A major winter storm that began on Sunday morning and continued overnight Monday blanketed Kentucky with snow and ice, leaving around 55,000 people without power as of early afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for many areas of the state.
The storm’s impact is expected to continue through Monday evening, with up to 0.1 inches of new ice accumulation and an inch or two of new snow accumulation possible in some areas. Wind gusts as high as 26 mph were also reported.
As of early afternoon, over 55,000 Kentuckians were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Kentucky Utilities reported around 11,203 outages across the state, while Kentucky Power said about 10,000 customers were without power.
The main cause of outages is attributed to broken poles and downed wires caused by fallen trees. Crews are working to restore power, but it’s expected to be a multi-day event. Restoration efforts prioritize critical services such as hospitals, emergency services, and public safety facilities before focusing on residential and business customers.
A layer of freezing rain measured over half an inch in some areas, falling atop several inches of snow laid down by the storm Sunday. Residents are advised to report any power outages or downed lines through various channels, including Kentucky Utilities Co.’s online outage map or by texting “OUTAGE” to 454358.
This story was originally published January 6, 2025, 6:41 AM.
Source: https://www.kentucky.com/news/weather-news/article297946133.html