An extreme cold warning for Hopkinsville and surrounding areas is set to expire at 10 a.m. Tuesday, but temperatures will remain below freezing at least through the weekend.
A death over the weekend in Whitley County was reported Monday as Kentucky’s first storm-related fatality — a reminder of the dangers associated with extreme cold.
Gov. Andy Beshear said hypothermia was the cause of death for a 72-year-old woman from Williamsburg. The family of Betty Veach told a Lexington television station that she died Sunday at Baptist Health Corbin after she was found lying near train tracks close to her home. She suffered from dementia and sustained a head injury in the fall, the family said.
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Following the weekend storm, the extreme cold makes snow and ice removal difficult. Driving conditions remain dangerous across much of Kentucky.
Hopkinsville’s overnight low Monday will be around zero, while the wind chill will be 12 below, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
The NWS said high temperatures for the rest of the week are as follows: 30 on Tuesday, 28 on Wednesday, 27 on Thursday, 18 on Friday, 19 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday. Overnight lows will be in the single digits. Friday night the low will dip to 1 below zero.
“Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside,” the NWS advises. “Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside.
Widespread power outages did not materialize in Christian County despite some accumulation of ice following the snowfall that measured 3 to 4 inches on Saturday. However, areas south of the Kentucky-Tennessee line were devastated by ice damages and power outages. In Nashville, WPLN radio reported that half of the city’s residents were without power on Sunday, which affected as many as 500,000 people.
Schools and many businesses and offices will remain closed Tuesday in Hopkinsville. See a list of closures and cancellations here.
Hopkinsville’s Salvation Army is operating an evening shelter from 7 p.m to 7 a.m. daily at 701 S. Clay St. during the extreme cold.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
