Destructive Ice Storm In Kentucky, Arkansas As Arctic Blast Continues

Aftermath of freezing rain in Alburgh in January, 2020.
Similar scenes or worse are likely across much of 
Kentucky and surrounding areas in the next couple days 

 Back in 1970, Elvis Presley sang about the "cold Kentucky rain," but he surely didn't have to deal with what that state is facing now. 

Kentucky, along with adjacent parts of Arkansas, southeastern Missouri and northwestern Tennessee, is in the grips of a destructive ice storm.

Freezing rain is falling in those areas, and since this storm is lasting a long time, the ice is piling up and will continue to do so.  

There's going to be a lot of tree and power line damage.  Power failures will likely last days in a few spots. This, as frigid air pours into that region.  I don't envy them at all.

Of all the places in the United States suffering from the current siege of winter weather, I would nominate Kentucky as seeing the worst of it. 

After the waves of freezing rain and sleet finally end for a time by Friday, temperatures will stay mostly  below freezing in Kentucky and surrounding areas through early next week, which is unusual for them.

Two more storms, one on Sunday and the other Tuesday, promise to bring more freezing rain and snow to the same areas. It's going to be a long lasting mess there, for sure. 

Obviously, Kentucky and environs won't be the only places dealing with winter weather. 

Winter storm warnings and advisories extend from Texas to the Mid-Atlantic states as that battle line between the Arctic air to the north and warmer stuff to the south continues to dump mixed precipitation and snow along that broad line. 

Deep cold will continue over the northern and central Plains, parts of the Midwest and around the Great Lakes for several more days.  If anything, it will get worse as we head into the weekend in places like Minnesota and North Dakota.  Some areas will get into the 40s below zero. 

For perspective, this won't be a historic cold wave by any means. There have certainly been much worse ones in the United States. But this winter was mild until a week or two ago. For the Lower 48, January, 2021 was tied for the ninth warmest on record, and all of the past ten Januaries have been at least a little warmer than average. So Americans are no longer used to winter weather like this. 

The Arctic high pressure centered in the northern Plains is suppressing the storminess south, which is why places like Kentucky are having so much trouble with ice and snow. 

As we get into the weekend, the cold will force its way southward toward Texas, which would help curve the jet stream somewhat more in a southwest to northeast direction along the East Coast. 

This could help storms move further north Sunday and again on Tuesday.  Freezing rain and snow by Sunday could get all the way up into New Jersey and the New York City area, so they have to deal with more winter weather. 

 A couple inches of additional fluff overnight in St. Albans, 
Vermont. Will storms come far enough north early next
week to bring more snow to Vermont? Nobody is sure. 

For us here in Vermont, the forecasting computer models are still all over the place for Sunday onward. 

There's a chance we could get some accumulating snow Sunday and Tuesday, but there's also a possibility all that weather could pass by to our south and east.  So who knows?

Here in northwestern Vermont, we did receive another inch or two of fluff last night. With light winds, and sticking to every tree branch for now and looks beautiful.  

It's not exactly super warm out there, and temperatures are still forecast to go below zero at night later this week and the weekend. If you want to go out and enjoy the snow, you'll want to dress for it