KY Weather: Bomb Cyclone Threatens Heavy Snow Friday Night

LEXINGTON, KY — A looming winter weather system could lob a "bomb cyclone" of snow and high winds in Kentucky, forecasters warn.

Low-pressure conditions whipped up by cold air will blow across the East Coast in what Weather Channel meteorologists have dubbed "Winter Storm Quinlan."

The storm's track will bring it to Kentucky by Friday night. Most of Kentucky has a chance of receiving over 4 inches of snow in the storm, with the eastern counties most at risk of heavy snowfall, according to the National Weather Service.

The heaviest snow is expected to occur Friday night after rain transitions to a wintry mix, with a chance for snow showers Saturday, according to the forecast. In Lexington, 3 to 5 inches of snow accumulation is expected Friday night. The rain might initially stall accumulation, but the heavy rate of snowfall should be enough to overcome it, according to forecasters.

Many counties in the eastern portion of the state are under a winter storm watch from Friday night through Saturday morning. Forecasters expect anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow in the watch area.

The counties named in the winter storm watch are Scott, Harrison, Woodford, Fayette, Bourbon, Nicholas, Washington, Mercer, Jessamine, Clark, Marion, Boyle, Garrard, Madison, Taylor, Casey, Lincoln, Fleming, Montgomery, Bath, Rowan, Estill, Powell, Menifee, Rockcastle, Jackson, Wolfe and Lee.

The storm could develop into what's essentially a weather bomb, according to a Weather Channel report. This weekend storm could undergo "bombogenesis," the meteorological term for when a low-pressure system drops at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

Such a drop could bring sudden waves of high winds and snow, meteorologists warn, though it appears the worst of the snow and wind will impact New York and Canada.