Louisville is still recovering after Winter Storm Blair rolled across the region on Sunday, dropping nearly 9 inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain on the city.
A winter storm warning was in effect for Louisville and several other counties in central Kentucky and southern Indiana until 7 p.m. Monday, with an additional 1-3 inches of snow expected to fall through the day.
The extreme weather conditions shuttered businesses and schools, canceled flights and put the city and state of Kentucky under a state of emergency.
Throughout the storm, MetoSafe received thousands of calls asking for emergency service, including more than 1,200 between midnight and 9 a.m. Monday, Mayor Craig Greenberg said in posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Greenberg urged drivers to have caution and stay off the roads if at all possible on Sunday and Monday as crews continued to try clearing streets.
“We’re going to continue to stay hard at work,” Greenberg said during a Monday press conference. “We’re going to continue to plow and salt these roads as long as we need to, but given everything — all the cold that’s coming — please remember to stay safe.”
Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes through Wednesday in response to the storm, while surrounding districts and local universities canceled classes or moved to online instruction, as well.
Dozens of business across the metro area closed Sunday and Monday, too, as road conditions worsened.
For Louisville business owners, the decision to close for weather doesn’t come lightly. Summer Auerbach, owner of Rainbow Blossom, said determining whether or not to close for snow is always a balancing act. Rainbow Blossom has six locations across Louisville and closing can cost business owners thousands of dollars.
“I have a certain feeling of responsibility that when you’re in an emergency situation, we shouldn’t be closing down grocery stores and keeping people from being able to access food,” Auerbach said. “Then at the same time, wanting to center and prioritize the safety of our employees and not wanting to send them out into treacherous weather.”
Auerbach said the public’s preparation for Winter Storm Blair did help mitigate some of those larger losses. She said stores will hopefully reopen during regular hours Tuesday, but final decisions will be made depending on road conditions.
“We had our biggest sales day ever on Saturday, in preparation for the storm,” she said. “So that makes it a little bit easier to have lost almost two days worth of sales.”
In the coming days, an extreme cold snap is expected to strike the Louisville area. Ron Steve, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said following the storm, the frigid temperatures later in the week are the biggest concern.
“We got some really cold air coming in here,” Steve said. “Wednesday night into Thursday morning is the coldest period — we’re going for lows near zero.”
Steve said Louisville could see more snow on Friday as well, between 1-2 inches, but the freezing temperatures are the larger cause of concern, especially for the 19,500 residents who were out of power as of Monday.
“We’re working with local officials to get the word out to those who have lost power and have medical devices that need to run. We need those folks to be moving toward a warming center,” Gov. Andy Beshear said during a Monday press conference. “If you don’t have power by midday today, you need to be looking at finding a warming center or location that has power.”
Shelters and warming centers are currently open to residents who need them. Find a list of locations at louisvilleky.gov/news/homeless-services-division-plans-inclement-weather.
Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville shuts down amid snow, ice left by Winter Storm Blair