Winter storm warning for Central and Eastern Ky. calls for up to 6 inches of snow

Fayette, Bourbon, Nicholas, Jessamine and Clark counties could get 3 to 6 inches of heavy, wet snow and possibly a “light glaze of ice” too, the National Weather Service said in a winter storm warning issued Saturday afternoon.

That warning is in effect from 11 a.m. Sunday to 3 a.m. Monday.

The central and eastern half of the state, along a line running roughly from Bowling Green to Lexington and northeast toward Maysville, is covered by a warning calling for accumulations of 3 to 6 inches of snowfall, with higher amounts possible in some localized areas. A swath of the state just west of that line is under an advisory and could get 1 to 3 inches of snow and a glaze of ice.

The weather service said the storm will hit first with a wintry mix along the Kentucky-Tennessee state line before dawn Sunday and will move northeast across the central and eastern part of the state with a mix of precipitation made up primarily of snow in the late morning through late Sunday night.

The Lake Cumberland region and Interstate 75 corridor will likely get the heaviest accumulations, the weather service said. Because the snow will be so wet and heavy, power outages are possible in Eastern Kentucky, the agency said.

Areas to the west and north of the warning and advisory areas could also get some snow, but it would be 1 to 2 inches or less, the weather service said.

The weather service said southern Kentucky could see a mix of rain and snow Saturday, but accumulations are not expected until Sunday.

In Lexington,city crews had already been pretreating roads with salt brine Saturday and planned start salting the roads early Sunday morning.

“Both salt barns are full, with supplies replaced from last week’s snowfall,” the city said in a news release. “With lighter traffic expected on Sunday, trucks should be able to cover routes more efficiently.”

Crews with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 7, which covers Central Kentucky, began treating roads with salt brine Friday in preparation for the storm.

In a Friday afternoon news release, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office urged people to stay off the roads Sunday if possible and warned that power outages are possible in southern and eastern Kentucky with the heavy, wet snowfall and possible icing from sleet and freezing rain.

People who must go out were urged to give snowplows plenty of room and consider packing an emergency kit.

The Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention’s cold weather plan is in effect through Monday morning, the city said.

WKYT Chief Meterologist Chris Bailey reported that there’s a chance for a bit more snow again on Monday.