University of Kentucky Agriculture Meteorologist Matt Dixon says farmers repairing broken fencing, from fallen ice-laden tree limbs should only be done when it’s safe to do so.
Dixon said ice events are pretty rare in the Commonwealth, but farmers have had to deal with heavy rainfall in recent winters. “Many people might remember the Februarys of 2018 and 2019 where the state averaged over eight inches of precipitation those years and that did create some headaches for cattle producers in the way of mud across the state,” said Dixon.
For this event, Dixon noted ice accumulations varied all the way from about a tenth of an inch to more than a quarter inch on tree limbs. The ag meteorologist added wide variances in the temperature profile of the atmosphere play a big role in what falls and its impact.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said recovery from this week’s ice event is moving along. Although the central Kentucky community saw some of the higher power outage numbers in the commonwealth, progress is being made. Gorton reported at midday Thursday, just under 2000 users were still without power. That number was about 9000 early Thursday morning. Streets and Roads Director Rob Allen says much emphasis early on pertained to clearing limbs out of roadways. “Just a reminder, it’s slow going when the temperature is below freezing. Salt does work. It just takes longer. Be patient and give crews a chance to work,” explained Allen.
Allen said refreezing overnight could certainly cause roads to become more hazardous. The mayor and police chief both expressed appreciation for efforts to reduce travel. Chief Lawrence Weathers said there had been relatively few roadway incidents.
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