Winter storm strands hundreds of vehicles on interstate highways in Kentucky

Heavy snow brought by a winter storm has stranded hundreds of vehicles on interstate highways in Kentucky for hours by midday Thursday.

Being unable to tell the road from the shoulders, many cars just have to stop as heavy snow piled up around cars, trapping drivers inside. Local media reported that some drivers have been stranded for as long as 12 hours on Interstate 65.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear on Thursday morning declared a state of emergency, the second time in less than a month, which allows local officials immediate access to state resources to assist stranded travelers.

"Two significant winter storms nearly bank-to-back are rare in Kentucky. Rain and sleet preceded the snow, making pre-treating roads impossible. Road crews working to clear highways and interstates were hampered by the fast-falling snow, which re- covered roads almost as quickly as they were plowed," said a statement on the Kentucky government website.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced that several counties and the city of Louisville have been "completely covered. " Louisville has reported more than a foot of snow from Winter Storm Thor, according to the National Weather Service. The heavy snow left the stretch of the freeway between Elizabethtown and Louisville in Kentucky shut down.

Lexington, Kentucky, has set an all-time two-day snowfall record since January 1943, while parts of Kentucky have accumulated over 20 inches of snow from Thor.

Winter Storm Thor has swept through the U.S. Midwest, South and East starting from late Wednesday. Endite