Kentucky is bracing itself Thursday as a winter storm is expected to move through parts of the state.
An ice storm warning goes into effect for Louisville and a large portion of the commonwealth at 7 am, as freezing rain is expected to cause power outages, fallen trees and dangerous roadway conditions.
Many school districts across the state kept students home Thursday, state offices were closed and officials urged residents to stay home if at all possible.
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Norton Healthcare close offices
Due to the weather, most Norton Healthcare office and outpatient locations will be closed on Thursday. This includes primary care offices, specialty offices, and Norton Express Services.
All hospitals remain open.
For the most up to date details on opening and closures, click here.
National Weather Service updates time of freezing rain
Derby City drivers still have a little time to head out before road conditions deteriorate, with the National Weather Service expecting freezing rain to now come in the early afternoon, between 1 pm and 2 pm
“The freezing rain is holding a just little bit north of us, but it should be here in a matter of hours,” meteorologist Dan McKemy said Thursday at about 11 am “The cold air is literally sitting just north of the Ohio River.”
Prepare for freezing rain to descend on Louisville
With freezing rain expected to start around 10 am, members of the Metro Snow Team are stationed along the starting point of their routes and will begin applying salt to roadways as soon as possible.
“It’s going to start sticking to elevated things first — on your deck and railings,” meteorologist Ron Steve said of the ice. “More importantly, it will start glazing on trees and power lines, and that’s going to be our biggest problem.”
As far as travel, it could be a few hours before the ice begins to accumulate on roadways, but “they could deteriorate in a hurry,” he said.
The city is forecast to accumulate close to half an inch of glazed ice.
There will be 56 snow removing crewsworking around the clock taking care of 111 Metro snow routes, which is 2,700 two-lane roadway miles.
“We urge the public to use extreme caution as they drive, allow themselves extra time to reach their destination, and give our snow fighters room to work,” said Sal Melendez, spokesperson for Metro Public Works.
To keep up with the snow team’s progress, click here.
For traffic updates, download this app.
LMPD not responding to non-injury related accidents
Due to weather conditions, Louisville Metro Police are only responding to collisions if there is a report of an injury or if the roadway is blocked.
If involved in a non-injury related accident, LMPD is asking drivers to exchange names, addresses and insurance information. Additionally, such accidents should be reported via this link.
Flight cancellations at Louisville airport
While a few flights were still departing early Thursday morning, nearly all other flights for the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport are canceled Thursday and Friday flights could be as well, spokeswoman Natalie Chaudoin said.
“Anyone traveling today or tomorrow or even into the weekend, we would encourage to monitor their flight through the airline website or mobile app before coming to the airport,” she said.
While the airlines have the discretion to cancel flights, Chaudoin added that the airport has alternating snow teams that will ensure the airfield remains open and operational in order to accommodate cargo flights.
Louisville forecast
A cold front hit Louisville around 11 pm Wednesday, dropping the temperature from 48 to 36 degrees in about 10 minutes, National Weather Service meteorologist Ron Steve said.
With freezing rain hitting just across the river on the Indiana side of the border, he said, Louisville can expect to start picking up a glaze of ice once the temperature drops below freezing at about 10 am
“It’s going to start sticking to elevated things first — on your deck and railings,” Steve said. “More importantly, it will start glazing on trees and power lines, and that’s going to be our biggest problem.”
As far as travel, it could be a few hours before the ice begins to accumulate on roadways, but “they could deteriorate in a hurry,” he said.
The city is forecast to accumulate close to half an inch of glazed ice.
The predicted amount of snow has decreased down to about an inch.
As far as rain, Louisville has had just under an inch so far and is looking at another inch or so.
Why was Kentucky placed under a state of emergency?
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that the winter storm will be “dangerous to extremely dangerous for most of the residents of the states.”
“If everything holds right now, this is the real deal,” Beshear said. “It is dangerous. People need to be prepared, especially to stay off the roads tomorrow and potentially be ready to deal with this emergency for the next several days.”
Beshear said the storm is expected to create “difficult travel conditions” on all roads and that tree damage and power outages may occur.
Beshear also said that he is closing all state office buildings on Thursday to keep thousands of state employees safe.
Michael Dossett, the director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management said temperatures are “going to drop very, very quickly” Thursday and that when ice falls, it will not only stick to roadways “but more importantly to transmission lines.”
“If you don’t have to travel, please stay away from the roadways,” Dossett said.
And if Kentuckians lose power, “certainly close all the drapes and put something by the doors and maintain the heat that you have.”
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said the cabinet “will use every available highway crew, plus contractors” to respond to the storm. That includes 1,300 pieces of equipment and upward of 2,000 available employees in the state Department of Highways.