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(National Weather Service)
Another round of winter weather is expected to move into parts of central and northern Alabama early Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Birmingham this afternoon issued a Winter Storm Watch. The warning, issued just before 2 p.m., covers areas stretching east to the Winston-Cullman county line and the Walker-Jefferson county line.
A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for snow, sleet or ice accumulations that could impact travel, according to the NWS. This particular warning calls for the possibility of accumulating ice in the watch areas along and north of a line from Millport to Berry to Goodsprings. Right now the watch is for Marion, Winston, Fayette, Walker and Lamar counties.
The ice may or may not make its way into Birmingham, according to NWS meteorologist Aaron Stevens. "That could mean a trace to less than one-tenth of an inch,'' Stevens said. "The most impact would be on bridges and overpasses. It's not going to be an icing event that will pull down a lot of power lines. It just may be slick. And it will be cold."
The cold front is predicted to move through the region late Wednesday, at which point temperatures will quickly drop. That's when rain will change over to freezing rain and sleet.
The areas north of Birmingham that could be most affected by the watch - that line from Millport to Goodsprings - could see from three-tenths of an inch to an inch of accumulation. The most crucial timing begins about 3 a.m. Thursday and lasts until 3 p.m.
Stevens said temperatures aren't expected to climb back above freezing until Friday afternoon.