Governor Kay Ivey Declares Emergency in Half of Alabama for Winter Storm

The upper half of Alabama will enter an officially declared State of Emergency this afternoon as a winter storm threatens to disrupt travel and create dangerous conditions there Friday.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a State of Emergency in 37 counties Thursday morning - more than half of the state - which goes into effect at 1 p.m.

In her proclamation, Ivey said, "This winter weather event could cause significant damage to public and private property and poses a danger to the health and safety of the people of Alabama, including potential disruption of essential utility systems, personal injury, and loss of life."

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The declaration activates the Alabama National Guard to be prepared to respond and assist after the storm if necessary, prohibits price gouging during the emergency more.

It goes into effect at 1 p.m. Thursday in 37 Alabama Counties, including Tuscaloosa County.

They include: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.

A large number of schools across our readership area have also canceled classes Friday or will switch to remote learning - for a real-time list of those decisions as they're made, check out this post. 

For coverage of this situation as it develops across the state tonight and tomorrow, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.