10:00 a.m., December 30, 2017
According to the National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office in Birmingham, counties just to our west have been placed under a Winter Weather Advisory due to the chance of seeing a wintry mix of freezing rain or sleet. The precipitation forecast for Elmore County is expected to be light throughout the day with isolated and scattered showers. Temperatures will be key to what precipitation is seen across central Alabama. West Alabama continues to be the area with the highest likelihood of seeing the wintry mix. There is a chance of seeing the wintry mix here in Elmore County with little to no accumulation expected at this time. The Winter Weather Advisory may be shifted eastward and northward due to the possibility of seeing the wintry mix.
We’ll start the New Year off with bitterly cold temperatures. Lows Monday morning will be in the teens and 20s with minimum wind chills falling into the single digits across areas to our north. Another bitter cold day is expected on Tuesday with morning lows in the teens to the lower 20s and wind chills again in the single digits across areas to our north. Remember to prepare now and check on the 4 P’s – People, Pets, Pipes, and Plants.
We are working with a number of our stakeholder and partner agencies to have some warming stations across the county available to the those who need a place to warm up. This information will be sent out in a separate email, posted to our website, posted on social media pages and sent to our media partners.
Below is the latest Hazardous Weather Outlook for central Alabama along with a few graphics issued by the National Weather Service on the weather expected over the next few days.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Birmingham AL
352 AM CST Sat Dec 30 2017
ALZ011>015-017>050-311300-
Marion-Lamar-Fayette-Winston-Walker-Blount-Etowah-Calhoun-Cherokee-
Cleburne-Pickens-Tuscaloosa-Jefferson-Shelby-St. Clair-Talladega-
Clay-Randolph-Sumter-Greene-Hale-Perry-Bibb-Chilton-Coosa-Tallapoosa-
Chambers-Marengo-Dallas-Autauga-Lowndes-Elmore-Montgomery-Macon-
Bullock-Lee-Russell-Pike-Barbour-
352 AM CST Sat Dec 30 2017
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the counties served by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.
.DAY ONE…Outlook through Tonight.
A low pressure system forming in the northern Gulf of Mexico will bring rain and possibly some wintry weather to the western and southwest portions of central Alabama beginning overnight as early as
3 am and continuing in Sunday afternoon. Only trace amounts of accumulation is expected for areas by 6 am.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Sunday through Friday.
A mixture of sleet and freezing rain will continue to slide into west central Alabama early Sunday morning, causing light accumulations of ice, or less than a tenth of an inch. During the afternoon hours temperatures will likely warm just enough to prevent any additional accumulations of freezing rain. The precipitation will also shift southward Sunday afternoon into warmer temperatures, so conditions should improve. Rain, mixed with sleet at times, is possible as far south as the Interstate 85 corridor.
Behind the storm system, very cold temperatures will spread into the region next week. Temperatures in the lower teens to lower 20’s are likely each morning next week, resulting in a hard freeze.
Stay tuned for changes to the forecast as we go through the weekend.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…
Activation of storm spotters and emergency management may be needed on Sunday.
$$