Get ready for cold temperatures that Alabama hasn’t seen in thirty years. That’s the word from the National Weather as much of the state is facing an arctic blast starting tonight. Temperatures will plunge to the single digits in parts of Alabama. Even the Gulf coast is predicted to see the low twenties over the holiday weekend. Jason Holmes is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Birmingham. He says the high temperatures in some parts of the state could stay below freezing for the next three days…
“It looks like you have to go back to 1989 to see a comparable event this kind of year, with these kinds of temperatures,” Holmes said. “We just have not had this kind of cold. And it’s not just how cold it’s going to get, but how long we’ll stay below freezing.
Holmes says one concern is patchy ice on the roads. Spots where water can collect could freeze over and create dangerous driving conditions. He says snow is unlikely, but spots where water could collect may lead to icy roads…
“The problem with ice, too, is you can’t see it. You know, black ice, is just so thin that you can look at the surface of the black top and you just don’t notice it. If you have to be out early Friday morning, just be careful. There may be a few slick spots.”
The forecast calls for heavy winds as well. That’s raising the concern over power blackouts which could threaten home heating systems during the brutal temperatures The last time Alabama got this cold for this long, President George H. W. Bush was in the White House.
