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Entire State Under A Blanket Of Snow

Alan Lytle

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is warning motorists to stay off roadways as a slow-moving winter storm system began dumping snow across the state.

Up to 7 inches of snow were reported in some areas by midmorning Monday amid scenes of cars fishtailing and sliding off highways in Louisville.

The National Weather Service said the snow would continue until at least mid afternoon as state officials deployed 1,400 snowplows in an attempt to keep the roads passable. Transportation officials say subfreezing temperatures will reduce the effectiveness of salt and other chemicals, and the fast rate of snowfall is making it hard for road crews to keep up.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray also told citizens to stay off the roads Monday. 

According to Lexington police as of midnight last night they had responded to 4 Injury Collisions, 15 Non-Injury Collisions, and more than 90 motorist assists. 

"We want to save the emergency crews for in case someone has an accident.  If someone gets stuck that means we we're taking someone that can respond to those emergencies away from that.  Our suggestion is if you have to be out we understand.  But if you don't please stay off the roadways.  We've brought our special operations team in so we have nearly one hundred officers dedicated just to this snowstorm," said Lexington Police Chief Mark Barnard.

The National Weather Service says anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of snow are possible by evening. Bitterly cold temperatures are expected to follow, with lows below zero.