We in the weather business in BHM own up to a less than perfect forecast today. It did snow, and it did accumulate in some areas, but for some reasons I will explain later, the 1″ accumulating snow didn’t happen for most of us.
However, please do not hold the lesser snow amounts against us now when we tell you that roads across much of north and central Alabama are dangerous, and schools and businesses should consider at least opening late Friday morning! The most dangerous part of this winter storm may be over the next 12 hours.
The Alabama EMA has already sent out a Civil Emergency Message for many counties in central AL, including (but not limited to) Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, Etowah, and Calhoun. Even though only about 1/4″ of snow fell in BHM, and the liquid water equivlaent of the snow, sleet, and rain that fell over most areas was less than 0.1″, this left many roads wet. The Arctic cold air moved in this evening, dropping temperatures well below freezing quickly, before the roads had time to dry off.
As of 1155 pm CST, ALDOT had closed several roads, including parts of US 280 south of Sylacauga, AL 25 in Shelby County, US 72 and I-565 in Huntsville, AL 68 from Collinsville to Sand Mountain. They have issued advisories on numerous other state roads due to icy spots, as far south as Auburn, and as far NW as Franklin County. Reports of ice on AL-269 near Birmingport. For a full report in MAJOR roads, go to https://aldotgis.dot.state.al.us/RoadClosures/Default.aspx/Default.aspx.
Remember, this website does not cover many of the less-traveled roads, such as county highways, city streets, and residential neighborhoods. Large hills and roadways over hilltops, as well as bridges and overpasses, present the biggest hazard. If you hit an icy spot on a bridge, don’t slam on the brakes, as you could lose control of your car. Try to just take your foot off the accelerator and glide across. If you see an icy spot on a hill and have room to stop, do so, turn around and go another way. And, please, use common sense! Drive slowly on roads all day tomorrow, and leave plenty of distance between you and the car in front of you. In general, wherever you are going is not worth risking your life over.
