The NWS Birmingham has cancelled the Winter Weather Advisory for Central sections of the state.

BUT... Very hazardous driving conditions contnue tonight across much of North Alabama and driving is strongly discouraged. Read down for an earlier post detailing some reports from ALDOT and various emergency management agencies.

Check out the latest road closures from ALDOT at: http://www.dot.state.al.us/closures/

Some light freezing drizzle could still occur overnight and cause a few slick spots, so check road conditions before heading out tonight or in the morning and use caution when driving.   

Precipitation continues to taper off across North Alabama tonight, but hazardous driving conditions exist in some areas and will continue to develop overnight.

Marion County EMA reports that roads have become quite icy in that area and road crews are having trouble keeping up.

Roads in Haleyville are reportedly quite icy. Several accidents are reported along highway 195 between Haleyville and Double Springs.

Travel is also reported to be quite hazardous in Cullman and Winston Counties.

There are numerous reports of cars sliding off highways in Cullman County. Numerous roads and bridges are beocming icy in Cullman County. Travel is discouraged.

ALDOT reports numerous accidents across Lawrence County, Franklin County, Lauderdale County and Colbert County. All driving is discouraged in these counties.

Elevated parts of I-565 are closed in Huntsville. Overpasses on Memorial Drive are very dangerous.

Driving is seriously discouraged across North Alabama.

Light snow is occurring across the Tennessee Valley in the Huntsville/Decatur area, but it si diminishing. A little light freezing or frozen precipitation may continue across the area through midnight.

Temperatures are in the middle 20s now across North Alabama. Readings have slipped below freezing as far south as Birmingham and are nearing freezing across the rest of Central Alabama. his means that any moisture on roads will freeze and slick spots will develop. Any additional precipitation that falls will also cause more slippery spots.

Please exercise extreme caution if driving across North and North Central Alabama tonight. A WInter Weather Advisory is in effect north of a line from Aliceville to Pelham to Wedowee.

Greetings from the 17th floor of the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. We have a great view of downtown Atlanta on this cold and wet day. We have 36 degrees over here with light rain as I write this.

I have been keeping up with developments in Alabama via the cell phone web browser... looks like everything unfolded pretty much as expected. Our forecast for today (the one we have had on the table for days) was for a cold rain for I-20 (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Anniston), and any icing issues to be north of a line from Sulligent to Jasper to Blount Springs to Jacksonville. I guess the eastern end of the line was a little too far south, but pretty close.

And, the forecast for freezing drizzle looks good for tonight all across North-Central Alabama. Drizzle isn't something to get really excited about, but I have seen that cause hundreds of accidents over the years on Birmingham interstate highways. You crash a $35,000 dollar vehicle into a guard rail on an icy bridge, and freezing drizzle becomes a HUGE deal.

Look for some light drizzle and temperatures in the 28 to 32 degree range late tonight. The radar doesn't have to lit up like a Christmas tree for icy bridges.

Take it easy on the bridges tonight and early tomorrow...

Bill Murray and J.B. will be reviewing the event for late tomorrow night and Monday morning... first glance looks like the best chance of bridge icing early Monday will be along and north of U.S. 278.

And, wow... maybe a severe weather event coming up before the week ahead is finished.

Never a dull moment...

I will be back in Alabama tomorrow night. Stay warm!

Some icing expected across area tonight...

Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for tonight for the following counties...
Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston, Bibb, Clay, Jefferson, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, Talladega, Tuscaloosa until midnight.

The NWS Huntsville maintains their Winter Weather Advisory for their counties in North Alabama until 6 p.m.

Precipitation is tapering over North Alabama this afternoon, but some light precipitation will continue across the area this evening. As temperatures fall to near or below freezing, icing could occur, especially on bridges and overpasses north of a line from Aliceville to Pelham to Wedowee.

Use extreme caution if you are driving tonight. Bridges and overpasses could be especially dangerous.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy, although there will be some sunshine. There could be a little patchy drizzle. Temperatures will edge into the lower 40s. More precipitation will move across the area starting late tomorrow night. It could fall as freezing rain over northern sections of the area, generally north of US-278.

Precipitation continues over most of North Alabama early on this Saturday afternoon.

North and west of a line from northern Lamar county across southern Marion County, across most of Cullman County, then northeastward across western Marshall County and Central Jackson County, the precipitation is a mix of freezing rain, sleet and light snow. To the south and east, the precipitation is a cold rain.

The NWS Huntsville reports that the precipitation has changed over completely to light snow at their office and at the Huntsville International Airport out at Madison.

Light and more scattered precipitation continues over the northern part of Mississippi. This precipitation is also a wintry mix.

Temperatures at 1 p.m. included...
Muscle Shoals...31...Mix
Hunstville...32...Freezing Rain
Birmingham...37...Cloudy
Greenville MS...30...Cloudy
Greenwood, MS...34...Cloudy
Memphis...23...Flurries
Bentonville AR...14...Cloudy
Guymon OK...11...Cloudy
Chadron, NE...-9...Partly sunny

Freezing rain and sleet will continue to coast exposed objects in areas where the mercury drops to freezing or below befor ethe precipitation ends. The freezing line will continue to slowly settle south.

The good news is that the precipitation will be graudally tapering off this afternoon. However, a little light freezing rain is possible tonight, especially through the evening hours.

Travel will be hazardous over North Alabama, generally north of a line from Sulligent to Jasper to Blount Springs to Jacksonville through this afternoon. Some icy spots will develop, especially on bridges and overpasses as far south as the Tuscaloosa... Birmingham and Anniston areas this evening.

Use caution if you will be traveling. Look out for icy spots.

The Saturday map discussion video is on the server at:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

Nothing like a challenging winter weather situation in the southeastern US to keep you on your toes. And almost every winter weather situation is a challenge since conditions have to be just right to get snow.

As I write this, temperatures ranged from 34 at Huntsville to 66 at Pensacola. The main band of precipitation had moved through central Alabama but precipitation extended from Nashville back across Memphis and into Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

Cold air is expected to settle southward with cold air advection today so don't expect much of a warm up. Your temperature this morning is probably the high for the day. A little break or two in the clouds Sunday could propel temperatures into the lower 40s.

Looks like there may be a lull in the precipitation late tonight and into Sunday before another weak disturbance brings another shot of precipitation to our area. Temperatures Sunday night and Monday morning are likely to be hanging around freezing making travel somewhat of a concern. I don't believe that we'll see widespread icing but even a small amount of icing on bridges and overpasses can cause plenty of trouble. Many places are closed Monday for President's Day so that will help reduce travel.

The weather pattern remains wet and chilly into the first of next week until late in the week when we expect to see a good trough sweep across the area and bring us out of the wetness and into warmer weather.

JB, Bill, and others will be keeping the Blog posts going with information so check back regularly. I plan to have a discussion on here by noon tomorrow after early church and ushering duties.

Stay warm. God bless.

-Brian-

We are monitoring reports from the Tennessee Valley...thanks to the National Weather Service in Huntsville...they report that areas west of I-65 are receiving mainly sleet.

Traffic accidents being reported in the Shoals area due to icing on roads...

From the blog...

...sleet reported in central Walker County wih icicles beginning to form on exposed objects...
...light freezing rain has been reported around Eva in southern Morgan County

A mix of sleet and freezing rain is likely falling from extreme western Jackson County, back across the Huntsvlle/Decatur area then west over the Shoals area extending down into extreme northern Farnklin County. Colder air continues to filter into these areas and reports of icing will be on the increase acorss Northwest Alabama. Higher elevations will freeze faster. Roads will become slick and hazardous as far south as a line from Sulligent to Jasper to Blount Springs to Jacksonville. Remeber that bridges and overpasses ice first,

Surface Observations at 9 a.m...

Alabama...
Muscle Shoals 32 with sleet, freezing rain and rain mixed
Huntsville 32 with light rain
Decatur 33 with freezing rain
Tuscaloosa 38 with rain
Birmingham 37 with light rain

Mississippi...
Greenville 33 with light rain
Greenwood 36 with light rain
Tupelo 34 with light rain
Columbus/Golden Triangle 36 with light rain

Tennessee...
Memphis...26 and cloudy
Jackson...light snow and 25
Savannah...cloudy and 25

Here is Central Alabama, a cold rain is falling. As temperatures fall below freezing late this afternoon and tonight, lingering light drizzle could coat roads and exposed surfaces with a light glaze of ice.

In addition, a chilly north wind is pushing wind chill readings into the 20s.

Keep an eye on outside temperatures as you drive if your car is equipped with a thermometer. As temperatures drop into the middle and lower 30s, be alert for icing on bridges and on all road surfaces as they drop to 32. Slow down and use extreme caution.

Monitor the latest information throughout the day and overnight tonight.

Quick notes from the forecast office...

Some 8:00 a.m. conditions:

Anniston 42 and cloudy
Tuscaloosa 38 with rain
Birmingham 37 with rain
Gadsden 37 and cloudy
Fort Payne 34 with rain
Muscle Shoals 33 with freezing rain
Huntsville 33 with freezing rain
Decatur 33 with freezing rain

The observation at Cullman is not correct.... there is a calibration issue there at the airport (near Vinemont). The automated system is reporting 30, but most likely it is 32 or 33 now.

We have a number of reports of freezing rain and ice accumulation on exposed surfaces over the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama... seems the freezing rain reports are mostly north of a line from Hamilton to Cullman to Guntersville.

A cold rain is falling south of this line.

The Arctic air continues to slowly seep into Alabama, and temperatures should fall slowly during the day. Some bridge icing could develop today as far south as Sulligent, Jasper, Blount Springs, and Jacksonville.

As we have discussed for days here, we expect only a cold rain for the I-20 corridor during the day (Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa). However, tonight as temperatures fall below freezing in this area some light bridge icing is possible. Any precipitation tonight should be very light, but even a little freezing drizzle can lead to dozens of accidents; I have seen it many times on Birmingham interstates.

I think much of the day tomorrow will be dry, but the next round of rain comes in here late tomorrow night into Monday morning. That will be another close call with bridge icing... more on that as the weekend unfolds....

Good morning. Not much has changed in our way of thinking this morning. We are still expecting icing over about the northern third of Alabama...mainly north of a line from Sulligent to Jasper to Blount Springs to Jacksonville as temperatures drop below freezing in those areas as rain continues to fall.

The NWS maintains a Winter Storm Warning for parts of Northwest Alabama, where significant icing will occur. The warning covers Walker, Marion, Fayette, Lamar Winston and A Winter Weather Advisory covers all of the rest of North Central Alabama, as far south as Cullman, Blount, St. Clair, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties.

Further south in the Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and over to Anniston areas, temperatures will continue to drop on breezy north winds. By the late afternoon, temperatures will be near freezing, but the precipitation should be pulling out. There could be a little light freezing rain or drizzle, or perhaps a few snow flurries tonight. There could be some light icing on bridges and overpasses tonight in the Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Anniston areas.

If you are traveling across North Alabama, or into the neighboring states of Tennessee, Mississippi or later into Georgia, check the latest forecast and road conditions before setiing out.

There could be another brief period of icing late Sunday night into Monday morning over North Alabama, mainly north of US-278 as another disturbance moves across the area. It will be the start of a week of wet weather across the Deep South.

NOTES
Arctic air is infiltrating the state. The center of the bitterly cold airmass is over northeastern Nebraska. It is -23F in Rapid City, -6 in Chicago and a record -12F in Denver. J.B. notes the -35F in Alliance NE and -30F in Chadron NE with a wind chill of -50F>

Moisture is overspreading the cold air from the northwest...light rain was just about to reach the Birmingham metro area. Light rain now covers much of West Alabama. This precipitation will continue throughout much of the day, and although it will be mainly light, it doesn't take much at all in the way of freezing rain to cause serious travel problems.

These are 7 am reports...

In Mississippi...
Greenville MS...Light snow 33
To the east in Greenwood, MS Light rain 35
Further east...Tupelo MS...Light Rain 34Olive Branch...Freezing Rain 28

Memphis...Sleet 29
Jackson...Light snow 29
Nashville...Light snow...27

Here in Alabama...
Decatur...Freezing Rain...33
Muscle Shoals...Cloudy 34
Huntsville...Light rain 33
Birmingham...Cloudy 42
Tuscaloosa...Light rain 42
Gadsden...Cloudy 37