A big snowfall in the Bluegrass Region is not only taxing a number of government agencies, but it's also trying the patience of area citizens. The pace of the falling snow on Monday created its own challenges.
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray says this week's storm brought with it the most snow over a 24 hour period in the last 17 years. Temperatures are expected to plummet even further the next few days and Gray expects citizens to stand by each other. "The forecasters say that we've got a hard week ahead of us. But, our citizens are out there helping one another get past this storm's challenges," said Gray.
The mayor urged residents to move cars off the curbs along streets that are targeted for plowing. If not done voluntarily, the city could elevate to emergency status and vehicles blocking plows would be towed.
While a break in the snowfall is expected, there's no relief with dropping temperatures. Many areas of the commonwealth will likely experience overnight temperatures well below zero this week.
Charlie Lanter, Director of Lexington's Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention, says all area shelters are wide open 24 hours a day. "We're still hoping we can keep those folks in shelter. We have a winter weather plan through my office, where whenever that's activated all of our shelters welcome everyone," Lanter said. "No one's turned away for past history or any other issues."
The snow accumulation is also exceeding double digits in many areas of Kentucky. Ironically, relatively few power outages have been reported. Kentucky Utilities' Cliff Feltham says although deep, the fine snow is light in weight and not breaking tree limbs as ice or heavy wet snow does. ?
