Kentucky storm updates: Cold, new snow slow road clearing. Power outages persist.
Kentucky’s second winter storm in less than one week knocked out power for more than 152,000 people and caused fatal traffic accidents.
The storm moved through the state Monday into early Tuesday morning, with another round of snow, sleet and freezing rain predicted for Wednesday and Thursday, as even more frigid temperatures move into the state.
Watch below for updates on the aftermath, the next storm and more.
Governor provides update, asks people to stay off roads
A state of emergency had been declared in 32 counties and 22 cities, Kentucky Division of Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett said at a news conference with Gov. Andy Beshear late Tuesday afternoon.
Dossett said members of the Kentucky Division of Forestry had been working to help clear debris to facilitate power companies’ ability to restore power. Members of the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police troopers had been conducting welfare checks and taking people to warming centers and shelters as needed, the governor said.
Dossett said five shelters had been opened, but as of late Tuesday, they were housing just 25 occupants. Eleven warming shelters were also open, and another 18 were on standby Tuesday afternoon.
“Kentuckians are doing what we are best at doing: taking care of each other,” he said.
Beshear asked people to stay off the roads.
“We have already had fatalities reported and already had to shut down portions of our interstates because of crashes,” he said. “Please be careful. Take your time, and don’t get on the roads unless you absolutely need to.”
Road conditions improve in Lexington, tree falls on structure
By late afternoon, Lexington officials said most main roads were “passable” and “most roads downtown and near the University of Kentucky campus are clear.”
The city said contractors and heavy equipment were brought in to help with clearing the roads.
While the city said “many citizens have stayed off the roads, keeping traffic volume down,” police and firefighters were busy.
In a 24-hour period, the fire department responded to “162 incidents, including four injury collisions, one tree falling onto a structure, one transformer fire and 22 calls from people with injuries.”
Police also handled 11 non-injury crashes, 57 calls for a motorist assist and 18 traffic hazards. The city said officers were keeping an eye out for disabled vehicles, downed trees and power lines and people in need of shelter.
Though the city had planned to collect waste on Wednesday that had not been picked up Monday, that plan was scrapped. The city said there would be no waste collection on Wednesday because of the ice. No make-up day has been chosen, but residents may leave their containers on the curb.
Lexington’s warming centers at the Dunbar Center at 545 N. Upper Street and the Senior Center, behind Southland Christian Church on Richmond Road will not be open Wednesday but will be open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cold temperatures followed by another winter storm
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Wednesday morning included temperatures as low as 5 degrees in some parts of Kentucky, with temperatures in the single digits across much of the state. The low for Lexington Wednesday morning was expected to be 8 degrees.
Clearing skies could cause temperatures below zero in some areas of the state, according to a release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office. Wind chills were expected to make it feel as cold as 2 degrees in Lexington.
A new winter storm watch was issued for Central Kentucky Tuesday afternoon calling for “moderate to heavy mixed precipitation.”
The weather service said up to four more inches of snow and sleet and up to two tenths of an inch more ice is possible, from Wednesday evening through early Friday morning.
Major power outages persist in Eastern Kentucky
Some customers were starting to get their power back Tuesday afternoon, after reported outages surpassed 152,000 in the morning. There were still nearly 125,000 outages reported as of about 5:30 p.m. . Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Some of the hardest-hit counties still had more than 95 percent of their customers without power early Tuesday afternoon. Elliott County had outages among 99.3 percent of customers, according to PowerOutage.us. About 97.9 percent of customers in Lawrence County were without power too. PowerOutage.us tracks data for most, but not all power providers in Kentucky.
Kentucky Power reported nearly 58,000 outages across 17 Eastern Kentucky counties Tuesday morning. About 1,600 workers were on duty to try to restore power, according to an email from the company.
Restoration efforts were expected to continue through the weekend, according to the company.
New snowfall covers roads in Lexington, Central Kentucky
2:15 p.m. – Temperatures in Central Kentucky ranged from 15 to 25 degrees Tuesday afternoon, prompting the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to ask drivers in the area to stay off the roads.
Crews in Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 7 were still clearing routes in Central Kentucky Tuesday afternoon. They were also cutting trees and limbs after heavy snow and ice caused trees and branches to fall, according to the transportation cabinet.
New snow accumulation Tuesday kept roads snow covered well into the morning as crews tried to clear them.
Snow re-covered some previously treated roads in District 7, according to Natasha Lacy, a spokesperson from the transportation cabinet. Extremely low temperatures made salt less effective too, she said.
Lexington police responded to 14 traffic accidents, including two which had injuries, and 43 motorists in need of assistance from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Brenna Angel, a spokesperson for the Lexington Police Department. The National Weather Service Tuesday morning issued a hazardous weather outlook for much of the central and western regions of the state. The outlook ranged as far West as Logan County and as far East as Nicholas County.
“Area roads will remain snow covered and treacherous through the morning,” the National Weather Service said for the outlook area. “Watch out for falling limbs and power lines.”
Frankfort police asked people to avoid travel because roads were in “very bad condition” Tuesday morning, even with crews working to clear them.
WKYT Chief Meteorologist Chris Bailey wrote in his weather blog early Tuesday morning that this snow would bring light accumulations.
Lexington gets 2.7 inches of snow Monday into Tuesday
2 p.m. – The official observed snowfall for Lexington Tuesday morning was 2.7 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The measurement was taken prior to additional snowfall in the region. Lexington also got three-tenths of an inch of freezing rain Monday evening.
Trimble County had the largest observed snowfall at 6 inches, according to the weather service. Louisville also had a notable amount of snow, measuring 5.5 inches at Louisville International Airport. Franklin County had 5.3 inches.
Troopers injured on ‘slick and hazardous’ Western Kentucky roads
1:30 p.m. – State troopers were reportedly injured on Interstate 65 while working a collision Tuesday morning. The hazardous roads appeared to be prevalent throughout the day around the western region of the state.
A tractor-trailer wreck forced authorities to close the westbound lanes of the Western Kentucky Parkway in Muhlenberg County Tuesday morning into the afternoon, according to Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey King.
There were also “numerous” wrecks and cars that slid off the road in Daviess County, King said.
A portion of Interstate 65 was blocked due to a collision earlier Tuesday morning as well, according to Trooper Daniel Priddy.
“All roadways are still slick and hazardous in the Post 3 area,” Priddy said.
State police Post 3 covers Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Simpson, and Warren counties.
Trooper Corey King reported hazardous roads in the Post 16 area as well, which includes Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, and Union counties.
“Use caution as many plows have not recently plowed secondary or county roads,” he said. “Please give yourself plenty of time if you have to venture out.”
Kentucky General Assembly won’t meet for rest of week
1 p.m. – The state legislature decided Tuesday not to convene for the rest of the week due to the winter weather. The legislature will make up those days on Feb. 22, March 1 and March 12. The General Assembly’s last day of the session will still be March 30.
Many Eastern Kentucky roads still ‘impassable’
12 p.m. – Roads in the northeastern region of the state were still covered in snow and ice late Tuesday morning, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
“Many trees and power lines are down, making most roads impassable in Elliott, southern Rowan, Carter, and Boyd counties,” the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said. “Travel is hazardous, and not advised.”
Snow may remain for days on some roads because of those obstacles crews encountered, according to the transportation cabinet.
New snow in areas near Interstate 64 Tuesday morning was a challenge in northeastern Kentucky roads, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
The snow had the potential to “create more issues on already-slick roads,” including main roads, according to the transportation cabinet. People were advised to avoid travel or drive slow.
There were problems in Richmond too. Interstate 75 northbound at exit 83 was closed for nearly an hour Tuesday morning because of a “weather related incident,” according to Richmond police. Photos from the department appeared to show an accident involving multiple tractor-trailer trucks.
Below freezing temperatures ‘hindering efforts’ to clear roads
10:15 a.m. – The southcentral region of Kentucky was having trouble getting roads cleared Monday morning, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
“Downed trees, below freezing temperatures hindering efforts by crews to clear roads,” the transportation cabinet said. Travel was not advised.
Kentucky State Police Sgt. Jason Morris said Tuesday morning roads in the Columbia post area were “slick and hazardous.” That post covers Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, Marion, Metcalfe, Monroe, Russell, Taylor and Washington counties.
Forecast calls for frigid temperatures leading up to next storm
7:15 a.m. – High temperatures in Central Kentucky were expected to range from 17 degrees to 21 degrees during the day Tuesday, and dip as low as 4 degrees Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
“Roads are absolutely horrendous across the entire region and today won’t do a lot to help road crews out,” WKYT Chief Meteorologist Chris Bailey wrote in a Tuesday update to his weather blog. “Temps today may start out below zero across the western part of the state with wind chills even colder.”
Light snow flurries were expected in the region Tuesday, according to the weather service. No precipitation was expected Tuesday night, but a third winter storm in a week was expected to arrive Wednesday.
“The first wave of snow moves in on Wednesday and should bring accumulations with it,” Bailey said.
University of Kentucky, others cancel in-person class
7 a.m. – UK canceled its in-person classes again Tuesday after canceling afternoon classes Monday. Online classes were expected to continue. The university also closed its COVID-19 vaccine clinic, asking volunteers not to report Tuesday.
COVID-19 testing sites at Kroger Field, Eastern State Hospital, the K Lair, and Gatton Student Center were all closed Tuesday too.
UK HealthCare hospitals and clinics remained open, and Plan B designated employees were asked to report to work on campus.
Transylvania University and Eastern Kentucky University previously announced they would move their Tuesday classes to virtual-only.
Lexington drivers still asked to stay off the roads
7 a.m. – The Lexington Streets and Roads department asked drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary as crews continued to work on treating streets Tuesday morning.
“If you must be on the road today, remember to drive slowly, increase your following distance and allow extra time to reach your destination,” the city said in a statement. “Due to inclement weather, many businesses may be closed so it is advised to check first before leaving your home.”
Lexington police responded to three non-injury collisions and 15 motorists in need of assistance overnight, according to the city.
The city’s level one snow emergency was still in effect Tuesday morning, meaning vehicles couldn’t be parked on streets designated as snow emergency routes. Those parked on snow emergency routes risked being towed.
Lexington cancels waste collection Tuesday
7 a.m. – The city suspended its waste collection service for Tuesday due to icy conditions, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office. A makeup day hadn’t yet been scheduled.
“No City carts or dumpsters will be collected,” the city said in a statement. “Residents may leave their waste carts at the curb. Please keep the carts out of the street to make it easier for road crews.”
The city also closed all of its offices that weren’t involved in weather-related work.
At least 5 dead from Kentucky traffic crashes
6:55 a.m. – State police worked at least four fatal crashes Monday. Ice and snow were believed to be a factor in all four of them.
A crash between a tractor-trailer and a passenger car killed 43-year-old Angel Johnson on Interstate 64 in Carter County early Monday morning, according to state police.
Another tractor-trailer collided with a Volkswagen Jetta on Interstate 75 in Rockcastle County, killing 39-year-old Nathan T.J. Rubalcava, according to state police.
An accident in Trimble County killed two people, according to state police. Kristen Croxton, 34, and Woody Brewer, 63, were in a Toyota Scion when they ran off the road and into a body of water, state police said. They were found dead inside the vehicle when it was recovered.
A man ran into a guardrail on Interstate 24 in Marshall County Monday afternoon, state police said. Another man driving a truck attempted to stop and help the man on the shoulder, but the ice and snow-covered road made stopping impossible, and he ultimately collided with 77-year-old Adrian Pyle, state police said. Pyle was transported to a hospital but eventually died.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 6:53 AM with the headline "Kentucky storm updates: Cold, new snow slow road clearing. Power outages persist.."