Thursday Morning Update

DEM Blogger

March 5, 2015

Good morning, Lexington. Here’s a status update to go with your morning coffee.

Weather

At 4:30am, the EOC recorded an approximate snow depth of 7-8″.

The National Weather Service hourly model shows another ~3″ of snow for Lexington over the morning hours, with snowfall tapering off in late morning and fizzling out by midafternoon. These numbers line up with the updated NWS briefing slides from 3:30am, which show an estimated 8-12″ total snow accumulation for Lexington.

Looking beyond the snow accumulation, temperatures will remain in the teens through the day, with an overnight low of 0° (wind chill -10°) at dawn on Friday. Wind speeds will be in the 3-7mph range.

Note: A narrow band west and northwest of Lexington, including northern Scott County and a significant length of Bluegrass Parkway, will receive an estimated 12-20″ from this storm. Collapsed roof structures are possible in this area. No such damage has been reported in Lexington at this time.

Travel and Transportation

All roads remain treacherous. Avoid nonessential travel.

The Division of Streets & Roads has been on continuous clearance operations throughout the night on Priority 1 routes, with clearance beginning on Priority 2 routes at 1:00am. The rate of accumulation (up to 2″/hour at times) has been a significant challenge.

Power

Neither Kentucky Utilities nor Blue Grass Energy reports any power outages in Fayette County. Statewide, the EOC has observed only minor outages throughout the night.

The combination of predicted heavy wet snow and 20mph wind gusts was a major concern for power outages overnight. We believe the greatest danger from these factors is now past.