Overview:  

An Arctic air mass is still expected to arrive Thursday night, setting us up for a multi-day period of very cold conditions, unlike anything we’ve seen for many years. This stretch of cold weather could prove dangerous or life-threatening for people and pets without adequate shelter and warmth, and could also jeopardize exposed pipes. At this time, it still appears that most precipitation will mostly outpace the arrival of freezing temperatures.  HOWEVER, there is a slight chance that we may have rain briefly change over to a light wintry mix with temperatures plummeting Thursday evening for far northern and northwestern locations.

Changes from previous forecast: The Hard Freeze Watch has been upgraded to a warning across all of Central Alabama.  Portions of the Wind Chill Watch have been upgraded to a warning for northern counties.  We’ve added in a Limited Impact Area for slippery road conditions due to a brief wintry mix possible Thursday Evening from 6pm to midnight across the far northern and northwest counties.
Highlights:

What:

* Extended period of very cold conditions.
* Near freezing to subfreezing daytime temperatures with overnight lows in the single digits above zero to teens (Hard Freeze Warning).
* Wind chills as low as 0 to -12 degrees (Wind Chill Warning).* A brief wintry mix will be possible as the arctic front arrives, with a few slippery roads possible.

Where:

* Very cold temperatures across all of Central Alabama (Hard Freeze Warning)
* Wind Chill Warning – Northern counties of Central Alabama (See attached graphic)
* Wind Chill Watch – Majority of Central Alabama counties, excluding the far southeast.
* Wintry Mix Possible – Far northern and northwestern locations.

When:

* Hard Freeze Warning – Thursday night through Sunday Morning
* Wind Chill Watches & Warnings – Thursday night into Friday Morning
* Brief wintry mix possible – Thursday evening from 6pm to midnight

Impacts:

* Bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills will result in hypothermia or become life-threatening for people with prolonged exposure or without adequate warmth.
* Pets or other animals that are not cold-hardy and without sufficient shelter could succumb to the very cold conditions.

* Exposed pipes that are not insulated or drained could burst.

* Slippery roadways could result from a brief wintry mix of precipitation in the far northwest as the arctic front arrives.