Get out the wool coats. Bring in the cat. Disconnect the garden hose from the outdoor faucet.
The first big blast of winter weather is headed to the Hopkinsville region Monday afternoon, and overnight freezing temperatures could persist through the work week.
“Bitter, record or near record cold is forecast later tonight through Tuesday,” the National Weather Service in Paducah reported. “Wind chill temperatures behind an arctic cold front will fall to near zero to 5 above by early Tuesday morning, due to strong north winds 10 to 20 mph and gusty, with lows ranging from 14 to 19 degrees. Tuesday, highs will only recover into the mid 20s to near 30, with cold wind chill temperatures continuing.”
Rain is expected in Hopkinsville by early afternoon Monday and temperatures will drop to the mid-30s by 5 p.m., creating the potential for hazardous driving condition, according to the NWS. Snow is expected late in the evening with accumulations around 1 inch.
Tuesday’s high will be 28 degrees with wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Temperatures will dip to 12 degrees by Tuesday night.
Conditions will improve for the weekend. Daytime temperatures will rise to the low 50s on Saturday and Sunday.
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.
