RARE DAY MONDAY: FREEZING RAIN ON THE WEST SIDE; STRONG STORMS ON THE EAST SIDE… It certainly is not everyday when we have a situation where we could have freezing rain on the western side of our region with a risk of a few strong to marginally severe thunderstorms on the eastern side of our region! That is the setup for tomorrow (Monday, February 15, 2021). The forecast continues to be on track with most of the ice storm hazards remaining to our northwest across parts of Mississippi and west-central/north Alabama. This means most of us across south Alabama and northwest Florida will simply have a cold rain on Monday. There could be a few areas of freezing rain across parts of Clarke, Washington, Choctaw, and Marengo counties. The Storm Prediction Center has added a Level 1 (out of 5) low-end severe weather risk for part of our region (mainly northwest Florida) as a few of the storms tomorrow could briefly become strong. A few more forecast details are below.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST ALABAMA… Choctaw, Clarke, and Washington counties in southwest Alabama are now under a Winter Weather Advisory valid from 3AM to 3PM on Monday due to the potential for freezing rain and occasional sleet/ice pellets being possible. Total ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch will be possible. This includes Thomasville, Grove Hill, Jackson, Toddtown, Zimco, Whatley, Scyrene, Gainestown, Coffeeville, Morvin, Fulton, Salitpa, Chatom, Millry, Leroy, Malcolm, McIntosh, Vinegar Bend, Gilbertown, Butler, Silas, Toxey, Needham, and surrounding areas in west Alabama.
WINTER STORM WARNING TO OUR NORTH… Much of western and northern Alabama is now included in a Winter Storm Warning. Higher ice accumulation amounts of 0.1″ to 0.3″ of frozen precipitation will be possible, meaning power outages and tree damage are likely. Travel could be nearly impossible. This Winter Storm Warning is in effect for Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, Livingston, Greensboro, Eutaw, Aliceville, Jasper, Fayette, Hamilton, Cullman, Double Springs, Huntsville, Florence, Moulton, Russellville, Boaz, Fort Payne, Double Springs, and surrounding areas. The Birmingham metro area is involved in a Winter Storm Watch.
BLACK ICE CONCERNS MONDAY NIGHT… Most of our local area will have precipitation that happens Monday 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.
STORMS POSSIBLE TO THE EAST… Thunderstorms could briefly become strong on the eastern side of our region as precipitation exits to the east Monday evening. The Storm Prediction Center has added a severe weather risk zone due to the potential for gusty winds and perhaps a tornado or two valid for Monday into Monday evening. This risk zone is mainly in place for the Florida Panhandle region and points east, including northern Florida and southern Georgia. SPC has included parts of southern Baldwin, Escambia (FL), Escambia (AL), Covington, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties in their low-end, Level 1 (out of 5) risk zone valid for Monday into Monday night. Walton County and points east are involved in the Level 2 (out of 5) slight severe weather risk. Most of us on Monday will simply have a cold rain, but I cannot completely rule out a few stronger storms tomorrow evening as rain and storms exit to our east. If we happen to have a tornado warning or two, be sure to join me in our uninterrupted live video coverage. We’ll walk you through the details.
APP… Many updates will be posted over the next 24-36 hours in the RedZone Weather app. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Be sure to visit the Alerts tab (bottom right corner) and tap the large, yellow “Alert Settings” button to customize the alerts you’d like to receive from me. If you like a lot of info, be sure to toggle ON Low-Level Alerts.
NEXT VIDEO… I will have a fresh look at the forecast posted in the video and text discussion on Monday morning by 7:15AM. Have a nice Sunday evening!
