COLD START: Many communities across north Alabama are down in the upper teens early this morning with a clear sky. We have 20s all the way down to the Gulf Coast. The weather stays dry today with a high in the low to mid 40s for most communities.

WINTER STORM WARNING: A messy mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain will move into Alabama after midnight tonight. Here are the key messages:

• A winter storm warning has been issued for areas as far south as Fayette, Birmingham and Anniston. A winter weather advisory has been issued for places as far south as Tuscaloosa, Clanton, Wetumpka and Opelika.
• A mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain will lead to icy, hazardous travel Friday morning down into the winter weather advisory zone. Temperatures will likely be between 29 and 32 degrees as the day begins, and with cold infrastructure, bridge icing will begin quickly. Some blacktop road surfaces could become icy as well.
• With the warm air advection process, the wintry mix will change to a cold rain during the day. Even some in the Tennessee Valley could see a change to rain by afternoon. Temperatures will rise into the mid 30s, hopefully easing the icy travel to some degree. But many bridges and roads could remain icy over far north Alabama into Friday night.
• Potential snow accumulations are 2-3 inches near the Tennessee state line, 1-2 inches for places like Hamilton, Cullman and Gadsden, and 1 inch or less from Birmingham to Anniston.

• Many in the winter storm warning area will see more sleet and freezing rain than snow. A few spots could see ice accumulation to one-tenth of an inch. This doesn’t sound like much, but it can have a high impact on travel. While we don’t expect any major power outages, ice on large tree limbs could lead to some scattered spots going in the dark.
• Precipitation should be out of the state by midnight Friday night. Some patchy black ice could form early Saturday morning as temperatures dip down into the upper 20s and low 30s again.
• I possess no knowledge of future road conditions. Some broad ideas have been presented here, but please see the information provided by the Alabama Department of Transportation on its ALGO website and app.
• This forecast could easily change again as new data comes in today and we watch the system develop to the west, so watch for updates. There’s almost always a surprise or two with winter weather events in Alabama.

THE WEEKEND: Look for a clearing sky Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 30s over the northern half of the state. Sunday morning will be clear and very cold, with lows in the teens and low 20s. Sunday will be sunny with a high in the 40s.

NEXT WEEK: The weather looks cold and dry through Thursday, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s. The next rain comes around Friday or Saturday, Jan. 17-18, followed by another shot of very cold air.

ON THIS DATE IN 1970: A very cold arctic air mass was in place across Alabama. Birmingham dropped to 5 degrees; The low in Huntsville was 3.