Vehicles follow a snow plow on Cemetery Rd. Thursday, March 5, 2015. Snow and ice impacted the region resulting in wrecks, closing and hazardous travel. (Joe Imel/Daily News)

It is very rare that we see back-to-back snowstorms in Kentucky of the magnitude we have seen recently.

Just as Bowling Green and surrounding areas were getting past a snowstorm in late February that dumped nearly a foot of snow here and more in other areas, we woke up Thursday morning to yet another snowstorm of nearly 8 inches. Bowling Green, again, didn’t get as much snow as surrounding areas. Grayson County got 20 inches. Parts of Butler County got 18 inches. Ohio County received 23 inches of snow, and about 21.5 inches fell in Radcliff and Cynthiana. 

Large parts of Interstate 65 from Hart County to Louisville were at a standstill because of several wrecks and the large amounts of snow on the roads. Many people had to spend the night in their vehicles because of the wrecks. Snow plows were initially unable to clear this large section of I-65 because so many vehicles were blocking them. Road officials were finally able to shift vehicles to secondary roads in some areas so the plows could start moving.

Gov. Steve Beshear called for a state of emergency for Kentucky. He also called for a state of emergency during the last snowstorm. Beshear called up the National Guard to help with clearing roads, assisting motorists, etc.

Beshear made the right call on both occasions, declaring a state of emergency. Our state is simply not equipped to handle this weather. Kentucky and her Southern sister states typically don’t see this type of weather, but this winter has definitely been an exception.

This storm was somewhat different from the one in February as it began as rain, turned into sleet and ice Wednesday evening and then snowed all night.

While snow is very pretty to look at, it can make travel much more difficult for motorists. That was especially true in this storm, because of the ice that froze on the roads before the snow struck.

Having rain and ice on the roads and highways can make it nearly impossible for salt trucks to drop their supplies. That makes clearing the roads much more difficult for our road crews.

We know the next couple of days will keep our road crews here and in surrounding areas very busy. These road crews cannot be thanked enough for all they have done during these two winter storms. They have worked around the clock trying to keep our roads clear so motorists can get to and from their locations. 

We urge people in these dangerous conditions to only get out if it is necessary. Be safe in this snow, whether walking or driving in it.

In the meantime, hunker down and pray for springtime.