Gov. Andy Beshear issues state of emergency for Kentucky ahead of winter

Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency Saturday ahead Kentucky’s first significant winter storm, expected to hit the commonwealth Sunday morning into Monday.

The emergency declaration frees up funds for Kentucky agencies to ensure any necessary resource is at the commonwealth’s disposal, Beshear said.

The National Weather Service in Louisville issued a winter storm warning for Jefferson County and several other counties in north-central Kentucky and southern Indiana early Saturday morning, which will take effect at 4 a.m. Sunday and ends at 1 p.m. Monday.

A Saturday morning update from the service predicted snowfall accumulations in Louisville could reach 6-10 inches of snow and accumulate 0.25-0.65 inches of ice. Snowfall totals could change as the system advances, as freezing rain and sleet could reduce snow accumulation while increasing ice potential, forecasters said.

Following the winter storm, temperatures are expected to plunge starting Tuesday. Beshear said this heightens the need to clear roadways throughout the day Monday following the precipitation of a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, as road salt will not be as effective as temperatures drop.

Emergency warming centers in regions across Kentucky will be open, with locations set to be publicized at some point Saturday, Beshear said.

The State Emergency Operations Center will be open starting at midnight Sunday, which will enhance emergency response coordination across the commonwealth, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said.

This is a developing story and will update.

Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky winter storm: Gov. Beshear declares state of emergency

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