When will the snowpack in Lexington melt? How long NWS says it will refreeze at night
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NWS reports Lexington received 5.5 inches of snow and 1.48 inches precipitation.
- Temperatures stay below freezing into next week, delaying snowpack melt and thaw.
- NWS warns refreezing will compact ice, hinder removal, and risk power and health.
The temperature in Lexington is not forecast to get above freezing until next week, meaning the snowpack from Winter Storm Fern could hang around for quite some time.
Lexington received 5.5 inches of snow and 1.48 inches of precipitation from the storm Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. While the state received less snow than expected, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a Monday morning news conference, the storm brought more ice accumulation than anticipated.
Samantha Wilson, a meteorologist with the NWS, said the higher snow-accumulation band tracked about 20 to 30 miles north of Interstate 71, while areas below that band received more sleet and freezing rain. Southern Indiana and Cincinnati received 13 to 14 inches of snow.
“The storm track went a little bit north, which led Lexington to be in that mix of complex winter precipitation,” Wilson said.
It is not fair to say the storm underperformed, Wilson said, only that the projected path of the storm was slightly miscalculated. The snowstorm was a complex setup with a warm nose, which is a layer of warm air just above the surface sandwiched between colder air at ground level and higher up in the atmosphere.
That warm nose transitioned snow into sleet and precipitation in Lexington, and the area received 0.3 inches of freezing rain.
“When you get almost of a third of an inch of ice accumulating on power lines, that can add 1,500 pounds to a 50-foot power line,” Wilson said. “That is an incredible amount.”
The temperature will not rise above freezing this week and most of the weekend, meaning the snow and ice from the winter storm is not expected to start melting soon.
Wilson said some extended periods of sunshine Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 27 will help start melting the snowpack, but that melted moisture will just refreeze when the temperatures drop in the evening.
“If we do have a little bit of melting from the sun, at night when the sun goes away, and it’s extremely cold, that will begin to refreeze and compact,” Wilson said. “It will get more difficult to shovel or remove.”
Lexington is under a cold weather advisory until 7 p.m. Monday, according to the NWS. The projected high temperature is 12 degrees Fahrenheit and the low is 2 below, but wind chill temperatures will dip well into the negatives.
Following the cold weather advisory, an extreme cold warning will be in effect from 7 p.m. Monday to 11 a.m. Tuesday. The weather service said dangerously cold wind chill temperatures as low as negative 20 degrees could result in hypothermia or frostbite.
There are small chances of additional snow Monday and Wednesday, Jan. 28. Wilson said lingering clouds with limited moisture could produce snow flurries and minimal accumulations Monday.
A few clipper systems are possible Wednesday, which again could produce small snow accumulations, according to Wilson.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 11:49 AM.
