Wind Chill Watches Extended; Wind Chill Warning Issued

Folks, while this is not a tornado outbreak or a derecho that will be moving through the area, you should prepare for this and be ready as this was a severe weather event. With lows expected to be in the single digits, gusty winds, and wind chills dropping as low as -10º to -15º at times, there is a serious threat of frost bite and hypothermia if you happen to lose power or have to be stranded outdoors or in a car. Here are the latest watches and warning updates from the NWS offices in Huntsville and Birmingham.

NWS Birmingham has extended the WIND CHILL WATCH for Blount, Cherokee, Etowah, Fayette, Jefferson, Lamar, Marion, St. Clair, Walker, and Winston counties in Central Alabama from 12 pm Friday to 12 pm Saturday. The watch continues from 12 am Friday to 12 pm Saturday for Autauga, Bibb, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, and Tuscaloosa counties in Central Alabama.

NWS Birmingham continues the HARD FREEZE WATCH from 12 am Friday to 9 am Sunday for the following counties in Central Alabama: Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lamar, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston.

Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 5 to 12 will be possible in northern portions of Central Alabama. Temperatures as low as 10 to 15 will be possible in southern portions of Central Alabama. Temperatures remain below freezing from late Thursday night until at least midday Sunday. Far northern portions of Central Alabama may remain below freezing until Monday.

A prolonged period of subfreezing temperatures may cause pipes to burst. Bitterly cold temperatures and wind chills will result in hypothermia or frostbite and become life-threatening to those with prolonged exposure or without access to adequate warmth.

Take steps to ensure people and animals have access to adequate warmth. Ensure that space heaters or other alternative heating sources are at least three feet from anything flammable, are not left unattended, and have sufficient ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. If you are traveling make sure you have an emergency supply kit in your car.

Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.

NWS Huntsville has issued a WIND CHILL WARNING starting at 12 am Friday and is set to expire at 12 pm Friday for the following counties in North Alabama: Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan.

NWS Huntsville has also extended the WIND CHILL WATCH which starts at 12 pm Friday and is set to expire at 12 pm Saturday for the following counties in North Alabama: Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, and Morgan.

Wind chills during the warning period are expected to fall as low as -15º, and as low as -10º during the watch period. The dangerously cold wind chills could result in hypothermia or frostbite if precautions are not taken. Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Also, strong winds Thursday night into Friday morning could also lead to sporadic power outages. Make sure your home is properly winterized in case of a power outage.

Category: Alabama's Weather, ALL POSTS, Winter Weather