Death toll in Kentucky storms rises to 14 as state braces for another round of winter weather

Around 2 to 6 inches of snow are expected in the state Tuesday night into Wednesday evening.

The death toll from the weekend storms that devastated Kentucky has risen to 14 — and the impacted communities are preparing for more winter weather.

Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday that two more people, a man and woman who appear to have been homeless, died from hypothermia. Twelve others have died as a result of flooding in the state, including a mother and her 7-year-old child, whose car was swept away in Hart County, according to WBKO-TV.

The state is applying for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which many residents may qualify for, Beshear said Monday.

Beshear said his biggest concern with the incoming winter storm is people getting stranded on roads and in freezing temperatures. He advised residents to stay safe and updated on the incoming weather conditions.

“We’ve got more winter weather headed our way, Kentucky, with widespread snow accumulation, low temperatures and dangerous road conditions expected,” he said on X.

Around 60 million people are under winter weather alerts from the Central Plains to the Carolina coast as a storm system is expected to bring heavy snow and wind to a wide swath of the county. Forecasters expect “significant snow accumulation to central and southern Kentucky Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon,” according to the National Weather Service field office in Louisville.

Around 2 to 6 inches of snow is possible in Kentucky from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Wednesday, the weather service said.

Snow is falling across portions of Nebraska, Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and Missouri on Tuesday afternoon while sleet and freezing rain is developing over portions of central Arkansas. Overnight, the storm will quickly spread snow across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys with mixed precipitation likely over portions of northern Mississippi and northern Alabama.

The National Weather Service field office in Goodland, Kansas, reported “brutally cold” temperatures of minus 6 degrees and 12 mph winds.

By late Wednesday, parts of eastern Kentucky to southern West Virginia will see 4 to 6 inches of snow while parts of southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina could see 8 inches or more of snow.

The storm system will accelerate off the Carolina coastline early Thursday.

The storm is expected to create hazardous travel conditions “due to slick roads and poor visibility” and disrupt recovery efforts for the floods.

Almost 4,500 utility customers are still without power in Kentucky as of Tuesday morning, according to Poweroutage.US. The governor is encouraging those without power to head to shelters if they cannot safely heat their homes.

“If you can’t turn your heat on by this afternoon, you need to call a family member or friend and go stay with them. If that option isn’t available, please go to an emergency shelter,” Beshear said in a statement. “The temperatures are dropping dangerously low, and we need to do everything possible to keep our neighbors safe.”

Water rescues resulting from floods are expected to wind down Tuesday as the focus shifts to clearing roads in preparation for the winter storm, Kentucky officials said.

Snowplow and salt truck crews are on standby to keep highways passable, the governor’s office said in an update Tuesday morning.

“The incoming extreme cold will make it difficult for crews to clear roads as salt and other anti-icing materials become less effective,” the governor’s office said. “Flooded roads will also impact snowplow routes.”

Officials advised residents that it’s safest to stay home amid the weather conditions.

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