More than 75,000 Kentuckians were without power Sunday morning as a major winter storm brought 1 to 4 inches of snow across much of the state and major ice accumulations to southern and eastern Kentucky.
Power outages increased quickly Sunday following overnight icing. Around 12:33 p.m. Eastern, PowerOutage.US reported 75,837 customers without electricity statewide, with the most widespread outages occurring in southern and southeastern Kentucky.
The 10 counties reporting the highest number of outages Sunday morning were Pulaski (11,362), Laurel (7,278), Barren (5,629), McCreary (4,554), Russell (4,483), Allen (4,313), Clay (4,238), Whitley (3,138), Monroe (2,650), and Wayne (2,499).
Outages remained limited in Lexington and nearby areas, with Fayette County reporting 138 outages as of about 12:40 p.m.
WKYT Chief Meteorologist Chris Bailey said outages were likely to continue spreading as freezing rain persisted across central and eastern Kentucky, noting the growing threat posed by ice accumulation.
“Freezing rain is adding up and we may very well have big power problems by the time you’re reading this. The worst fear of this storm was for freezing rain to become a bigger issue and here we are, folks,” Bailey wrote.
For the Lexington area, the National Weather Service in Louisville forecast snow showers, freezing rain, and sleet through 4 p.m. Sunday, followed by additional snow showers possibly mixed with sleet. Temperatures were expected to peak near 32 degrees by late morning before falling throughout the day, with overnight lows near 5 degrees and wind chills dropping to around negative 4 degrees.
During a Sunday morning news conference, Gov. Andy Beshear urged residents to avoid travel unless necessary and to stay alert as conditions worsen.
“I’m anticipating challenges Monday morning, and depending on how cold it gets, I’m anticipating challenges potentially through Monday once the temperature gets below a certain amount, what we use to treat the roads just doesn’t work as well,” Beshear said.
Pulaski County remains the center of the state’s outages. Roughly 28% of residents are without power, according to outage reporting from South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. and Kentucky Utilities.
As the morning progressed, outages along a roughly 40-county stretch of southern Kentucky continued shifting northeast toward the West Virginia border as rain and a wintry mix persisted.
Jackson Energy Cooperative and South Kentucky RECC reported the highest number of downed power lines.
How to track and report power outages in Kentucky
Kentucky Utilities customers can view an outage map online, which updates every 15 minutes. Outages can be reported by texting “OUTAGE” to 454358, and updates can be received by texting “STATUS” to the same number. Customers can also track outages through KU’s mobile app.
Blue Grass Energy customers can report outages using an online form on the company’s website. Statewide outages can be tracked using the Kentucky Electric Cooperatives outage map, and members are encouraged to report outages directly to their local cooperatives.
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