Winter Storm Update

DEM Blogger

February 28, 2014

This afternoon, DEM participated in a conference call with the National Weather Service’s Louisville office. The current forecast calls for a significant winter storm in the Lexington area, beginning in the evening of Sunday, March 2nd and continuing throughout the day on Monday, March 3rd. You can view the slides from the briefing here and can read the current NWS forecast for Lexington here. The map to the right (click it to enlarge it) summarizes the precipitation situation…

Timing for Lexington: a cold rain will begin Sunday morning and continue throughout the day. Total rainfall amounts will be about ¾ inch. Rain will switch over to freezing rain and sleet around sunset. Freezing rain and sleet will continue until daybreak, which gives us the potential for 10 hours of freezing precipitation overnight. Ice is likely to form. Early estimates show Lexington could receive ice accumulation in the ½ inch range. Air temperatures overnight Sunday into Monday will be in the 20s.

Snow will begin around daybreak on Monday. Estimated accumulation of snow is 1½ to 2 inches. The winds will increase in speed on Monday, with sustained winds 15-20mph and higher gusts. This will increase the danger to trees and power lines that have already been covered with ice. Temperatures on Monday will continue to fall into single digits overnight, with wind chill values approaching minus 6 degrees by Tuesday at daybreak.

DEM will continue to monitor this storm as it develops. The NWS will hold another conference call Saturday afternoon, after which we expect the forecast’s timing and precipitation amounts to become more focused. Please review our information on ice storm and extreme cold preparedness and take appropriate actions to keep yourself and your family safe. Follow us here, on Twitter (@LexKYEM), and on Facebook (LexingtonKYEM) for the latest information.