Snow showers possible Tuesday night in the Columbus area

Snow showers appear to be a distinct possibility Tuesday night for the Columbus area as a strong cold front blows arctic air in from the northwest and through the Chattahoochee Valley.

That’s the forecast from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga., which issued a “special weather statement” Monday afternoon saying that “areas of light snow” are possible in an area that includes the local counties of Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion and Talbot.

“Areas of light snow or flurries are possible along the cold front as it moves across the region Tuesday night,” the weather statement said. “Accumulations will be light, generally less than a half inch. Any snow that is around will end toward daybreak Wednesday morning.”

Snow that does accumulate in the Columbus area likely will stick around as the sun rises Wednesday, with the frigid air driving temperatures to a low near 20 degrees. There also is expected to be northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph, with gusts near 25 mph, which will push wind chills even lower into the single digits.

Farther north and west of Columbus, the likelihood of snow showers and accumulations go up, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Ala., which issued its own winter weather advisory Monday that includes Russell and Lee Counties and the cities of Auburn, Opelika and Smiths Station.

“This front should have enough moisture and lift to generate a band of light to moderate snow, which could potentially affect all of our forecast area,” the advisory said. “We will need to watch and see if a second band can develop across the southern third of the area during the evening and provide a higher total down there as well. Though snowfall amounts are expected to remain less than 2 inches, impacts to travel could be significant due to temperatures falling into the 20s as the snow occurs.”

The Alabama winter advisory includes the communities of Alexander City, Dadeville, Valley, Lanett, Lafayette, Demopolis, Linden, Selma, Prattville, Fort Deposit, Hayneville, Wetumpka, Tallassee, Montgomery, Tuskegee, Union Springs, Auburn, Opelika, Phenix City, Troy and Eufaula.

The Weather Channel website, which includes hourly forecasts over two days, is currently projecting snow showers for the Columbus metro area starting around 11 p.m. Tuesday and lasting until about 4 a.m. Wednesday, with precipitation expected to range from 35 percent to 50 percent over that time.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Snow showers possible Tuesday night in the Columbus area."