All aboard the polar vortex ❄️

Major winter storm forecasted to hit Louisville Thursday night

The arctic blast storm is expected to blow in on Thursday night. | Photo by @U2photography

The Polar Express isn’t the only thing coming to town this holiday weekend. A polar vortex is rolling into Derby City tomorrow night — and it’s projected to bring the coldest air since February 2015.

But before you start dripping the faucets and putting on an extra pair of socks, let’s take a look at the storm that’s sweeping the nation.

LOUtoday_arctic blast map — Mixed precipitation and heavy snow is possible for River City.

The arctic blast storm will work its way down from Canada, through the Midwest, and eventually into Kentucky.

This kind of weather movement occurs when a surge of high-pressure Arctic air funnels through milder parts of the globe, bringing sudden, extreme cold and bursts of heavy snow. During this type of cold front, temperatures can drop 40 degrees or more in a span of 24 hours, or in some cases, within minutes.

Here’s a closer look at the storm projected to hit Louisville Thursday night:

Overnight flash freeze
Wind gusts between 40- and 50-mph
Snow accumulation Thursday night and into Friday morning
Temperatures in the teens and single digits through Saturday night with wind chills reaching 10-20 degrees below zero

🌨️ How the city is planning to tackle the storm

The Louisville Metro’s Snow Team checked their equipment on Monday and is basing their plan of action on the temperature — that’s because the materials they use to fight snow and ice are only effective or efficient at a certain temperature.

You can stay up to date on the city’s snow removal movements via its Snow Route Map, which provides up to the minute progress of snow clearing.

🌨️ How can you prepare

Metro is urging citizens to check or get a weather emergency kit and plan for potential power outages.

Louisville Fire & Rescue is also asking Louisvillians to remain cautious of fire hazards as they increase use of space heaters, fireplaces, and generators.

Follow these tips from Louisville Water on ways to keep your pipes from freezing.

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Wednesday, Dec. 21

Lights Under Louisville | Wednesday, Dec. 21-Sunday, Jan. 1 | 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. | Louisville Mega Cavern, 1841 Taylor Ave., Louisville | $34.99 | Drive through the MEGA caverns to see over 900 light displays at the only underground holiday light show in the world.
Pickin’ and Pottery | Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 3-8 p.m. | Hadley Pottery, 1570 Story Ave., Louisville | Free | Listen to Kentucky-style instrumental music from Mike Shroeder and Steve Cooley while you shop — plus enjoy hot cider and treats.
Gardens Aglimmer | Wednesday, Dec. 21-Friday, Dec. 30 | 6-9 p.m. | Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Ave., Louisville | $5-$10 | Walk through a twinkling winter wonderland of oversized flowers, animals, light tunnels, icicle arches, and sip hot drinks from the Jingle All the Way Cafe.

Thursday, Dec. 22

The Brown-Forman Nutcracker | Thursday, Dec. 22-Friday, Dec. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main St., Louisville | $39.20-$168 | Travel to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy during this holiday classic with the Louisville Ballet and The Louisville Orchestra.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

47º | Mostly cloudy | 6% chance of rain

Open

Sunergos Coffee’s opened its fifth location at 3922 Willis Ave. in the former St. Matthews Pharmacy building. The 2,900-sqft cafe is the roaster’s biggest spot yet with two espresso bars, a covered patio, and more. If you’re a Libra, you’ll especially love it according to our coffee shop zodiac signs. ☕

Civic

The community is invited to meet mayor-elect Craig Greenberg during an open house at Metro Hall on Monday, January 2 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. as part of his Inauguration Day plans. Greenberg will be sworn in at 10 a.m. that day and TARC will offer fare-free rides all day. (WAVE)

Community

The city broke ground on two new community centers in West Louisville. The Russel neighborhood will look forward to a $11.6 million renovation of the Baxter Community Center and a $5.2 million redevelopment of the St. Peter’s United Church of Christ into a multi-purpose space. 🤝 (WHAS11)

Ranked

There’s no place like home for the holidays… and we have proof. Louisville ranked No. 56 on WalletHub’s “2022’s Best Cities for Christmas” based on criteria like shopping options, events, and the community’s generosity. (WalletHub)

Seasonal

UofL professor and psychologist Dr. Michael Cunningham unwrapped Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” to find out why people love it and also hate it. Those who blast the holiday anthem see it as tradition while others find the sheer number of times it’s played tiresome. (WDRB)

Shop

Don’t stress over finding last-minute gifts. Make gifting easy by selecting a gift card to our LOUtoday shop, Six & Main. From candles to clothes, there’s something for everyone. Purchase a gift card today. 🎁

Tech

DYK? Louisville is home to almost 2,000 tech companies. The LouTechWorks program brings together K-12 institutions, higher ed institutions, employers + nonprofit organizations to create a deep pipeline of tech talent.*

Sports

Need to know just enough of what happened during the World Cup for your next holiday party? Get The GIST.*

Trending

ICYMI, Allure released its 2022 Best of Beauty Awards. Some of our favorite products made the cut, including Caudalie’s Premier Cru The Cream, R+Co’s revolutionary dry shampoo, and this cruelty free eyebrow conditioner with 2,500+ five-star reviews. We’re also adding this brightening under-eye cream to our cart.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

All that and dim sum 🥟

Dig into dim sum brunch at Copper & Kings

Copper & Kings is located at 1121 E. Washington St. | Photo courtesy of Copper & Kings

On Saturday, Dec. 24 — aka Christmas Eve — Copper & Kings Rooftop Bar and Restaurant is hosting a dim sum brunch dubbed “All I want for Christmas is Dim Sum.”

Chef Josh Lehman will dish out traditional dim sum small plates and the bar will offer themed cocktails, including a sesame old fashioned and coconut milk brandy punch.

A glance at the menu:

Traditional steam buns
Clams in black bean sauce with chilies and Shaoxing wine
Sticky fried rice
Rice dumplings

And the holiday feast doesn’t end there. The Butchertown restaurant and brandy distillery will also serve special menu items for New Year’s Eve dinner including Sturgeon caviar crepes, tuna tartare, and a 3D Valley Farm prime rib served with potatoes dauphine and brandy beef jus.

Walk-ins are welcomed, but reservations are recommended.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Katie.

Editor’s pick: When you wake up tomorrow morning and find that we’re not in your inbox, no need to sound the alarms. We’re hitting the pause button for a day, but we’ll be back bright and early on Friday at 6 a.m.

In the meantime, remember that you never have to enjoy your cup of coffee sans LOUtoday. You can always browse some of our greatest hits on our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where we post every day about what’s going on around Louisville.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn about the Main Library’s $8 million renovations plans.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Katie Molck, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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