Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 2 highway crews are gearing up prepare for falling temperatures during the overnight hours into Thursday morning, and prepare for an extended forecast that includes extreme low temperatures and winter precipitation into next week.
Rain today is expected to trail off as early as 3:00 p.m., in some of our 11-county service area. As that happens crews will hit the road using brine to pre-treat roadways to prepare for temperatures to drop below freezing around dark. While pavement temperatures are expected to hold up, substantial winds combined with temperatures in the low 20s before morning create the opportunity for flash freezing any moisture that remains on pavement surfaces during the overnight hours.
All 11 counties will have highway personnel prepared to pre-treat bridges, overpasses, and potential trouble spots after the rain ends. To be prepared for the morning commute, crews will ramp up to full staffing around 5:00 a.m., Thursday, to spread salt as needed should icy spots develop.
Motorists who plan to be out overnight should be prepared to encounter icy spots as temperatures drop rather dramatically into the low 20s. Extra caution is required on the morning commute, Thursday.
For the long-term, District 2 highway crews are ramping up to pre-treat after the rain stops today to better prepare for several days of extreme cold with several opportunities for winter precipitation in the forecast.
Travelers are advised to monitor the National Weather Service and area news media to maintain a close watch on the forecast as we are entering a fairly active period for winther weather with extreme cold. Low temperatures create the possibility of life-threatening conditions over about the next week.
The forecast includes opportunities for winter precipitation Saturday through Monday with overnight temperatures dipping into the lower teens and wind chill dropping into the single digits.
For guidelines on preparing for extreme cold go to weather.gov and look for winter weather info.