Friday’s winter storm may be over, but its effects remain as most roads are slick, snow-covered and hazardous this morning.
A dispatcher at Christian County ECC reported no weather-related accidents overnight, but said motorists continued to slide off the road and needed assistance getting going again. Trigg County Dispatch had a similar report and a Todd County dispatcher said he had no problems overnight as he believes most people are heeding the advice to stay home.
Marshall and Calloway County got the most snow and sleet in western Kentucky, reporting six to seven inches of accumulation. Union County 911 reported 25 to 30 incidents overnight where vehicles became stuck in drifts created by deep snow and strong winds.
Bitter cold temperatures have settled in the area and Transportation Cabinet Spokesman Keith Todd says it will make the salt and brine solution less effective on roads.
He says don’t expect what’s on the roads now to melt anytime soon, as the temperature won’t get above freezing until Monday afternoon before another burst of arctic air puts us in the freezer again.
Hopkinsville Mayor Carter Hendricks says Micah Mission Center and the Salvation Army are resources for those needing a warm place to take shelter.
The Transportation Cabinet planned to have trucks back out plowing state roads this morning at 6 after most went on standby mode overnight following a 16-hour workday.
There were dozens of wrecks yesterday in the area, including a 10-vehicle pileup on I-24.
Kentucky State Police was on the scene of a single-vehicle accident about 3 p.m. near the 91 mile-marker, where an eastbound vehicle slid off the interstate and struck the cable barrier. A Nissan Rogue traveling east lost control in the middle of the roadway, causing a domino effect.
Several eastbound vehicles were unable to stop on the snow-covered highway and struck one another.
The driver and a passenger in the Nissan Rogue were taken by EMS to Jennie Stuart Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.
Anyone who can avoid traveling this morning is advised to do so, at least until road crews have more time to improve driving conditions.
Click here for a complete list of weather-related closures.