textproduct: NWS Birmingham

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 1210 AM CDT WED MAR 18 2026

- There is a very high chance (greater than 90%) for freezing temperatures late tonight through sunrise Wednesday for all of Central Alabama.

- There is a medium chance for temperatures Wednesday night into Thursday morning to go down into the middle 30s across the eastern counties of Central Alabama, and some patchy frost could develop.

- A significant warming trend will take hold through the rest of the week.

DISCUSSION

(Wednesday through next Tuesday) Issued at 1135 PM CDT TUE MAR 17 2026

A freeze warning continues for all of C AL for tonight through 15z Wed for a late season occurrence with only some areas of high cloudiness and light/variable to calm winds across the area. Cold air advection will be cut off Wed as our surface ridge continues to nudge EWD toward the Atlantic Coast with S/SW low level flow to commence around the base of it across the area. Although the latest guidance has come in a tad milder for Wed night, we may still be cold enough across our ERN 1/3 counties of C AL to have a medium chance to see some frost toward morning with lows in the middle 30s.

Guidance continues to indicate that the next six days should be generally rain-free as surface ridging meanders from the Atlantic Seaboard Wed to the SE US Fri and then over the Gulf this weekend. A front does approach toward the end of the extended on Mon along with a weak upper NW flow disturbance on Tue, but with only meager moisture in place, only very low rain chances are present for the Mon/Tue time frame ATTM. The bigger story will be the warming trend across the area as we head into the weekend.

08

AVIATION

(06Z TAFS) Issued at 1210 AM CDT WED MAR 18 2026

VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours and beyond with light winds and occasional mid/high level clouds.

32/JDavis

FIRE WEATHER

Winds will become light and variable through early morning, followed by a shift to light southerly winds this Wednesday afternoon. RH values are expected to fall to around 25 percent on Wednesday afternoon. No rain is currently expected for the next seven days.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Gadsden 59 35 70 44 / 10 0 0 0 Anniston 58 37 70 45 / 10 0 0 0 Birmingham 61 41 71 49 / 0 0 0 0 Tuscaloosa 63 41 74 49 / 0 0 0 0 Calera 62 39 72 48 / 0 0 0 0 Auburn 59 39 69 49 / 0 0 0 0 Montgomery 61 38 71 47 / 0 0 0 0 Troy 62 38 71 46 / 0 0 0 0

BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Freeze Warning until 10 AM CDT this morning for the following counties: Autauga-Barbour-Bibb-Blount-Bullock-Calhoun-Chambers- Cherokee-Chilton-Clay-Cleburne-Coosa-Dallas-Elmore-Etowah- Fayette-Greene-Hale-Jefferson-Lamar-Lee-Lowndes-Macon-Marengo- Marion-Montgomery-Perry-Pickens-Pike-Randolph-Russell-Shelby-St. Clair-Sumter-Talladega-Tallapoosa-Tuscaloosa-Walker-Winston.