COLD is the Word

It certainly has been a wild first week of 2017 in the category of Alabama weather. We started the week off with the threat of severe weather in the state, with a couple of tornadoes over southern portions of the state, and ended the week with wintry weather. The winter weather precip. is out of here, but now we have to deal with the left over mess and the brutal cold. With the clear sky today, the strip where the greatest accumulation of snow and ice occurred, is showing up across the Deep South and Central Alabama as it reflects the sunshine. There is also a lot of snow across eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, and the Ohio Valley.

Despite the sun-filled, blue sky, temperatures are struggling to climb today and many locations are only in the upper 20s. You add in those brisk northwest winds, and wind chills are in the teens, and have been as low a 3° at the Birmingham Airport today.

Road conditions are slowly improving this afternoon, due to a very dry air mass and all the sun, but there will remain icy spots, and traffic troubles remain a serious issue through the Birmingham Metro. Travel is not recommended today and tonight through the area.

Icy spots are going to persist and be an issue tonight as the bitterly cold air mass in place will allow our temperatures to head to the mid teens for many locations overnight. Here is one forecast model on lows in the morning, and they could be a few degrees lower in some locations.

This could actually be the coldest night for many of us since February 19, 2015, when the mercury plunged to 13° at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. With temps this low, we are going to remind folks of the 4 Ps…People, Pets, Pipes, and Plants. I’d leave the pipes dripping tonight for sure.

HARD FREEZE WARNING: The NWS in Birmingham has issued a Hard Freeze Warning for all of Central Alabama. The NWS Mobile has a similar product all the way to the Gulf Coast. Temperatures tonight will range from 10 degrees in the north to 20 degrees in the far south. These temperatures could cause pipes to burst. Be sure to check on your neighbors and pets and prepare for the cold. Also any roads that are wet or icy will freeze overnight and may create hazardous travel conditions through Sunday morning.

SUNNY SUNDAY: Tomorrow will be very similar to today with tons of sun and cold temperatures. We should see afternoon temps climb above freezing, before heading back down into the lower 20s Sunday night. Highs tomorrow will only be in the mid-30s.

Tags: ANC

Category: Alabama's Weather