Kentuckiana prepares for possible ice storm later this week

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Road crews and utility providers across Kentuckiana are preparing for a snow ice storm later this week.

Southern Indiana is expected to get more than an inch of snow Monday night, which is likely to be followed by ice that hits much of southern Indiana and Kentucky by Wednesday.

The Clark County Highway Department has road crews pre-treating many of the frequently used roadways, intersections and overpasses with brine. Work began early Monday, and crews were expected to be back out on the roads in the evening.

“We can get people started then to get back out there to plow and/or add salt to the roads to help keep the snow and ice down,” Clark County Engineer Brian Dixon said.

Dixon said the highway department is responsible for treating about 500 miles of road in the county.

He said the brine treatment will help prevent snow and ice accumulation to an extent, but will likely have to plow roads and use a salt mixture to treat roads if temperatures drop well below 30 degrees.

The highway department is monitoring the forecast around the clock.

“Having the brine down should keep the ice and snow from adhering to the roadway," Dixon said. "We’ll go back out with salt again throughout the night and in the morning. That should keep things down. Be careful if you see a wet spot, it’s probably ice and not water.”

Early Wednesday, the potential for ice accumulation is high in Kentuckiana.

Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) said power outages are extremely likely when an excess of ice accumulation hits the area. The ice that freezes to trees around power lines present a dangerous issue that can't be avoided.

“Ice usually, depending on how much there is, it has the tendency to weigh down tree limbs," LG&E Spokesperson Natasha Collins said. "And once those tree limbs get weighed down, they have the potential to droop into our lines or break off and impact lines, and that’s when we see impact to our customers."

LG&E is reminding people to prepare by gathering all essential items, charging wireless devices and having extra batteries handy.

It said in the event of an outage, it's important to have extra blankets, candles, flashlights and a weather radio.

Utility crews are ready to work around the clock if there is an ice storm that proves to cause significant damage, the company said.

"A lot of people are trying to stay comfortable at home, really managing their lives from home," Collins said. "So we know there’s a huge impact and what we do is all the more underlined during this pandemic."

Louisville's Public Works facilities have several domes strategically positioned around town and inside of them are thousands of tons of salt ready to be used by crews to combat the icy buildup.

Whether it be snow, sleet or freezing rain, officials at the City of Louisville Department of Public Works said they have a plan in place and plenty of material to keep the roads treated and safe. Over the next several days, crews will be out all across Metro Louisville taking care of city-maintained roads while the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet handles interstates.

About 200 people with city crews alone will be deployed when the weather takes a turn. City officials said they will start monitoring the roads Monday night and then quickly switch gears, when streets need more attention.

After the weekend snow, they said they're already ahead of schedule with some treatment still down on the pavement.

"We're already a little bit ahead of it, so to speak," said Salvador Melendez, spokesman for Louisville Metro Public Works. "We try to always stay ahead of it because we know the process of treating the roads is a slow process. And so even though it seems like our crews may be getting overwhelmed by it, you just got to understand it's a slow process."

The city said treating all of their routes takes over six hours, and then they do it all again and continue monitoring.

They remind people to give the trucks extra room to work and be extra careful if you have to go out.

To find out more from the WDRB meteorologists about the wintry mix in the forecast click here. You can also download the WDRB Weather app on Apple and Android devices for radar and the latest information.