First snow wreaks havoc

Aaron Snyder, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·2 min read
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Jan. 7—Just as songwriter Cat Stevens once penned "The First Cut Is The Deepest" in 1967, area residents in 2022 may be hoping the first snow hit the hardest.

Once it started falling, it was unyielding. Snow stuck to roads and vehicles immediately as temperatures hovered in the high-20s on Thursday. Various weather models called for different accumulation predictions leading up to Thursday, with one of the latest ones projecting anywhere from 5 to 11 inches of snow.

As of Thursday evening, the depth wasn't as notable as the impact.

Although county and city road crews stayed busy throughout the afternoon and evening — and as Boyd County Judge-Executive Eric Chaney assured, through the night as well — conditions were treacherous, making for tough travel.

A few schools, such as Ashland, Russell and Raceland, were still in session as of the late afternoon. All of them dismissed between 2-3 p.m., but roads were already slick.

Boyd County, Greenup County, Fairview and Carter County were among the schools that weren't in session at all on Thursday.

Several vehicles slid into ditches in northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio, and a number of wrecks were reported.

In central Kentucky, exit 101 to 110 (Winchester to Mount Sterling) was closed for a period of time when an estimated 50-75 vehicles wrecked.

Carter County announced at 6 p.m. Thursday that county-maintained roads were closed until further notice and only open for emergency traffic. State roads remained open.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced it had all plows on roads and asked the public to "please stay home" as the winter storm blanketed the area.

KYTC said more than 75 snow plows would plow and salt roads, primarily focusing on Priority A routes. Crews would work 12-hour shifts daily and nightly.

Snow-covered roads were expected to be the norm for much of the day Friday as well. "Motorists should adjust travel plans accordingly," the KYTC stated.

Visit goky.ky.gov for the latest traffic information.

(606) 326-2664 — asnyder@dailyindependent.com