The major winter storm bearing down on Kentucky, prompting issuance of ice storm and winter storm warnings in much of the state, led Gov. Andy Beshear to declare a state of emergency and close state office buildings on Thursday.
NKY cities and counties have had the same response. Schools are closed and officials are urging caution and staying at home if possible. Government offices were also being shut down. Grocery shoppers were reporting bare shelves with milk and bread in high demand.
“Freezing roadways are extremely dangerous,” Gov. Beshear said. “I am closing all state office buildings and asking Kentuckians to stay off the roadways if possible, so crews can continue plowing and clearing roads.”
According to the National Weather Service Office in Louisville, moderate to heavy rainfall is likely into Thursday, when it will change to a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Forecasters say a significant accumulation of ice, sleet and snow will be possible into Friday morning. That means power outages and tree damage will be possible due to freezing rain, as well as difficult to impossible travel conditions Thursday into Friday morning.
The Transportation Cabinet says highway crews are preparing for significant ice accumulation that will make travel difficult in most of the state well into Friday.
The rain will prevent the pre-treating of area highways with salt brine in advance of the approaching winter system.
Crews have spent the week prepping equipment and vehicles for response to the winter weather event, according to the Cabinet. In some areas, they have been advised to bring food, sleeping bags, and a change of clothes in case they are required to maintain snow and ice-fighting efforts for several days.
“The approaching storm front is forecast to be one of the most dangerous events in our recent history of record-breaking disasters, due to the possibilities of heavy icing accumulations,” said Michael Dossett, Director of Kentucky Emergency Management. “Please make every effort to stay off of all local and interstate roadways, as travel will be extremely hazardous and rescue efforts for stranded motorists will severely limit first responder capabilities.”
If you are driving, pack a storm preparedness kit stocked with bottled water, non-perishable food, emergency blankets, first aid kit and medicine, flashlights, a battery-operated or hand-crank radio, extra batter batteries and toiletries.
Newport City Manager Tom Fromme also reported that streets could not be pre-treated because of rain, but crews were ready to go when freezing began.
City of Covington put it bluntly: It’s going to be ugly.
“We’re going to have two problems,” Public Works Director Chris Warneford said. “One, because of the rain, we can’t pretreat the roads. That’s going to set us back when the rain starts turning to ice and then snow, meaning we won’t be able to move from the main thoroughfares to the side streets as quickly as we normally can. And two, once temperatures fall into the teens and then single digits, the effectiveness of road salt will diminish. At some point, it simply won’t melt what we want it to melt.”
The bottom line: It’s going to be harder for Covington’s Snow and Ice Team to live up to its sterling reputation during this, the third storm of the winter.
Covington Public Works installed plows on its trucks on Tuesday as crew leaders continue to watch the forecasts and plan their response.
The forecasts call for rain to start turning to ice about 6 a.m. Thursday morning and – as temperatures continue to fall – into snow a short time later. Accumulation estimates vary widely, with current ones settling in the 5- to 7-inch range. Temperatures are expected to hit single digits, with a low of 3 on Saturday.
But as forecasts are wont to do, that will likely change, Warneford said.
As of the publication of this release, Covington plans to press into service its entire Snow and Ice Team, two teams of 15-16 drivers, at 6 a.m. Thursday. Eight hours later, one of those teams will stay on for another eight hours while the other goes home to rest and prepare to come back later that night.
“It’s going to be ugly,” Warneford said, “and it’s not going to be over quickly. This is going to be a long event.”
Meanwhile, the Department added 200 tons of road salt to its salt dome on Monday and expected another 200-ton shipment at any moment.
Whether it’s enough, of course, remains to be seen.
Kenton County reminded residents that a Snow Emergency says no vehicle may be parked and no person or business may park or permit any vehicle to be parked upon any public road right of way.
KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said highway crews are as prepared as they can be: “They will do everything possible to keep roadways passable, but we advise everyone who can do so to stay off the road.”