ICE ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE ACROSS WEST ALABAMA MON. NIGHT INTO TUESDAY… An Arctic cold front will cross our region Monday night, bringing with it very cold air and perhaps some icy road issues across parts of west Alabama. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Monroe, Clarke, Washington, northern Mobile, and northern Baldwin counties to account for this possibility. Regardless of if ice accumulation happens, black ice will be a concern on local roadways in these counties/zones AND beyond.
WINTER WEATHER ISSUES – TIMING… 9PM Monday to 9AM Tuesday is when minor ice accumulations are most likely to happen across parts of southwest Alabama, specifically in parts of Monroe, Clarke, Washington, northern Mobile, and northern Baldwin counties. Minor ice accretions of 0.05 inches will be possible. There is a low-end chance some spots across southwest Alabama may see up to 0.1 inches of ice accretions. This means that roads may become slick, especially bridges and overpasses.
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE MONDAY EVENING THRU TUESDAY MORNING… The precipitation across much of southwest Alabama and northwest Florida will fall in the form of rain Monday P.M. through Tuesday A.M. Some spots over west Alabama may experience sleet or freezing rain, particularly Tuesday morning, prompting the Winter Weather Advisory. Precipitation should clear to our east early (by 9AM) Tuesday.
BLACK ICE CONCERNS… While the overall risk of black ice will be greatest across parts of west Alabama, there is a chance for patchy instances of black ice across parts of the entire region in south Alabama and northwest Florida. From the local NWS: “Black ice looks like pavement, so if temperatures are near freezing, drive slowly like you’re on ice. Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead of you and avoid sudden braking or sudden acceleration.”
VERY COLD TEMPS EARLY THIS WEEK… After the passage of the Arctic front on Monday evening, temperatures will plunge into the 30s by 1AM Tuesday morning. Temperatures will be below 40 degrees for a solid 36 hours from roughly midnight Monday night to around Noon on Wednesday, including all of Tuesday. Temperatures will be below the freezing mark from roughly 6PM Tuesday evening to 10AM Wednesday with overnight lows Wednesday morning likely to be in the mid-10s. Wind chill values will likely be in the single digits Wednesday morning. EXTREMELY cold conditions for our local area!
TEMPS BRIEFLY REBOUND LATER THIS WEEK… High temperatures on Wednesday will be in the 40s with upper-50s likely on Thursday. While overnight lows will be below freezing again Wednesday night into Thursday morning, we get a brief break from the very cold temperatures Thursday and Friday ahead of more subfreezing temperatures during the upcoming weekend.
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 Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have updates posted as needed tonight and tomorrow in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Sunday evening!