Highway crews across western Kentucky have been working to cover all routes today in anticipation of plummeting temperatures overnight. With lows expected below zero tonight and a high expected to in the teens on Thursday, crews are attempting to get driving surfaces in the best shape possible before everything freezes.
Motorists who plan to venture out overnight should be prepared to encounter extreme conditions. A mechanical problem with a vehicle that might otherwise be a minor inconvenience can easily turn into a life-threatening situation when temperatures fall into the single digits and below.
Exposure to the extreme cold can cause frostbite in less than 30 minutes.
In fact, the National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a wind chill advisory from 6 p.m. today until noon Thursday.
Incredibly cold Arctic air with record shattering low temperatures forecast will combine with the brutal north to northwest winds creating dangerously cold wind chill readings.
By sunset tonight, wind chill values are expected to be below zero. By midnight, they will drop to as much as 18 below zero. Finally, by sunrise Thursday, the wind chill factor could be 24 below zero.
Crittenden County Courthouse will be open as a warming center until temperatures are consistently above freezing.
