A mix of light rain, light sleet and light freezing rain continues across North and Central Alabama tonight.

Across North Alabama, temperatures are at or below freezing. Further south, temperatures are dropping due to evaporative cooling in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. At 11 p.m. the mercury had fallen to 36F at the Birmingham Airport.

Radar indicates increasing light precipitation over North and Central Alabama. Light freezing rain mixed with sleet is moving across Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Winston and into Cullman Counties. Roads will quickly become hazardous in these areas.

Travel will be hazardous overnight across Northwest and North Alabama over into northern Mississippi. Numerous accidents are being reported as far south as Vicksburg on I-20, as well as Greenville in western Mississippi.

Further south in Alabama, a large area of light to moderate rain is moving across Tuscaloosa, southern Jefferson, Greene, hale, Bibb and northern Sumter Counties. Some sleet mightbe mixed in with the rain. As temperatures continue to drop overnight, icing may develop on bridges and overpasses.

Check road conditions before driving tonight or in the morning over North and Central Alabama.

The National Weather Service Birmingham has issued a Freezing Rain Advisory until 9 a.m. Monday morning for the following Central Alabama counties...Blount, Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston.

The National Weather Service Huntsville has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 9 a.m. Monday morning for the following North Alabama counties...Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Marshall, DeKalb and Cullman.

Freezing rain is expected overnight to the north of a line from Millport to Oneonta to Fort Payne.

A thin glaze of ice is expected across these areas.

South of this line to a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Odenville to Jacksonville, temperatures may drop to freezing briefly overnight, resulting in some slick spots on roads.

Temperatures across Central Alabama range from 37F at Birmingham to 39 at Tuscaloosa to 40 at Anniston. Further north, temperatures are already below freezing over much of North Alabama.

Radar indicates light precipitation from parts of Winston and Cullman Counties south across Jefferson County into Pickens and Tuscaloosa County. Widespread light precipitation with some moderate precipitation is indicated over much of northern Mississippi. This precipitation will lead to fairly significant icing over Northwest and North Alabama later.

All residents of Central and North Alabama will want to check road conditions before venturing out late tonight and Monday morning.

This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama. All week long, the National Weather Service will be highlighting a different severe weather threat that affects our state. Today is devoted to severe thunderstorms. Tuesday will highlight lightning. Wednesday will feature the tornado threat and feature the annual statewide tornado drill. Thursday will spotlight the number one weather killer in the United States...flooding and flash flooding. Finally, Friday will wrap up the week with a focus on NOAA All-Hazards Weatheradio and the Emergency Alert System day.

There are three kinds of thunderstorms. Single cell, multi cell and supercell. Single cell, or pulse thunderstorms frequently occur in the summer months. They develop when unstable air develops into a thunderstorm updraft. They are not organized and generally rain themselves out as they choke on their own downdrafts. They generally do not become severe, which is defined as a storm with winds 58 mph or greater or hail 3/4 of inch or larger (penny size.) But they still can be killers producing deadly lightning and very heavy rainfall that can cause flooding.

Multi cell thunderstorms form when atmospheric wind profiles are conducive to tilting the thunderstorm updraft away from the downdraft and precipitation core. Thunderstorm clusters and squall lines are examples of multi cell thunderstorms. These storms often become severe, frequently producing damaging winds and occasional tornadoes in addition to the usual threats of lightning, hail and very heavy rains.

Supercell thunderstorms are the kings of the sky. They form when instability levels are high and spin in the atmosphere is plentiful. This spin, called helicity can set a thunderstorm to rotating like a top. These storms are most likely to produce long track ,damaging tornadoes, as well as winds over 100 mph, very large hail and the usual complement of deadly lightning and flooding rains. They usually like to be isolated by themselves to reach their destructive potential, but they can be embedded in squall lines or in clusters. Supercells are most common in the primary severe weather seasons of Spring and Fall.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when radar indicates a storm may be severe or actual ground truth reports indicate the criteria has been reached. Severe thunderstorm warnings should always be taken seriously, although many people believe the criteria for severe thunderstorms should be raised. In any case, the best idea is to be in a substantial building or home when a thunderstorm threatens. Stay away from windows and avoid using the telephone and electrical appliances because of lightning. Mobile homes should be vacated for safer structure as strong winds can overturn them easily.

...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM MONDAY MORNING FOR
PORTIONS OF THE AREA...

A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM MONDAY MORNING FOR
MARION...LAMAR...WINSTON...FAYETTE...WALKER AND BLOUNT COUNTIES.
WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW FREEZING ACROSS THESE COUNTIES...
ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS WILL BE IN THE FORM OF FREEZING
RAIN. RADAR INDICATES PATCHES OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION ACROSS AREAS TO
OUR WEST AND THIS PRECIPITATION WILL SHIFT NORTHEASTWARD OVERNIGHT.
ALTHOUGH THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT...SOME ICING OF
BRIDGES...OVER-PASSES...ROOFTOPS AND TREES WILL BE POSSIBLE.
TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA BY
9 AM ON MONDAY. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA...TEMPERATURES
ARE EITHER EXPECTED TO BE ABOVE FREEZING OR ANY PRECIPITATION THAT
FALLS WILL BE SO LIGHT THAT NO PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED.

The NWS in Jackson has issued a Winter Weather Advisory effective until 10 a.m. Monday for the area north of a line from Natchez to Jackson to Macon (about 50 miles west of Tuscaloosa.)

Temperatures over Central Mississippi are a few degrees cooler than those over Central Alabama at 8 p.m.

It was 34 at Jackson...32 at Vicksburg and Greenwood and 27 at Greenville. (at 8 p.m.)

Light precipitation is expected to fall as mainly freezing rain, leaving a thin glaze on exposed objects and roads. Hazardous dirivng conditions are expected to develop.

Temperatures are unchanged across Central Alabama at 9 p.m., with 39 at Tuscaloosa, 38 at Birmingham and 40 at Anniston.

The NWS Huntsville continued a Winter Weather Advisory for their counties through 9 a.m. Monday.

No indication that the NWS Birmingham will issue an advisory just yet.

All residents of North and Central Alabama will want to monitor weather and road conditions later tonight and early Monday morning.

Light precipitation is moving rapidly from west to east across the northern half of Alabama tonight. MOst of the precipitation is in the form of very light rain or drizzle. Reports indicate that the precipitation is reaching the ground over East Alabama in Cleburne County, which matches up well with radar returns.

Temperatures are warm enough for the precipitation to be falling in a liquid form across Central sections of the state. It will be interesting to watch the behavior of temperatures in the Tuscaloosa... Birmingham and Anniston areas over the next few hours as the precipitation prouces an effect called evaporative cooling.

North of a line from Millport to Berry to Warrior to Gadsden, temperatures will probably drop to freezing and here is where we will see the best chance of icing on exposed objects and roads. Temperatures are already in the lower and middle 30s in these areas.

South of this line down to a line from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to Odenville and Jacksonville, icing may occur if temperatures can briefly fall to near freezing. It does not take very much freezing rain or drizzle to cause big time road problems, so everyone will want to use extra caution and pay close attention to morning traffic and weather reports before traveling. If your car is equipped with an external thermometer, monitor it also, watching for readings below 35F.

Remember that bridges and overpasses often ice first. If you start to slide, stay off the brakes.

We will be monitoring the aituation throughout the night.

At 7 p.m., temperatures were below freezing over the Tennessee Valley and adjacent areas of North Mississippi. Some readings included:

Deactur...32
Huntsville AP...32
Muscle Shoals...31
Cullman...30

Across Central Alabama...the airmass was a little milder...

Birmingham...39
Tuscaloosa...40
Anniston...41

Skies are cloudy across the entire area. The clouds will act as a blanket overnight, preventing temperatures from falling very far. Good thing.

Radars indicate that an area of mixed snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain is expanding to the west of Alabama. This precipitation will arrive in western sections of the state before 9 p.m. Bad thing.

No reporting stations in Mississippi were observing precipitation at 7 p.m.

Much of the initial wave of precipitation will evaporate before reaching the ground. A process called evaporative cooling will allow temperatures to fall 2-3 degrees as this occurs. This will allow areas in the middle 30s to cool to near freezing.

The precipitation is light, but where it falls into freezing air near the surface, the phenomenon of freezing rain will occur. This can cause bridges and elevated highways to ice quickly.

The greatest threat of that is icing is north of a line from Millport to Berry to Warrior to Gadsden, where temperatures are expected to be near freezing at the onset of precipitation. But, temperatures should dip to near freezing for a short time as far south as Tuscaloosa... Birmingham... Odenville and Jacksonville. Icing could occur briefly along and north of this line also.

If you are traveling across North or Central Alabama later tonight and Monday morning, check the latest forecasts and road conditions before heading out. Take it easy when driving and be alert for ice.

At 6 o'clock, little or no precipitation in Alabama.

Scattered light precipitation was developing over South Arkansas, North Louisiana and maybe Extreme West Central Mississippi...spreading east.

The NWS, Birmingham issued a Special Weather Statement pointing out the possibility of patchy light freezing rain or drizzle possible late tonight across North Central Alabama, mostly after 10 pm.

Mostly north of a Milport-Berry-Warrior-Gadsden line, but possibly some also as far south as Tuscaloosa-Birmingham-Jacksonville.

Earlier, the NWS, Huntsville has posted a Winter Weather Advisory for tonight and early Saturday for Extreme North Alabama roughly from Cullman County northward.

Some of the towns/cities included:

Florence
Russellville
Athens
Decatur
Huntsville
Guntersville
Scottsboro
Fort Payne

Upper level disturbance moving across tonight will create some light precipitation.

Cold enough in those areas for it to be light freezing rain or freezing drizzle.

Back to all rain around mid-morning Monday.

Still no precipitation anywhere in Alabama at 4:30 pm.

That should change tonight.

The NWS, Huntsville has posted a Winter Weather Advisory for tonight and early Saturday for Extreme North Alabama roughly from Cullman County northward.

Some of the towns/cities included:

Florence
Russellville
Athens
Decatur
Huntsville
Guntersville
Scottsboro
Fort Payne

Upper level disturbance moving across tonight will create some light precipitation.

Cold enough in those areas for it to be light freezing rain or freezing drizzle.

Back to all rain around mid-morning Monday.

Here we go again.

We will watch and wait.

It is precipitationless across Alabama this afternoon. Another one of those Havana Junction words that I am pretty sure does not exist. But, you get my drift. Remember, we wrote our own dictionary down there.

While it is dry, it is still plenty cold.

The temperature was only 28 at 2 pm at the NWS Office at UAH in Huntsville. It was in the mid 30s across Central Alabama.

More precipitation for tonight...most of it late tonight and even after midnight. Could start off as light freezing rain over the north.

So stay tuned.

Lowest temperature that I could find in Alabama this morning was 11 at a private weather station on Monte Sano in Huntsville.

The final low at Birmingham Airport was 22, our coldest so far this winter by one degree. Pinson had 21.