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Hundreds rescued from icy interstate in Kentucky

A blast of Arctic air east of the Rockies is bringing record low temperatures, and wind chills are below freezing as far south as Atlanta
Icy crashes trap hundreds of drivers in South 02:26

A blast of arctic air east of the Rockies is bringing record low temperatures Friday. Wind chills are below freezing as far south as Atlanta.

In Lexington, Kentucky, it feels like it's below zero. The state is where police and the National Guard rescued hundreds of people from icy roads on Interstate 65, many of whom were stranded for 24 hours, reports CBS Nashville affiliate WTVF's Cuthbert Langley.

Record amounts of snow made a mess of the roads and led to spinouts and accidents for millions in the South Thursday.

"Ride was pretty tough. It's really, really dangerous out here. I wouldn't be out here if I didn't have to go to work today," one person said.

In Kentucky, the storm brought traffic to a complete standstill after several wrecks shut down two major highways. Thousands of people were jammed bumper to bumper, some stuck for nearly 24 hours.

"I got a mile away from here at 3:30 this morning, and it took me until just a few minutes ago to get one mile," a truck driver said.

He said it took about 12 hours to drive the mile.

On Interstate 65 the lines of cars stretched for roughly 26 miles. Gov. Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency, sending in National Guard troops to help with the relief effort.

"Soon as we see dry pavement and no snow, all the worries are gone. Just hoping on the way back, it's clear," one person said.

With temperatures set to plunge below freezing in several cities, crews are rushing to clear snow-covered roads before they ice over.

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