National Weather Service Center Predicts Potential Winter Storm Friday and Friday Night For Louisville

A storm system is expected to develop across Texas Thursday and move across the Deep South Friday and Friday night.  Moisture riding over the top of this system will generate light to moderate snowfall starting early Friday morning and continuing into Saturday across our region.  The heaviest snows likely will fall in the period from 9 AM Friday morning to 10 PM Friday evening, with snow beginning as early as 5 AM Friday across south-central Kentucky.  The latest forecast calls for snow totals of up a half a foot possible across parts of far South-Central Kentucky and the Lake Cumberland areas.  Further north across the Louisville/Lexington corridor, totals around 1-3 inches are possible.

There is still large uncertainty in the exact track of the storm system moving by to our south.  A more southern track would mean less snowfall from the amounts given above.  Residents of and visitors to the region should stay tuned to the latest forecast updates on this developing winter storm.

Tips for Staying Warm & Dry from the Louisville Metro Health & Wellness

•             Wear layers of cotton and wool clothing to help insulate the body

•             Slacks are warmer than dresses or skirts.  Long socks and leotards will protect the legs.

•             Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.

•             Don’t drink alcohol when outside during extreme cold temperatures.

•             Be careful shoveling snow.  Overexertion may lead to a heart attack.  The signs of a heart attack include chest or arm pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, pain, sweating, and dizziness.

•             Stock your vehicle with blankets, a flashlight, a tin of food that requires no cooking, jumper cables, and a sack of sand and make sure you have adequate fuel in your tank before the trip.

Tips from the Louisville Water Co to prevent water lines from freezing

•        Wrap exposed pipes with insulating material. Pipes under kitchen sinks and in crawl spaces, near windows or in unheated basements are prime areas for pipes to freeze.

•        Locate your inside water shut-off valve. If pipes burst during freezing conditions, you can save valuable time and prevent water damage if you can turn the water off inside the house. The shut-off valve may be located in the basement, under the kitchen sink, in a utility closet, near the hot water heater, or even under the house in the crawl space. If you cannot locate or do not have a shut-off valve, call a plumber.

•        If you think you’ve found the shut-off valve, and to be sure it’s the right one, try turning it off.  If all your faucets are without water, you’ve found the right one. If not, try again.

•        Once you locate the shut-off valve, place a waterproof tag over it, so it’s easy for you and your family members to find if there’s ever a problem. If you need a tag, call our Customer Service department at 583-6610.

•        If your house has a crawl space, cover outside vents to prevent winter winds from entering and freezing pipes.

•        If your house has a slab foundation, keep the garage door closed. Water pipes are often located under the concrete floors of the garage.

•        If you’ve had problems with frozen pipes in the past, try running a small steady stream of water from a cold water faucet in extremely cold weather. The cost of the water is small compared to dealing with the cost and inconvenience of frozen or burst pipes.  Make sure you run the water from a faucet children don’t use — they may inadvertently shut off the faucet after using it.

Concerns about black ice

City managers are concerned about the formation of black ice on roads.  Black ice is a thin glaze of ice that forms on streets and is nearly undetectable to drivers.  The ice often forms after snow melts and re-freezes, or after a period of freezing rain.  Motorist should increase the distance between them and the vehicle in front.

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