Beshear warns Kentuckians of dangerous mixture of flooding, snow, frigid temperatures

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Severe flooding, several more inches of snow and extremely cold temperatures have made for a dangerous mixture of weather this week across Kentucky.

In a news conference Wednesday morning in Frankfort, Gov. Andy Beshear said the biggest challenge is the areas hit hardest by flooding could see another 3-4 inches of snow Wednesday night.

Dangerous cold is also a concern along with people attempting to drive through closed roads.

"Do not drive around barriers," Beshear said Wednesday. "They are up in our counties where roads are still flooded, and I think we had a number of rescues yesterday, (and) almost all of them were people driving around barriers. You drive around the barrier, your car gets swept away. It threatens your life and it also threatens the life of every person out there trying to rescue you in these really cold conditions."

Beshear said to expect icy conditions Thursday and Friday mornings across the state. Already this week, he confirmed two people died of hypothermia in Jefferson County.

The 14 confirmed fatalities statewide from the weekend storms, many involving flooding-related issues, include:

One man in Hart County
Three men in Pike County
One woman in Hart County
One 7-year-old child in Hart County
One woman in Washington County
One man in Clay County
One person in Nelson County
One man in Floyd County
One man in Hardin County
One man in Jefferson County
One woman in Jefferson County

Road crews in all counties are still doing their best to treat and clear roads. They worked overnight and into the morning and will stay on the roads as long as needed.

Officials said you should only travel if it's absolutely necessary.

Top Stories: