State of emergency issued as snow, ice closes in on Alabama

Gov. Kay Ivey has officially declared a state of emergency for 37 counties in Alabama, covering the northern half of the state.

The declaration will officially go into effect at 1PM Thursday afternoon and last up to 60 days or until lifted by the governor. Many schools and government offices have already announced the decision to close Friday.

“Cold temperatures have persisted in Alabama this week, and we are anticipating the potential for winter weather to impact our state, particularly our driving conditions. As we all know, winter weather is challenging in a state like Alabama due to forecast uncertainties. That being said, I encourage Alabamians to make any needed preparations today, and if you are in an impacted area and do not have to be on the road, try to avoid it. Keep an eye on your local forecasts and stay weather aware.”

~ Gov. Kay Ivey

The counties included in the state of emergency are: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.

Latest forecast

A Winter Storm Watch issued earlier this week has turned into a warning for the northern third of the state as at least 2-4 inches are expected to be on the ground by the time people wake up Friday morning.

Snow will likely fall overnight for much of the state but the air is expected to warm up just a little bit throughout the day, causing that snow to turn into a wintry mix including sleet and freezing rain. That’s why a Hazardous Weather Outlook is still issued for places as far south as Troy.

It’s still unclear exactly how much snow will fall in Alabama. There will be plenty of precipitation but the temperatures could get to just above freezing, which would limit how much snow actually makes it to the ground.

“It is important to note that many in the winter storm warning area will see more sleet and freezing rain than snow. A few spots could see ice accumulation to 1/10″. This doesn’t sound like much, but it can have a high impact on travel. While we don’t expect any major power outages, ice on large tree limbs could lead to some scattered spots going in the dark.”

~ James Spann on Facebook

Make sure to stay tuned to your local meteorologists + weather services for updated models ahead of Friday. And if you see any snow this week, post it and tag The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn!