‘Time to prepare is now.’ NWS issues winter storm warning for KY ahead of snowstorm
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- NWS issues winter storm warning for most of Kentucky, effective 1 a.m. Saturday.
- Forecast: 4–10 in snow/sleet + up to 0.33 in ice south; 10–14 in north.
- Storm poses major impacts: dangerous travel, widespread closures and deep cold.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for virtually all of Kentucky ahead of a powerful snowstorm that could produce double-digit inches of snow.
The warning excludes only the most northern and northeastern Kentucky counties. The NWS is calling for 4 to 10 inches of snow and sleet and up to a third of an inch of ice accumulation in areas south of Kentucky’s parkways. About 10 and 14 inches of snow are forecast for areas north of the parkways.
The warning will go into effect at 1 a.m. Saturday and last until at least 7 a.m. Monday, according to the NWS.
The snowstorm is expected to arrive in Central Kentucky between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and depart around midnight Sunday into Monday. There is a 70% chance that Lexington will receive more than 8 inches of snow and a 50% to 60% chance of exceeding 12 inches of snow, according to the NWS.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton urged people to start preparing for the storm now during a Jan. 22 press conference. That means stocking up on groceries, gassing up cars, getting prescriptions filled and restocking emergency kits, she said.
“This is not just any other storm,” Gorton said.
It’s been a decade since the city received that much snow, she said.
“This is likely to be the type of weather where staying home will be the safest choice for most of us. Fewer cars on the roads also makes it easier for our city crews to focus on clearing the snow and (allows) first responders to respond to emergencies,” Gorton said.
Gorton also asked people not to park along city streets and roads to allow city crews to pretreat roads with salt. Director of Streets and Roads Rob Allen said crews started pretreating county roads Thursday. The city will staff up for the weekend for 24-hour coverage for several days.
It will take the city more than 48 hours after the snow stops falling to clear roads. The snow is expected to stop falling Monday. and the area could see 30 hours of snow fall, Allen said.
“It will take us a couple of days to clear it. Please be patient and be careful,” Allen said.
LexPark will allow people to park in three downtown parking garages — the Helix, the downtown Fayette Circuit and District Courthouse garages and the Lextran Transit garage — for free beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Tuesday, said executive director Laura Boison.
Lexington Emergency Management executive director Robert Larkin said the storm will bring not only snow and possibly ice, but bitterly-cold temperatures. People may not be able to get to stores or get out for several days, he said.
“I bring this up not to scare our residents, but to prepare our residents and reemphasize the time to prepare is now,” Larkin said.
Possible record-breaking snow fall
The last time Lexington received at least 10 inches of snow from a single storm was in March 2015, when 17.1 inches of snow fell on the city over two days. The snowfall broke the city record for the most snowfall received over a two-day period.
The snowstorm could cause major impacts, which are defined by the NWS as considerable disruptions to daily life, dangerous to impossible driving conditions and widespread closures. There is a 60% chance Lexington experiences major impacts.
The storm is being fueled by three key ingredients: lift, moisture and cold air. NWS meteorologist Brian Schoettmer told the Herald-Leader on Wednesday that these three elements make it possible to produce rare and large snowstorms like the one forecast for this weekend.
WKYT meteorologist Chris Bailey called the storm, “one of the most moisture laden winter storm systems I’ve ever seen on a forecast model.” He added that the snowstorm has the chance to shut down Kentucky and surrounding areas.
After the storm departs the region, temperatures are expected to be bitterly cold for several days. The temperature is not forecast to get above freezing in the NWS’ seven-day forecast for Lexington after Thursday afternoon.
Low temperatures are expected to be between single digits and the mid-teens until at least Jan. 29, according to the NWS. Wind chill temperatures will be in the negatives some of those days.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 3:12 PM.
