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Winter Weather, Road Conditions and Price Gouging

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North Alabama is experiencing some of the heaviest snow it’s seen in four years.  Precipitation started falling around noon as counties remain in a winter storm watch until midnight as areas could see four-to-six inches.

Andy Kula is a senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Huntsville.  He says the snow falls, conditions will deteriorate rapidly…

“Certainly south of the Tennessee River could see rates of snow for an inch an hour for a few hours anyway and that’s when the conditions are going to be pretty bad.  Your visibility is going to be low and road conditions will go south in a hurry.  We want to make sure people are ready for that and aren’t out and getting caught in it.”

 Schools and offices shut down today in advance of the inclement weather and will likely be closed tomorrow.

North and central Alabama is under a winter storm warning until midnight with two to four inches of widespread snow accumulation expected.

Governor Robert Bentley has declared a state of emergency and the National Guard has been mobilized to deal with emergency situations.

Paige Colburn is the emergency management officer for the Huntsville – Madison County EMA. She says they’re hoping to avoid a repeat of last Friday, when stuck and abandoned cars caused major problems for emergency crews.

“A lot of people went driving just to see how bad it actually was. And then after those people were rescued or moved, their vehicles were abandoned. Your fire trucks and your ambulances could not get to emergency calls because they were having to navigate around all these abandoned cars in the middle of the streets.”

Alabamians in the warning area are advised to stay off the roadways today if at all possible. If you do have to drive, make sure to be prepared for delays.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange is warning citizens to be on guard against people who might exploit bad weather for illegal profit.  Governor Bentley issued a state of emergency as snow continues to fall in the heart of Dixie. 

With the declaration, the state’s price gouging law is in effect.  It prohibits the “unconscionable pricing” of items for sale or rent.  Items where prices could be increased include food, generators and other supplies. 

Consumers and officials can report any problems of alleged fraud or illegal price gouging to the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection by calling toll-free 1-800-392-5658 or through the Attorney General’s website at a-g-o-dot-alabama-dot-gov. 

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