By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Kentucky Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and Kentucky Weather Preparedness Committee have designated Dec. 1–7 as Winter Weather Awareness Week.
Snow, ice and freezing rain often blanket much of the Commonwealth, causing widespread traffic problems, power outages, and school and business closings.
Michael Dossett, the Kentucky Emergency Management director said, “Winters in Kentucky can range from mild sunny days to historic snowfalls as we have seen in past years. Kentuckians need to know the risks associated with severe winter weather and ways to prepare ahead of time for winter events.”
Each year, dozens of Americans die due to exposure to the cold. Even more winter weather-related fatalities occur in vehicle accidents, fires caused by heaters, or due to carbon monoxide poisoning from the improper use of generators during power outages.
Severe winter storms can impact a community for days, weeks or even months as took place during the 2009 ice storm in Kentucky.
Officials say Winter Weather Awareness Week is the perfect time to prepare yourself, families, communities, schools and business for the upcoming winter season. Review your emergency plan, build or resupply your emergency kits and educate others on the hazards of winter weather.
While it’s too soon to predict just how bad the winter will be, Joe Sullivan with the National Weather Service in Louisville, said: “We’re expecting an active weather pattern through the winter. We’ll have our typical fluctuations of warm and cold spells through December, and if the current patterns hold, we’ll likely have above normal wintry precipitation from late January through early March.”
He adds normal snowfall for the season in most of Kentucky is 12-18 inches with up to 24 inches in the eastern mountains.
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The weather for the week:
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