By MIKE JAMES - The Independent
ASHLAND — Blame the jet stream for the persistent chilly weather and recurring snowstorms.
Or thank it, if you’re a kid and out of school today.
Tuesday’s snow and cold rain that made northeast Kentucky a slushy mess was expected to turn back to snow overnight and drop a new white blanket over the region today.
The continued cold and snowy winter results from Canadian air being sucked down by the jet stream, a fast-flowing air current high up in the atmosphere.
The jet stream brings cold air south and another current pushes in storm systems from the west, said John Victory, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Charleston office.
That’s not likely to change, he said. “It’s been persistent and the long-range forecast is no big warmups.”
Roads in rural Boyd County were in pretty good shape late Tuesday, thanks to plowing and salting that started about 3:30 a.m., road department foreman Greg Fannin said. Fannin said his drivers were planning to start the process over as soon as the new snow started accumulating.
In Greenup County, most of the paved roads were cleaned Tuesday, but gravel secondary roads remained rough, said road supervisor Joe Taylor.
Because the overnight snow was expected to accompany a drop in temperature, his workers were prepared to salt as well as plow, he said.
Rural roads were affected by heavier snowfall than areas closer to the river, he said. Reports of four and five inches of snow were coming in from the Warnock and Oldtown areas, he said.
With all that, school officials were doubtful they’d be able to open their doors today. Greenup County School District Superintendent Randy Hughes hadn’t made it official Tuesday afternoon but anticipated closure. “I don’t see how we could open tomorrow,” he said. “We’re really wondering about the entire week.”
Ashland Independent School District Superintendent Steve Gilmore hadn’t made an official decision Tuesday afternoon but was not optimistic. “It doesn’t look good,” he said.
Several rural districts had made the call by mid-afternoon.
State highway crews expected to continue plowing and treating roads overnight, according to Kentucky Department of Transportation spokesman Allan Blair.
The dropping thermometer could leave roads slick, with ice forming quickly and without warning, according to Blair.
He suggested giving plows a wide berth and reminded that bridges and overpasses freeze before surface roads.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.
