Midday Forecast Update
No change in our forecast; so the event is behaving as expected. Rain was forecast this morning, changing to snow along and near, or just south of I-20.
The rain/snow line this afternoon will be just south of I-20, generally speaking. South of that line, the cold rain continues. North of that line, widespread snow develops, heavy at times with potential for some thundersnow.
The NWS took a few of the southern counties out of the winter storm warning, replacing it with a “winter weather advisory” since under 2 inches of snow is expected there. The cities of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Anniston remain in the winter storm warning.
RAIN/SNOW LINE: This clearly remains the most difficult issue with over 500,000 people living around it. There will be a very sharp gradient on the southern edge of the snow; you can go from 5″ of snow.. travel 20 miles to the south… and just have a cold rain. And, this magical “line” won’t be as pretty as the ones we draw on the maps. Snow amounts will probably vary greatly for the Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Anniston areas.
The big snows will be up north around US 278 (Hamilton to Cullman to Gadsden), where 3 to 6 inches is likely. Isolated amounts to 8 inches. Convective snow is very possible (thundersnow).
SPC has issued this mesoscale discussion, detailing the potential for heavy snow across AR/MS/AL
TIMING: The chance to snow will begin quickly in Northwest Alabama after 12:00, and progressing eastward early this afternoon. The snow will end late tonight around midnight.
IMPACTS: Where the heaviest show falls, there could be a few scattered power outages due to the heavy, wet nature of the snow. Traffic will be severely impacted as well. Temperatures drop below freezing tonight, but we will rise above freezing by mid-morning tomorrow, when travel conditions begin to improve.
LIVE FROM THE FIELD: You can watch our live streams from the field right here:
ALABAMA POWER IS READY, ARE YOU? Our friends at Alabama Power are monitoring the forecast closely, ready to deploy people and assets to quickly address any outages that might occur. Read a special message from Ike Pigott about their commitment to their customers.
Stay tuned for more updates…
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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