Staff report

Jan, 26, 2000 11 PM

A winter storm could bring as much as six inches of snow and ice and freezing rain to central Alabama beginning tonight.

In Pike County, snow, sleet and freezing rain could result in icing of roads and bridges, and possible power outages.

The weather service issued a winter storm watch for Alabama for Thursday night and into Friday. Temperatures today are expected to be in the low 40s and dropping to the low 20s tonight. Fridays highs will be in the mid 30s and a low of near 30 degrees.

The cold temperatures and winter weather are a result of a low pressure system that is making its way through Texas and Louisiana. The low pressure system will meet moisture moving up from the Gulf of Mexico creating a greater possibleity of winter weather. The winter weather system is expected to make its way into Alabama laying down a blanket of snow and ice across a large portion of the state.

Temperatures will begin to warm slightly Saturday with highs in the mid 40 and lows in the mid 30s. There will still be a slight chance of a wintery mix on Saturday. Sunday will be mostly cloudy with highs reaching the low 50s and lows near the freezing mark.