A Wintry Saturday Morning in Alabama--7:30 am Update

UPDATED AT 7:30 AM

Talked to Cleburne County EMA at 6:55 AM...Travel very hazardous, especially bridges/overpasses...a number of trees down around the county...state route 281 closed that goes toward Cheaha State Park...15 accidents during the night on Interstate 20 within Cleburne County mostly from cars sliding off the highway.

Report from Muscadine in extreme East Alabama...29 degreees with 1/2 inch of ice in trees, "nice glaze" on roads...no driving for awhile. This is as far as you can get in eastern Cleburne County without crossing the Georgia border.

It is a story of East Alabama faring much worse than the central and west part of the state. Here is a roundup of state and regional 7 am reports...

32 cloudy in Cullman
35 cloudy in Decatur
32 mixed precipitation at Fort Payne Airport
34 cloudy in Huntsville
37 cloudy at Birmingham Airport
32 freezing at Chattanooga
28 freezing rain in Atlanta, wind east 14, gusts 21, wind chill 17
36 cloudy at Columbus, Miss.
38 cloudy in Memphis
35 light rain in Nashville
37 cloudy in Tuscaloosa
33 at Prattville
28 in Anniston (at elevation of 1201 feet)
28 atop Mt. Cheaha
26 in Mentone, elevation 1841 feet
29 at Collinsville...on the ridge

Tallapoosa county reports several trees down blocking roadways in the new site/daviston/and jacksons gap areas. power outages in these same areas.

In Randolph County, significant travel problems but streets are OK in Roanoke--reported by EMA.

Other reports...32 in Grayson Valley (NE edge of BHM) with a "nice glaze of ice" driving ok...Munford layer of ice covering trees and power lines, 32 degrees...Lee County, icy bridges and overpasses but "not bad"...Centre in NE Alabama has 29 degrees...Dekalb County, widespread icing on roads in the north part of the countyu including Mentone, Ider, Henagar and on other parts of Lookout Mountain...Tallapoosa County, a few trees down from ice load in NE part of county...6 am temperature 28 in Anniston at elevation of 1201 feet...temperature on Mt. Cheaha 29, no wind report because wind instruments are locked up by ice load

THE ATLANTA STORY
Numerous roads closed including parts of the interstate system...numerous traffic accidents and news reports indicate 3 fatalities in those...at 7 AM, CST, it was 28 in Atlanta with freezing rain with east wind 14 MPH and gusts to 21 with a wind chill of 17.

NORTHWEST SOUTH CAROLINA
You will have problems going through there today on Interstate 85. In the Greenville-Spartanburg area, 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet is expected this afternoon.