Chambers County is under a winter storm advisory through Tuesday morning with chances of snow and freezing temperatures in the forecast.

Daniel Martin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham, said the impact will hit Chambers County between 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST, but light accumulations are expected. He said if there is snow, it is expected to be one inch or less in the northwest portion of the county and even less for the rest of it.

Martin said the road temperatures will most likely be too warm for any snow to stick and temperatures are also expected to rise above freezing Tuesday afternoon. The danger comes after sunset Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.

Martin said temperatures will be in the low 20s Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, and if the roads are still wet, then ice could form. He said the key is the temperature Tuesday afternoon and whether it will be high enough to cause the precipitation to evaporate.

“If we get some sunshine it will help, but we aren’t sure how warm it will get and if it will dry up the roadways before it freezes,” he said.

By Wednesday afternoon, the temperature will be in the mid-40s again, and most of any precipitation left of the roads should melt.

According to the forecast, there is a high of 48 degrees Thursday, and a high of 55 degrees for Friday.

Several school districts in the Greater Valley Area have announced closures or early releases for tomorrow.

Chambers County School District, Lanett City Schools and Chambers Academy have all announced closures for Tuesday. The Troup County School System announced high school and middle school students will have an early release of 1 p.m.

The elementary school will be released at its regular time in Troup County.

As of 2:30 p.m. Monday, Springwood School was still expected to be open Tuesday. 

Chambers County Emergency Management Director Donnie Smith said roads could become a problem as temperatures begin to plummet Tuesday night. He said motorists should be very cautious, especially in the northern part of the state.

He said depending on how much precipitation the area gets, it could be bad or it could have little impact.

“In this part of the country and during this time of the year, that’s pretty much the way it is,” Smith said.

He said if people have to be out, take extra caution. Also, if people are using additional heat sources, such as heat lamps or space heaters, be sure to use the equipment safely.

When the weather gets cold, it’s also time to think about the animals outside, Smith said. He said to bring animals inside if possible. He said to provide any outside animals with extra bedding or materials to keep them warm.

“If they have to be outside, make sure to take care of them,” Smith said.

At the Chambers County Commission meeting Monday night, County Engineer Josh Harvill reminded commissioners and those present of the official protocol officials would take in the event of a “blanket road condition.”

“We have over 400 miles of paved roads so we can guarantee that all of them will remain passable if the weather conditions get as bad as they possibly could be,” Harvill said, mentioning the advisory put out by the National Weather Service. “If you feel like the roads are too dangerous to drive on, don’t drive on them.”

Harvill said if conditions deteriorate, his department will let the commission know so that an advisory can be put out.

“We have done this before in the past and thought it worked well,” Harvill said. “If you don’t hear anything from us, that means the roads are safe for travel but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any slick spots. Pay attention to the national weather service and what they are saying.”