Snowplows, road graders, and even National Guard personnel are in action dealing with 12 to 16-inch snowfall along the interstate, and drifts more than two feet high.
Conditions are especially bad eastward from mile marker 27 in Lyon County, where hundreds of stranded cars and semis pose as obstacles for highway crews.
Estimates still indicate it will take several hours of work to make I-24 passable for through traffic. Meanwhile, truck stops, restaurants and parking lots in Cadiz, Metropolis and Marion, Illinois filled to capacity overnight with interrupted travelers.
In Crittenden County, a local state of emergency has been declared with the purpose of keeping people off the roads until they can be cleared.
In many communities, law enforcement officials are being forced to use alternate modes of transportation where standard cruisers cannot drive in the deep snow.
After Wednesday afternoon's freezing rain and sleet, heavy snow persisted in western Kentucky until it exited the lakes area around 9am, leaving behind 12 inches in Paducah, 15 in Benton and 16 inches in Mayfield.
