DEVELOPING STORY: 2 to 4 inches of snow possible

Published 7:00 pm Thursday, February 11, 2010

By Staff
Escambia County Emergency Management Director David Adams has issued the following weather bulletin:
The National Weather Service in Mobile is planning to issue a Winter Weather Warning at around 1 p.m. today for all of South Central Alabama and Northwest Florida. A winter weather warning is issued when there is a probability of 2” or more of snowfall or sleet in a 12-hour period. The NWS has a high degree of confidence in this forecast.
Rain will begin tonight and change to snow during the night. Rain will change to snow over the areas all the way to near the coast. The heaviest snow band should be from just prior to sunrise tomorrow and last through mi-afternoon. The snowfall totals for Escambia County are expected to be from 2 to 6 inches, with some areas seeing slightly more. This will be wet heavy snow and should not have a problem sticking. This will affect power lines and trees, especially trees that still have foliage.
This snow and associated ice will make driving very dangerous. Packed snow on roads and bridges can create ice. Melting snow and ice can refreeze and create “black ice." Bridges will freeze before the roadways. It is recommended that citizens stay off the roadways as much as possible.