Snow from a power plant? Some in the Cincinnati area saw a rare snow phenomenon Tuesday morning.It's a relatively unusual atmospheric occurrence, and it happened again in Northern Kentucky.A persistent band of snow showed on the WLWT radar starting around 5 a.m. Tuesday. This was in addition to a light snow already falling across the region. It showed near Sparta through northern Owen County, stretching into Grant County and onto a stretch of Interstate 75 between Dry Ridge and Williamstown.It's another case of power plant snow, WLWT meteorologist Randi Rico said.Steam from a power plant along the Ohio River enhanced the amount of water vapor in the air, creating more snow.Several spots along the river near Ghent were visibly emitting plumes of steam Tuesday morning. As the moisture was released, an inversion -- an increase in temperature with height -- prevented this plume of moist air from rising too much.That steam then condensed and crystallized into snow, Rico said. That band kept regenerating along the path downwind from the river.The phenomenon is similar to lake effect snow.So how much snow was actually created by the so-called power plant snow? Hardly any, Rico said, but coupled with Tuesday morning widespread snow flurries, the areas impacted saw increased accumulations.This is not the first time Northern Kentucky has experienced the phenomenon. It happened in January of this year as well.

Snow from a power plant? Some in the Cincinnati area saw a rare snow phenomenon Tuesday morning.

It's a relatively unusual atmospheric occurrence, and it happened again in Northern Kentucky.


A persistent band of snow showed on the WLWT radar starting around 5 a.m. Tuesday. This was in addition to a light snow already falling across the region.

It showed near Sparta through northern Owen County, stretching into Grant County and onto a stretch of Interstate 75 between Dry Ridge and Williamstown.

It's another case of power plant snow, WLWT meteorologist Randi Rico said.

Steam from a power plant along the Ohio River enhanced the amount of water vapor in the air, creating more snow.

Several spots along the river near Ghent were visibly emitting plumes of steam Tuesday morning. As the moisture was released, an inversion -- an increase in temperature with height -- prevented this plume of moist air from rising too much.

That steam then condensed and crystallized into snow, Rico said. That band kept regenerating along the path downwind from the river.

The phenomenon is similar to lake effect snow.

So how much snow was actually created by the so-called power plant snow? Hardly any, Rico said, but coupled with Tuesday morning widespread snow flurries, the areas impacted saw increased accumulations.

This is not the first time Northern Kentucky has experienced the phenomenon. It happened in January of this year as well.