According to the National Weather Service office in Louisville, 2023 was both the warmest and the least snowy year in Louisville. That's based on data measured at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport where the "official" weather records are kept.

The 1.3 inches of snow measured in 2023 tied the record from 100 years ago in 1923 for least snowy year in Louisville. That is more than a foot away from where we should be. 13.4" of snow is average for Louisville in a calendar year, so 2023 was 12.1" below normal snowfall. 

When looking at the annual temperature, the average is used for consistency. This is the temperature averaged across a day, then those averaged across the year. That's how we get to 61.0" for Louisville average temperature across 2023 which is 2.1º above normal. 

Interestingly, 2023 did not rank among the driest years. We got that question a lot through the year, especially considering we ended the year in drought. 2023 measured 41.09" of precipitation which includes rain and the liquid equivalent of any snow that fell. The driest year on record in Louisville measured only 23.88" of precipitation (which happened in 1930) and even the tenth driest still measured 32.80" (in 1943). 

Other notable records from the 2023 climate report for our area: 

January 2023 is the 4th warmest January 

February 2023 is the 3rd warmest February

December 2023 tied as the 9th warmest December