Heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain expected Friday

FIRST, THIS IS WVTM 13 WEATHER. THERE’S A WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT, AND THAT MAKES THURSDAY NIGHT, FRIDAY AND EARLY SATURDAY ALERT DAYS FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA. A SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORM HITS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE. BUT IN BIRMINGHAM AND ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF BIRMINGHAM, IT TURNS INTO A WINTRY MESS WITH ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT PRECIPITATION. PRECIPITATION FROM RAIN TO SOME FREEZING RAIN, SLEET AND SNOW. AND THAT COULD CAUSE SOME HAZARDOUS TRAVEL. AND IT ALL GETS STARTED VERY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE VERY WEE HOURS OF FRIDAY MORNING. BUT FOR THIS NIGHT IT JUST LOOKS PLAIN COLD. LOW TEMPERATURES EARLY WILL BE IN THE TEENS AND LOW 20S. THE WIND CHILL WITH JUST ANY SLIGHT BREEZE WILL BE EVEN WORSE THAN THAT. SO A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL THE COUNTIES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED THERE. AND LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS EVEN IN THE SPOTS THAT ARE NOT TECHNICALLY UNDER THIS ADVISORY, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A COMFORTABLE NIGHT. AND IT’S ALSO THE KIND OF NIGHT THAT, ESPECIALLY TO THE NORTH OF BIRMINGHAM, WHERE THERE HAS BEEN LIMITED SUNSHINE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. YOU WANT TO LEAVE ANY UNPROTECTED PIPES, ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON’T HAVE GOOD INSULATION OR IF THEY’RE OUTDOORS AND YOU JUST CAN’T GET ANY WARMTH TO THEM. LEAVE THOSE DRIPPING A LITTLE BIT OVERNIGHT BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE FALLS TO THE TEENS. THE WIND CHILL WILL FALL TO BETWEEN 10 AND 15 AT THE LOWEST POINT AROUND 5 TO 6:00 IN THE MORNING. A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS TOMORROW AND THAT WE’RE GOING TO WARM UP SLIGHTLY. THE FEELS-LIKE WILL BE AT LEAST 40. THAT’S NOT A JOKE. THAT’S AS GOOD AS IT GETS. THERE’S A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ALL THE COUNTIES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE HERE. THAT INCLUDES AS FAR SOUTH AS RANDOLPH, CLAY, TALLADEGA, SHELBY, JEFFERSON, WALKER, FAYETTE AND LAMAR. JUST BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT BE UNDER THAT ADVISORY DOESN’T MEAN WE’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE SOME IMPACT FROM THIS. HERE’S HOW WE THINK IT’S GOING TO PLAY OUT. YOU START WITH THIS SNOW SLEET MIX AFTER 3 A.M. FRIDAY. IT’S HEAVIEST TO THE NORTH OF I-20. IT’S MORE OF A MIX TO THE SOUTH OF I-20. AND AT THIS POINT, LET’S BRING IN METEOROLOGIST TAYLOR SARALLO TAYLOR. THERE’S LOTS OF LITTLE DETAILS TO UNPACK WITH THIS. THERE CERTAINLY ARE. SO AS YOU MENTIONED, JASON, THAT WEATHER IS GOING TO START VERY LATE THURSDAY INTO EARLY ON FRIDAY. SO HERE’S A LOOK AT OUR FUTURE VIEW AS WE MOVE TOWARDS 3 A.M. WE START TO SEE THAT WINTRY MIX MOVING IN FROM MISSISSIPPI INTO WEST ALABAMA, GENERALLY WEST OF I-65. AT THAT POINT, TEMPERATURES START IN THE LOW TO MID 30S, BUT AS THAT PRECIPITATION STARTS FALLING, WE COOL A DEGREE OR TWO THANKS TO EVAPORATION, COOLING, AND WHERE YOU SEE THE PINK HERE, THAT’S WHERE WE’RE EXPECTING THAT MIX OF SLEET, FREEZING RAIN, SOME SNOW MIXED IN AS WELL. NORTH OF THAT IN THE BLUE OVER NORTH ALABAMA. THIS IS GENERALLY GOING TO BE A SNOW EVENT FURTHER SOUTH WHERE YOU SEE THE GREENS AND THE YELLOWS. THEY’RE A VERY COLD RAIN MIXING IN WITH SLEET AT TIMES. THIS IS 9 A.M. STILL A STEADY CHANCE FOR SOME SNOW OVER NORTH ALABAMA ALONG THE I-20 CORRIDOR. TEMPERATURES HOVERING VERY CLOSE TO THE FREEZING MARK. THAT MEANS A WINTRY MIX IS LIKELY FURTHER SOUTH. WE’RE WARMING A FEW DEGREES, AND THAT MEANS A CHANGEOVER TO COLD RAIN IS LIKELY, ESPECIALLY ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF I-20. AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THE AFTERNOON HOURS. ALL OF THIS WILL BE EXITING BY FRIDAY EVENING, BUT WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR IS ANY LINGERING MOISTURE ON THE ROADWAYS, ESPECIALLY OVER NORTH ALABAMA. THAT’S WHERE WE HAVE TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW THE FREEZING MARK, AND WE COULD SEE SOME SLICK SPOTS EARLY SATURDAY BECAUSE OF THAT LINGERING MOISTURE REFREEZING ON THE ROADS. BUT BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON, WE ARE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK AND WE EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN THOSE ROAD CONDITIONS. LOOKING AT OUR SNOWFALL TOTALS OVER NORTH ALABAMA, ANYWHERE FROM 3 TO 6IN FOR LOCATIONS LIKE HAMILTON, RUSSELLVILLE, HUNTSVILLE, FORT PAYNE, 1 TO 3IN FOR JASPER, ONEONTA, GADSDEN, CENTRE AND THEN NEAR THE BIRMINGHAM METRO, WE’RE LOOKING AT ABOUT AN INCH OF SNOW. HOWEVER, WE’LL ALSO BE DEALING WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN, A WINTRY MIX IN THE PINK HERE FOR TUSCALOOSA CENTREVILLE SYLACAUGA ASHLAND WITH MAINLY JUST A COLD RAIN FOR OUR SOUTHERNMOST COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING DEMOPOLIS. SO A QUICK LOOK AT OUR SEVEN DAY FORECAST. AS JASON MENTIONED, VERY VERY COLD THIS EVENING. DANGEROUSLY COLD. MAKE SURE YOU’RE DRIPPING YOUR FAUCETS AND MAKE SURE YOUR PIPES ARE INSULATED AND YOU WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT YOUR PETS AS WELL. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ARE ALERT DAYS BECAUSE OF THAT CHANCE FOR WINTRY WEATHER, AND WE STAY VERY COLD INT