Rain, wintry mix, frigid temps in the forecast for Thursday
MADISON – The new year continues to see bipolar weather patterns in North Alabama with the latest weather threat coming Thursday and Friday. Temps are expected to warm up to a high of 51 degrees today and a low in the mid 30s tonight.
The US National Weather Service in Huntsville says we can expect some light wintry precipitation across the region on Thursday. In addition, bitter cold air will filter into the area Thursday night, which will drop wind chills into the single digits.
According to a weather statement from the Weather Service, a low pressure system will move across the Southeastern United States, bringing rain and wintry precipitation to southern middle Tennessee and portions of northern Alabama on Thursday.
Precipitation will begin just after sunrise Thursday morning over northwest Alabama, and rapidly spread northeastward across the region. This precipitation may begin as a mixture of rain, freezing rain, sleet and/or snow, especially for areas north of the Tennessee River. Some light snow or sleet accumulation is possible in areas mainly north of the Tennessee River.
By midday, a change over to mostly rain is expected across most of northern Alabama, while locations across southern middle Tennessee will likely maintain some form of wintry precipitation through the day. As colder air moves back in late Thursday afternoon and evening, any liquid rain will likely change back over to light snow. Additional light snow accumulations will be possible. Any remaining water on roadways will freeze overnight Thursday and could lead to some localized travel impacts.
The Weather Service also stated that their is low confidence in the forecast due to uncertainty in where the freezing line will setup, so stay tuned to local weather services as this weather event moves into our area. Please be prepared. There could be more power outages, which would cause significant issues as temps dip to their lowest point so far this winter.
The Madison Record will share weather updates starting tomorrow on our Facebook page from various local news sources and the Weather Service.
