The National Weather Service is warning of “extremely dangerous, lifethreatening” cold temperatures later this week as an arctic blast descends upon Alabama. The cold front is expected to enter Alabama Thursday night and move southward across the state through Friday morning.
NWS predicts temperatures will drop some 40 degrees over a matter of hours as the front passes over Alabama, bringing with it strong winds. The wind chill factor will make outdoor temperatures seem even colder than the mid-tolow teens predicted for our area. North Alabama could see lows in the single digits.
“It’s now or never, folks,” warned NWS Birmingham’s Twitter account on Wednesday morning. “You have ~36 hours to prepare for the dangerous cold, which will hit us like a ton of bricks tomorrow night.”
NWS warned that, while only a light snow, confined to North Alabama, is predicted at this point, there is still the potential for patches of ice to form on roadways throughout the state. Motorists should use caution when traveling for the holidays.
Hale, Perry, and the rest of the Black Belt will be under a wind chill watch from Thursday night into Friday morning. Heavy gusts of wind could make it feel like it is 0 degrees or even lower, NWS warned.
The area is also under a hard freeze warning from midnight Thursday through 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Temperatures may not rise above freezing until midday on Sunday.
