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For the second time in less than a week, Kentuckians had to dig out from a winter storm that caked roads with snow, sleet or ice, brought down trees, shut down offices and schools and initially knocked out power to more than 150,000 utility customers.
Dreaded ice glazed Lexington but piled up in Eastern and southern Kentucky, where it accumulated on top of earlier ice and stranded some without power and crucial medical supplies in their homes. The storm was deadly, causing several fatal crashes Monday night and some Tuesday as state and local officials and police warned drivers to avoid the slick or snow-covered roads.
By the end of Tuesday, road crews had made progress clearing main roads and interstates, but not neighborhood streets and rural routes.
Thirty-two counties and 22 cities declared states of emergency, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
Snow and ice accumulations varied throughout the state. Lexington had 2.7 inches of snow and three-tenths of an inch of freezing rain, according to the National Weather Service. 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.
Next up: Cold. And more of the same with another winter storm on the way late Wednesday. It, too, threatens Central and Eastern Kentucky with ice, snow and sleet.
The National Weather Service’s forecast for Wednesday morning included temperatures as low as 5 degrees in some parts of Kentucky. The low for Lexington Wednesday morning was expected to be 8 degrees.
Some utility customers were getting their power back Tuesday afternoon after reported outages surpassed 152,000 in the morning. There were 134,000 customers without power in the state as of 4 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us, which compiles numbers nationwide. Some utilities brought in extra workers to help.
In some areas like the state Transportation Department’s Central Kentucky District 7, road crews had to clear fallen trees and branches as well as snow. Extremely low temperatures made salt less effective, said Natasha Lacy, a spokeswoman for the district.
Eastern Kentucky road conditions were worse.
“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.”
The state used the National Guard and state police to help.
“Frontline emergency responders continue to work hard to clear roads, trees and branches and support communities across the commonwealth as needed – including Kentucky National Guard soldiers and Kentucky State Police troopers providing wellness checks in counties suffering power outages,” Beshear said in a statement Tuesday.
Road and weather conditions contributed to accidents.
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.
In other areas of the state, the wrecks were fatal. Five people were killed in four weather-related crashes, primarily on interstates, including I-75, I-64 and I-24, in Carter, Rockcastle, Trimble and Marshall counties. Another fatal crash Tuesday injured two Kentucky State Police troopers on I-65.
Two troopers were at the scene of an early morning crash near Horse Cave when a tractor-trailer lost control and struck their two cruisers just before 8 a.m., said Kentucky State Police spokesman Daniel Priddy, who is also a trooper. The two troopers involved in the accident were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and have since been released from the hospital.
One person involved in the second crash on I-65 died, Priddy said.