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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

Shelby County is now under a Winter Storm Watch with an Elevated Risk of winter weather Thursday night and on Friday.

The Winter Weather Advisory includes many counties in the Birmingham-metro area in the Elevated Impact Area which indicates hazardous driving conditions and possible closures and disruptions to infrastructure.

According to the National Weather Service, based in Calera, the main impact for Shelby County is expected to come in the form of potential heavy snow that is mixed at times with sleet and freezing rain. Total snow and sleet accumulation is currently expected to be between 2 and 5 inches from late Thursday night through late Friday night.

The Alabama Department of Transportation is currently ramping up its efforts in advance of the approaching cold and the department’s crews began pretreatment on select routes on Wednesday, Jan. 8. According to ALDOT, low air and roadway temperatures may cause any precipitation to freeze on pavements—creating icy roadways and patches of black ice.

ALDOT shared that its focus in the immediate aftermath of the storm will be on providing a single passable lane for emergency travel on major arteries and crews will treat and plow priority routes before addressing secondary routes.

Roads as well as bridges and overpasses will likely become slick and hazardous and travel could range from difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions may impact Friday morning and evening travel.

Residents are encouraged to continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on the weather and to delay all travel from late Thursday night through late Friday night if possible. Those who must travel should exercise caution in areas of high elevations, on bridges and overpasses and on routes that are heavily shaded or shielded from the sun and wind.

For the latest on the weather and any possible school closures, make sure to follow Shelbycountyreporter.com and the Shelby County Reporter Facebook page.