It’s happening! Snow, sleet in Alabama: Winter weather creates dangerous road conditions

It’s happening! Snow, sleet in Alabama: Winter weather creates dangerous road conditions

Winter storm conditions have turned parts of north and central Alabama into winter wonderlands since early Friday.

According to reports from the National Weather Service, the northern half of Alabama was covered in snow, sleet, a wintry mix and icy roads.

Early Friday morning, one of the highest reports reported 2.5 inches of snow and sleet from northern Alabama, with amounts of 1 to 2 inches common in other areas and central Alabama. Snow and sleet was expected to continue across the region until mid-morning.

Forecasters warned early Friday that “difficult to impossible driving conditions with significant impact on roads will continue until at least midday.”

Winter storm warnings remained in effect across northern Alabama and were expanded to include parts of central Alabama, where more roads were reported to be icy and impassable.

According to the National Weather Service in Huntsville, 2 to 4 inches of snow or snow and sleet are possible in northern Alabama in the winter storm warning area.

Further south, in central Alabama, the weather service in Birmingham expected heavy mixed precipitation with another 1 to 2 inches of snow and sleet and ice accumulations of up to 0.2 inches.

Various authorities reported deteriorating road conditions and very dangerous travel north from the greater Birmingham area.

The weather service said “significant impacts are expected due to increasing sleet and sleet, followed by freezing rain this afternoon. “The morning commute will be severely impacted and driving conditions may be dangerous or impossible.”

Precipitation fell as pure snow, a mix of snow and sleet, or just sleet early Friday. This could last until the early hours of the morning.

The weather service said snowfall is expected to transition to a wintry mix this morning, followed by the possibility of freezing rain before temperatures rise above freezing this afternoon, with all rain expected at that point.

However, areas of northern Alabama will remain cooler, leaving at least some potential for wintry precipitation through this afternoon and evening, forecasters said.

The weather service said slick and dangerous road conditions are expected to continue through Saturday morning as temperatures fall below freezing again Friday evening. The remaining soil moisture is expected to freeze again.

There were some reports of sleet in southern Alabama, but temperatures there are so warm that little or no impact is expected in that region, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile

“While it is possible that we may see a few more pockets of sleet north of U.S. 84 mixing with rain, the likelihood is very low, so our chance of wintry precipitation is all but over,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion on Friday morning.

Forecasters expect southern Alabama to experience widespread rainfall throughout the day.

You can find more information about the winter storm warnings and winter weather warnings here:

NORTH ALABAMA

Winter storm in North Alabama

A winter storm warning remains in effect for all of northern Alabama.NWS

CENTRAL ALABAMA

Warnings for Central Alabama

As of Friday morning, the winter storm warning was extended southward to cover more parts of central Alabama.NWS

The winter storm warning has been extended for central Alabama.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday for Marion, Lamar, Fayette, Winston, Walker, Blount, Etowah, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Jefferson and St. Clair counties. The weather service expects additional snow and sleet accumulations of 2.5 to 5 centimeters and ice accumulations of up to 5 centimeters.

A winter storm warning is now in effect for Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Shelby, Talladega, Clay, Randolph and Bibb counties until 3 p.m. today. The weather service said additional snow and sleet accumulations of 1 to 2 inches and ice accumulations of about 0.10 inches.

A winter weather advisory covers Sumter, Greene, Hale, Perry, Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Elmore and Lee counties. It is valid until 3 p.m. today.

The weather service said mixed precipitation is expected, with additional snow and sleet accumulations of up to an inch, and a light layer of ice is possible.

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