This weekend, a huge winter storm is expected to blanket states from Texas to Maryland in snow, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.
The long, horizontal band of weather could bring parts of Kentucky and West Virginia around a foot of snow, while Tennessee may be contending with sleet and freezing rain.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Samantha Wilson said part of what makes this storm so significant is the way it will linger over some areas bringing a dangerous wintery mix.
“It’s a long event,” she said. “We’re talking maybe close to 48 hours of snowfall, and as this system kind of wavers and moves across the area, that snow may change over to ice and freezing rain.”
Snow is usually preferable to ice, but the sheer amount of snow could overwhelm infrastructure and weigh down trees near roads and power lines, Wilson said.
“This will definitely bring an impact to our road systems, our utility systems, and just general daily life,” she said. “Preparing for this storm is imperative.”
Across the mid-south, state and local emergency management crews are doing just that.
Eric Gibson, director of the Kentucky Emergency Management agency said road crews including the National Guard are on standby to help clear driving paths, forestry teams are ready to cut tree limbs and state parks are making arrangements to provide warm shelter.
“Obviously there’s a lot of things that can unfold in a disaster and we work hard to stay in front of those things so we’re quick to respond when there is an issue,” Gibson said.
Gibson says anyone along the storm path can help emergency responders by stocking up on food, water, medicine and fuel now, while the skies are clear, so they don’t have to venture into unsafe conditions later.
People are preparing in other ways, too.
At Keith’s Hardware Store in Louisville, Kentucky Store Manager Emily Martin said droves of people have come in to buy salt, shovels, gloves and hand warmers.
“I almost sold out of [handwarmers] earlier,” she said on Wednesday afternoon. “It seemed like today was like, ‘Alright, let’s go and get all my stuff.’”
Nancy Carter was one of the customers who raced in after work to buy pet safe salt and sand that she’ll keep in her car to help with traction in the upcoming snow.
“I figured let me get here now because once people find out it’s going to be — somebody told me 10 inches — if it could be, then you must be prepared,” she said.
Even once the severe precipitation passes in its many wintery forms, the National Weather Service expects below freezing temperatures to stick around for several days, even after the snow and ice passes.
This story was produced by the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN and WUOT in Tennessee, LPM, WEKU, WKMS and WKU Public Radio in Kentucky, and NPR.
