By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
“We want to encourage everyone to continue to be weather aware and be prepared for winter storms that are going to bring hazardous conditions across the commonwealth,” Gov. Andy Beshear said on Thursday.
A winter weather advisory remains in effect for all of Kentucky for additional ice and snow, which will last into Friday evening in most of the state, and until Saturday morning in the east, where the most snow is expected to fall. They could see up to four inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter storms could cause some hazardous conditions throughout the state from late Thursday into Friday. (KYTC photo)
Once the snow and ice exit the state, it will turn bitterly cold for the entire weekend.
“If we get a lot of snow, our overall temperature will be significantly colder,” Beshear said. “Exactly how cold it gets will depend on both the snowpack and the weather conditions. By Saturday morning, we expect it to be brutally cold with wind chills below zero. That means you could get frostbite within about 30 minutes.”
His advice for those who will be on the road is to slow down. “You don’t have to be driving 60 on the interstate if we have the wintry weather hit, and we know there could be both ice and snow.”
The governor also urged everyone to make sure they have a full tank of gas and a winter weather kit in their car in case they should get stuck. He noted the Kentucky State Police had to rescue 160 stranded drivers this week.
Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said they have more than 2,000 employees to help deal with the snow as well as several hundred contractors, who have their own snowplows.
“We had a little break the last couple days,” he said, “but even then, our crews have been servicing our snowplow trucks and the blades to ensure they remain in good working order.”
Gray’s bottom line: “Please don’t be on the roads if you don’t have to.”
For the latest road condition information, go to snowky.ky.gov.
