COLD MONDAY; WINTER STORM TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TUESDAY INTO TUE. NIGHT… Keep those heavy jackets close on this Monday as temperatures will only peak in the upper 30s and near 40° this afternoon. Sunshine is expected throughout the day today. Tomorrow continues to look like a high impact weather day with snow being likely across much, if not all of, south Alabama and northwest Florida. Impacts may begin in the morning hours before maximizing in the afternoon and evening hours. We continue to encourage everyone to “get somewhere and stay there for the duration of the event,” if at all possible, as travel conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly tomorrow in the midday hours.
EXTREMELY COLD CONDITIONS AGAIN TONIGHT – BRING PETS INSIDE AGAIN… Temperatures will quickly fall below the freezing mark around 5:30PM this evening. Overnight lows will be in the upper 10s inland with air temperatures in the 20s across much of the local area by 6AM Tuesday. Wind chill values will be in the low 10s tomorrow morning. An Extreme Cold Watch is in effect and this will be upgraded to an Extreme Cold Warning or Wind Chill Advisory – difference in National Weather Service products that means absolutely nothing in this case since the result is the same: Dangerously cold temperatures overnight into tomorrow morning. Just like last night, we strongly encourage everyone to bring in outdoor pets this evening before the brutal cold temperatures arrive overnight.
WINTER STORM TIMING – TUESDAY… Showers of snow and mixed precipitation will become possible as early as 6AM tomorrow morning. Heavier, more consistent snow and mixed precipitation will be likely at times from 11AM to 8PM Tuesday. Lingering snow showers will be possible from 8PM Tuesday to 3AM Wednesday.
PROJECTED SNOW TOTALS AS OF 7AM MONDAY… 2 to 4 inches of total snowfall continues to be likely across much of south Alabama and northwest Florida when the winter storm moves across the region Tuesday into Tuesday night. There will be a zone approximately 50 miles across where a snow band sets up. Please remember, if this band of heavier snow sets up 50 miles north of the current forecast path, there will be some communities further south that don’t get much snow. The same holds true if the snow band is 50 miles south, folks further inland won’t get the amounts of snow currently expected. It is ALWAYS the case when we have winter storms in the Deep South (because the rarity of the events): There will be some surprises! I would not be shocked at all if some scattered reports of 6 to 9 inches of snow happen while some spots may not get much snow at all. If the system underperforms, snow totals may be much less than advertised. These totals likely will change somewhat ahead of the event tomorrow. Please check back in for updates this evening.
SNOW LIKELY AT TIMES ACROSS THE REGION P.M. TUESDAY; FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE NEAR COAST… Precipitation is currently expected to be all SNOW across much of Clarke, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Wilcox, Crenshaw, Choctaw, and Washington counties. Much of northern Mobile, northern Baldwin, Escambia (AL), and Covington counties will also have MOSTLY SNOW. The chance of mixed precipitation in the form of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is greatest across parts of southern Mobile, southern Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties along with southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle region east of Walton County. If we see significant ice accumulation issues, those are most likely to happen in these counties. Due to the rarity of winter storm events, I would caution in getting “fixed” on this precipitation type forecast meaning once the system starts moving through, there is a chance ALL of us get snow exclusively or MOST of us have mixed precipitation.
SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION… No matter which precipitation type a specific city/town receives on Tuesday into Tuesday night, impacts are expected to be significant. Road conditions are likely to deteriorate rapidly on Tuesday once precipitation starts falling. Temperatures on Tuesday morning will be below freezing, meaning ground temperatures will be quite cold and supportive of snow/ice accumulating quickly. I am also concerned about Wednesday morning as temperatures will be well below freezing. Melting may take awhile on Wednesday and there is a chance some slick spots remain into Thursday. This has the makings of a very disruptive, potentially significant winter storm across ALL of south Alabama and northwest Florida. My advice to everyone is to get somewhere Monday night or very early Tuesday morning and plan to be there all day Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into Wednesday. Travel is STRONGLY discouraged during that time frame.
WARMER TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND… This will be the coldest week of 2025, most likely. Overnight lows will consistently be below freezing through Friday, most likely. High temperatures will be in the 30s tomorrow and Tuesday with 40s for highs on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. There is hope for warmer weather on the horizon, however. High temperatures are projected to be in the mid 60s by the time we get to Sunday, one week from today. Great news and something to look forward to once we get through this very cold week!
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 throughout the day in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Monday and stay warm!