FRIGID TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT; SNOW & MIXED PRECIPITATION LIKELY TUESDAY… Winter storm impacts are likely across south Alabama and northwest Florida on Tuesday into Tuesday night. Before we get to that, temperatures will be in the 40s all day on this Sunday before dropping below the freezing mark around 8PM this evening. An Extreme Cold Warning will be in effect due to low temperatures projected to be in the 10s by daybreak Monday with single digit wind chill values. Highs on Monday will be in the 30s. Wintry precipitation, including snow, sleet, and freezing rain will become possible on Tuesday, spreading eastward across our region throughout the day. Road conditions on Tuesday are expected to quickly become hazardous, particularly in areas that have accumulating snow and ice. Further forecast changes are LIKELY over the next 48 hours ahead of this event. Please check back with me for updates later this evening and on Monday.
UPDATED: TIMING – WINTER STORM TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT… The main 12 hour window for impacts from this winter storm will be from 11AM to 11PM on Tuesday, January 21. Impacts COULD become possible as early as 5AM Tuesday, but most of the precipitation will begin later in the morning hours. We strongly encourage everyone to get where they need to be by the late morning hours on Tuesday and stay there until the significant threat of snow and ice comes to an end. The end of the risk may be on Wednesday but there is a possibility the threat lingers all the way to Thursday. No travel is advised once this event begins in your location. Road conditions will likely deteriorate quickly.
SNOW LIKELY ACROSS THE REGION AT TIMES; GREATER AMOUNTS LIKELY INLAND… 2 to 4 inches of snowfall will be possible across parts of southwest Alabama with 1 to 3 inches of snow for coastal Alabama and northwest Florida on Tuesday into Tuesday night. There is always a chance in situations like this that the snow forecast underperforms and there is always a chance we see a significant over-performance. Some of the outlier scenarios have suggested upwards of 6-12″ of snow at times, but keep in mind, most locations probably won’t get near that amount. Overall, the higher snow totals will likely set up in Clarke, Washington, Choctaw, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Escambia (AL), Covington, Butler, Crenshaw, Pike, Coffee, Geneva, Dale, Houston, Henry, and Barbour counties in south Alabama.
MIXED PRECIPITATION AND ICE POSSIBLE NEAR COAST… In addition to the snow potential, there is concern for the potential for freezing rain (rain that falls as a liquid but freezes on contact) and sleet. This risk is maximized across parts of Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties. Travel could become extremely problematic if any ice accretion happens.
DANGEROUSLY COLD TEMPERATURES MONDAY MORNING AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY… A rare Extreme Cold Warning will be in effect for all local counties from Sunday evening through Monday morning. Temperatures will be in the 10s across much of the region with wind chill values as low as 4° (yes, wind chills near 4 degrees!) on Monday morning around 6AM. Please check on neighbors that may not have adequate heating sources. We encourage everyone to bring in outdoor pets and animals. This will be a rare, dangerously cold air mass in place for the first half of the week through Wednesday. High temperatures on Tuesday probably won’t get above the freezing mark on Tuesday afternoon. VERY cold conditions upcoming. Please take it seriously!
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 more updates posted throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app with another detailed update later today.
Have a good Sunday!