FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE OVER WEST ALABAMA P.M. MONDAY… Minor ice accumulation will be possible Monday evening across parts of west Alabama as a winter storm moves northeast across the Deep South. In addition, there will be a concern for hazardous road conditions across parts of inland areas of southwest Alabama Monday evening extending into Tuesday morning due to the potential for black ice. Our overall forecast has not changed much at all in that vast majority of our local area will simply have a cold, miserable rain. I’ve got all of your Sunday forecast details below.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
TODAY: CLOUDY & COLD; FEW SHOWERS TO OUR EAST… Unfortunately, clouds will continue to hang tough across our region on this Sunday. There will continue to be a thermal gradient in place across our region. This means that places like Destin, Crestview, Andalusia, Opp, Florala, and Navarre could have temperatures that surge into the mid-50s this afternoon. Parts of west Alabama near Thomasville, Millry, Chatom, Jackson, and Grove Hill may not get out of the low-40s today, however. If you’re one of the many communities sandwiched in the middle of these two zones, high temps are expected to be near 50. There may be a few areas of rain at times today in parts of Butler, Covington, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties, but vast majority of us will remain dry through this evening.
FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING TO OUR WEST… A few areas of freezing rain or freezing drizzle may be possible just to our northwest across parts of Choctaw County, AL, extending into southeast Mississippi tonight into early Monday morning. Note this is a separate concern than the “main event” of freezing rain slated for Monday evening into early Tuesday morning.
FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE OVER WEST ALABAMA MONDAY NIGHT… Parts of Clarke, Washington, Choctaw, and Marengo counties could potentially have a few more impacts from this winter storm compared to the rest of the region. Ice accumulation of up to a tenth of an inch (0.1”) will be possible that could lead to icy bridges and roadways in those 4 counties locally. The area of greatest concern in our local area will be near Millry, Chatom, Coffeeville, Silas, Toxey, Gilbertown, Sweet Water, and surrounding areas. If you are in or near one of those communities, I would suggest being ready to “stay put” Monday evening into Tuesday morning as travel could become a bit treacherous due to ice accumulating on local roadways.
BLACK ICE CONCERNS MONDAY NIGHT… Some of our local area will have precipitation that happens Monday evening in the form of rain. If this rain forms puddles and wet spots on local roadways, this can become black ice once subfreezing temperatures happen Monday night into Tuesday. Black ice will be a real concern for travelers and folks who will be on the road Monday night into early Tuesday morning. This is especially true in parts of Washington, Clarke, Monroe, Choctaw, Marengo, and Wilcox counties. Keep in mind that the risk of black ice elsewhere across the region is not zero, but the risk is lower outside of those counties. If you’re traveling Monday night into Tuesday morning, PLEASE be cautious and aware of the potential for black ice. If you know someone that has to be on local roadways in this timeframe, please make sure they are aware of this potential.
WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS MONDAY NIGHT… Temperatures are going to plunge into the 20s and 30s on Monday night as precipitation departs our area. Factor in the strong northwest wind into the equation and you get a concerning wind chill value that could be in the single digits in many spots across the inland areas of southwest Alabama and southeast Mississippi. Wind chill values could easily be in the 10s in many other locales. Please bring outdoor pets and sensitive plants inside Monday night!
COLD RAIN FOR MOST OF US MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT… This post focuses heavily on the affected areas of the potential for freezing rain in west Alabama but keep in mind that vast majority of our local area will simply have a cold, miserable rain Monday evening.
APP… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have updates posted throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app. Have a great Sunday!