Winter Storm Warning Update – March 2-3

DEM Blogger

March 2, 2014

Good morning, Lexington. National Weather Service Louisville updated its forecast early this morning. The big news: our winter storm warning now starts at 9:00 am today. It still runs through 1:00 pm tomorrow. Here are the relevant links:

• NWS local forecast for Lexington
• NWS updated briefing slides

If you’ve been following us for the last couple of days, you know the story by now: the map at the right (click it to enlarge it) shows NWS’ updated precipitation totals for the forecast region. Bear in mind that this storm is likely to be more severe in the southern and western portions of the state. The fact that Lexington is in the northeast section of the map does not mean we’re going to have an easy time of it, though.

Timing for us: The cold rain that greeted us when we awoke is going to continue through the afternoon. The current NWS model calls for freezing rain to appear as early as 3:00 this afternoon. Total accumulations of ice will be between a quarter-inch and a half-inch. Between 9:00 and midnight, the freezing rain will transition into sleet and then snow. Snow will remain through Monday afternoon. Potential accumulations are 5 inches by daybreak Monday, with a total of 6 inches or more by the time this system moves out of the area.

The forecast still calls for sustained winds of 10-20 mph with gusts to 25 mph, coming during the times when trees and power lines will be most heavily-laden. Temperatures will remain below freezing until Wednesday. Expect power outages and treacherous or impassable roads.

DEM is watching this storm attentively. By now, we hope everyone has reviewed our information on ice storm and extreme cold preparedness and taken appropriate protective actions. We’ll continue posting updates as the situation develops. You can find those here, on Twitter (@LexKYEM), and on Facebook (LexingtonKYEM). Stay safe out there.