Tens of thousands of Kentuckians are without power Monday morning as a winter storm continues to hammer much of the state with snow, ice and an incoming blast of arctic temperatures.  Approximately 83,000 Kentuckians across more than three dozen counties were without power Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that gathers power outage data reported by utilities. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear had declared a state of emergency ahead of what’s been dubbed Winter Storm Blair. Beshear warned the storm could cause widespread power outages, create treacherous travel conditions and make temperatures dangerously cold. Communities across the state have dealt with a deluge of snowfall and ice from freezing rain. Kentucky’s largest cities of Louisville and Lexington have broken snowfall records for Jan. 5 after receiving 7.7 inches of snow and 5.5 inches of snow, respectively, according to the National Weather Service Office in Louisville. Some parts of Western Kentucky have received at least a half an inch of ice accumulation.  The Louisville office also stated air temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits or below zero Wednesday night and Thursday morning in some parts of north central Kentucky. The National Weather Service office in Paducah stated the threat of power outages remains through Monday with wind gusts up to 30 mph hitting ice cover on trees.  Beshear in a Monday morning press conference regarding the weather urged those who don’t have power by Monday night to create a plan to find a local warming center given the “bitterly cold” temperatures. He said he believed utilities could make significant progress through Monday on restoring power, though some utilities have told him power is expected to be without power for a few days in some places.  “If you don’t have power restored by tonight, you need to be thinking about the plans that you may need to make to be safe. County officials are working really hard to make sure there are those warming centers open,” Beshear said. “Stay home. Stay safe.”  During the press conference, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray urged Kentuckians who must navigate roads to have a “car kit” available for emergencies and to not touch downed power lines. Beshear said Kentuckians who need help during the storm and cold temperatures should text or call the national disaster distress hotline at 1-800-985-5990 or call their local emergency management office. Capital Avenue and the Governor’s Mansion Monday morning. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Tom Loftus) The post Winter storm leaves tens of thousands of Kentuckians without power appeared first on The Lexington Times.