 Ice, snow, sleet making 2014 a winter to remember. (Clinton KY February 5, 2014) - Winter continues to cause misery across western Kentucky as storm after storm march through the region. There is no end in sight.
Locals say that the weather won't settle until Good Friday which is particularly late this year, coming on April 18th.
The ground hog saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.
Generally those two pieces of folk wisdom are pooh-poohed by the scientifically minded. This year even unbelievers are getting a bit nervous as another snowstorm bears down on West Kentucky.
This week, snow, sleet and freezing rain left roads hazardous. Kentucky's state roads have been treated and retreated. Keith Todd, public information officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, has been kept busy updating news media on conditions in Districts One and Two (the Purchase and the Pennyrile).
Sunday evening, a truck overturned on US 60 in Ballard County blocking that road for hours. Monday, a truck carrying thousands of pounds of food overturned on Highway 51 in Hickman County, blocking the road to Fulton for hours until the truck could be off loaded and removed. Those are just two of many accidents during this most recent period of bad weather.
Storms have swept from the northwest, meeting moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to produce nasty conditions. Another storm is predicted for this weekend. Meteorologists predict "snow" but decline to offer an amount.
Schools remain closed. Educators and parents are becoming increasingly nervous about the time left to prepare students for achievement tests. But while county roads remain treacherous, no one is willing to risk student safety on them.
The winter of 2014 in West Kentucky will go down in the history books as one that caught the area by surprise. The last memorable winter was five years ago, the year of the Great Ice Storm. Lessons were learned and preparatory work done by utility companies after that storm that left thousands in the dark and cold for days. While the cold spell and precipitation rival 2009, so far power outages are scattered. That's a blessing at a time when blessings seem few and far between.
Electric and gas bills arriving throughout the month are causing concern among those who struggle to pay their bills in mild years. LIHEAP, the fund for assisting low income residents with utility bills, is running short of funds. Temperature in the teens are predicted for Thursday. There is no end in sight for the cold weather.
As much as scientific types hate to admit, the old folks and groundhog may be on to something. |
