‘Violent outbursts of snow’ in Lexington cause traffic issues. Were roads treated?
After 152 collisions and a Fayette County Public Schools closure — which was announced after some students were already in school buildings — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton urged drivers to take caution on city roadways.
Gorton said in a press statement around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday that low early morning temperatures and “violent outbursts of snow” led to slippery road conditions. Gorton said that snow hit around 4:30 to 5:30 a.m., and was “quick freezing.”
The city pre-treated some roads last night, including hills, bridges and overpasses, in anticipation of the weather. Crews were still treating streets with snow and brine Tuesday morning. The city also helped state crews treat New Circle Road, Gorton’s office said.
“It’s important to drive slowly, to keep plenty of distance between yourself and other vehicles, and to watch out for black ice,” Gorton said in a statement.
Gorton told the Herald-Leader the city expected snow and treated roads in accordance with the snow plan. But Gorton said after several rounds of snow that quickly froze early this morning, the event ended up being more of an unexpected ice event than a snow event.
“No one expected ice this morning,” Gorton said. “It looked like snow on top, but there was a thin layer of ice underneath. ... As I was driving (to the government center) this morning, it just looked like a mirror.”
“Everyone I have talked to has said this was a strange, different kind of storm,” she added.
Gorton pointed out that the National Weather Service did not issue a warning about Tuesday’s snowfall until 5:32 A.M. Tuesday morning.
FCPS, which monitors roadways as they make decisions about whether to leave schools open, was also caught off-guard by the morning conditions.
Tuesday morning’s decision to cancel in-person classes for FCPS happened at the last minute, with teachers sharing that some of them were already at school — and so were some of their students. The district initially said it would operate on a two-hour delay before announcing a non-traditional instruction day at about 7:30 a.m.
“Even (the National Weather Service) realized something had changed” compared to yesterday’s forecast, Gorton said. “It was a surprise all around.”
The event’s fallout was worsened by the timing. Snow began rapidly falling around 4:30 a.m., shortly before commuters were starting to drive to work.
As of 10:15am this morning, the city had 152 total collisions — 15 with injuries and 137 without injuries.
“I don’t think people were staying off the roads,” Gorton said, noting that the National Weather Service warning did not come in time for people to prepare.
This is the second winter event the city has had a troubled response to in recent months.
Winter Storm Fern brought several inches of snow and ice to Lexington in late January. Neighborhood streets were thickly coated with ice for weeks as Lexington earned criticism from residents, local political candidates and even Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshsear for the lackluster response.
“This is the second one in a row that we should have seen better results,” Beshear said, “and I think the mayor has said that and has taken responsibility,” Beshear said.
“It can’t take a third event to get there,” he added.
Raquel Carter, a real-estate agent challenging Gorton in the mayoral election this year, added a second round of criticism to the city’s response in a Tuesday statement.
“It is unacceptable that the city of Lexington remains so utterly unprepared to handle even a modest snowfall like the one we are exeperiencing today,” Carter said. “Our community deserves a mayor who will ... ensure a proactive response to guarantee our city and residents can function safely through any weather event.”
City officials are currently reviewing the response to Winter Storm Fern and will rewrite the city’s snow plan to better address future winter weather.
The city has also issued a request for proposals to contract winter response services from companies with large, ice-breaking trucks.
Gorton told the Herald-Leader she thinks Lexington is becoming more of a “midwest weather area” with the recent increase in ice events.
“We’re good with just plain snow. But we haven’t had just plain snow in awhile, have we?” she said.
“After a major storm and this incident (today), we’re doing something about it,” Gorton said.
Gorton said she understands the frustration of Fayette County travelers.
“It’s really hard on families with kids going to school, or who had to go back and get their kids from school,” Gorton said. “It’s disruptive, really.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 12:08 PM.
