettest winter on record (data back to 1895), March 
precipitation ran below normal. Overall, the state only averaged 3.40 inches, most of 
which fell on the 6th and 7th.  The highest accumulations were seen along and just 
south of the Parkways, with values of over two inches common. This was followed by a 
late season winter storm on March 11th and 12th. Many across the eastern half of the 
state saw between 4 and 8 inches. Totals diminished greatly to the west with much of 
Western and West-Central Kentucky in the 1-to-2-inch range. The rest of the month ran 
predominantly dry.

Looking at temperatures, the first five days of March were very warm for this time of 
year. Highs in the 60s and 70s were common across the area. The rest of the month 
followed this mild trend with only intermittent cool spells. One though, on the 
mornings of the 27th and 28th, prompted some concern for early season fruit as lows 
dipped well into the 20s.

===
Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period February 2022
 
Near Normal Temperatures and Much Above Normal Precipitation: 

An active weather pattern continued over into February. Widespread rain showers 
pushed through the area on the 2nd and was followed by a wintry mix on the 3rd as an 
Arctic front slowly worked through Kentucky. Much of the state saw a mix of freezing 
rain, sleet, and snow. Over the course of the two-day event, accumulations ranged 
from 1.5 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation. Following a couple weeks of 
mostly dry conditions, the state saw another 1-2+ inches of rainfall on the 17th and 
then a multi-day active pattern over the last week of the month. Overall, the state 
averaged 6.42 inches over the course of February, which is about 2.5 inches above 
normal and tied for the 12th wettest February ever recorded. Temperature-wise, the 
state saw a rollercoaster pattern with plenty of ups and downs throughout the month, 
ultimately keeping the average for February close to normal.

===
Kentucky Climate Summary
For the Period January 2022
 
Below Normal Temperatures and Much Above Normal Precipitation:

The Bluegrass State started 2022 on a wet note, averaging 5.68 inches for the month 
of January. The brunt of this precipitation fell over the first half of the month, 
one of the more significant events occurring on the New Year’s holiday. Moderate to 
heavy rains produced bouts of flash flooding across the region. Some rivers even 
reached minor to moderate flood stages. Unfortunately, this storm setup also produced 
another tornado outbreak, primarily across South Central Kentucky. This time though, 
tornadoes were relatively weak compared to the outbreak of December 10-11th of 2021, 
with all rated EF0 or EF1 strength.  

Temperatures then took a downhill turn over the remainder of January. Kentucky saw 
numerous nights with lows dipping into the teens and single digits. Some even dropped 
below zero. The cold temperatures combined with an active pattern led to several 
snowstorms through the end of January. One of the more significant storms occurred on 
January 6th. Much of Kentucky saw 4 to 6 inches of dry, fluffy snow. There was even a 
stripe of accumulations between Elizabethtown and Lexington that recorded 6 to 10, 
resulting in numerous travel impacts. 

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