Lee County Added to the Winter Weather Advisory

The NWS has added Lee County to the Winter Weather Advisory.

Temperatures at the Auburn observing site have continued to fall over the past several hours and it is now 34F.

As the coder air works in, precipitation riding over the area will change to a wintry mix of rain/sleet/snow, eventually to changing to all snow. The Winter Weather Advisory includes: Bibb, Chambers, Chilton, Coosa, Fayette, Lamar, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa and now Lee until 6 a.m. tomorrow.

The dewpoint has dropped 2 degrees to 30F and winds have been gusting to over 20 mph out of the ENE. This is the dreaded “wedge” working into Alabama from the east.

POLAR WEDGIE
The winds are compliments of the “wedge” working in from the east and low pressure strengthening over the northern Gulf of Mexico near the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

Charles Daniel affectionately named it the Polar Wedgie this morning. I think that name could stick!

In fact, all through the eastern counties, winds are blowing. Vic Bell at Black Creek in Etowah County reports: “…wind gusting to 30-40 up in the treetops…roaring like a tornado.”

The strong eastern winds have reached BHM as well, with winds gusting to 15-0 mph at the airport. The dewpoint has dropped a degree as well.

WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES
Winter Storm Warning continues for Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Marion, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Walker and Winston Counties until 6 a.m. tomorrow as well.

These counties will experience a changeover to a wintry mix and eventually snow as colder air works into the area. That should begin in northeast Alabama this morning and progress southwestward across the area through the afternoon. Snow accumulations will be most likely north of a line from Double Springs to Birmingham to Sylacauga to Roanoke with 1-4 inches possible. The highest amounts will be northeast of a line from Hayden to Anniston to Newell.

ROUGH RUSH HOUR IN BIRMINGHAM TODAY
As temperatures fall this afternoon, driving conditions will become hazardous due to snow and freezing rain. Initially roads and bridges will be the issue, but black top roads could also have ice and snow issues as well, especially after dark as temperatures continue to drop. The “afternoon drive” period today (3-6 p.m.) will be very challenging to snow and ice from Birmingham north and east.

Please prepare for this today. If you are at work or will be out this afternoon in the Winter Storm Warning area, you should plan to be home by 3 p.m. Monitor the latest forecast information throughout the day in case the forecast changes.

POWER OUTAGES
There could be enough ice accumulation over some East-Central Alabama counties for scattered power outages. Counties like Cleburne, Randolph, Clay, and Chambers.

READ DOWN FOR JAMES’ MORNING DISCUSSION
He takes his usual excellent morning run through the forecast details.

WARNING/ADVISORY MAP

Category: Alabama's Weather, Winter Weather