The severe winter storm that hit Kentucky over the weekend is expected to move out of the state Monday afternoon. However, the snow and ice it left behind will be sticking around.
Crews are working to clear roads and restore power. Governor Andy Beshear said the Kentucky Division of Forestry has 17 cut teams in the field.
“These are teams that are cutting the down trees and lines so that we can open up the roads, but also to get power up and restored. We are now concentrating those teams in areas that received the highest ice accumulation. If you are in one of those counties, you're going to see more of those cut and toss teams today,” he said.
Sub-freezing temperatures are expected for much of the state into next week.
As of Monday morning, just over 45,000 homes and businesses throughout Kentucky are reporting power outages. This makes the extreme cold that is expected even more dangerous. The Governor said more than 137 warming centers have been set up across Kentucky.
“Most of these have been set up by county emergency management, so be sure that you thank them. Take advantage of this, we don't want to lose anyone to hypothermia because power is out, and these are right here available,” he said.
Beshear said Kentucky's state parks have also been set up as warming centers, and there is capacity at all of them.
Kentucky State Parks Warming Centers:
- Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park lodge (Carlisle)
- Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park lodge (Buckhorn)
- Carter Caves State Resort Park lodge (Olive Hill)
- General Butler State Resort Park Lodge lobby and mezzanine (Carrollton)
- Greenbo Lake State Resort Park lodge (Greenup)
- Jenny Wiley State Resort Park conference center (Prestonsburg)
- Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park lodge (Gilbertsville)
- Kincaid Lake State Resort Park conference center (Falmouth)
- My Old Kentucky Home State Park visitor center (Bardstown)
- Natural Bridge State Resort Park Woodlands Center (Slade)
- Rough River Dam State Resort Park lodge (Falls of Rough)
For park warming center updates, visit parks.ky.gov/inclement-weather.
Currently, the state is counting a few hundred people being sheltered, but that number could change as more people get transported.
To find a warming center near you, or if you need additional assistance, visit kyem.ky.gov.
Most of the power outages are in south-central and southeastern Kentucky.
