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Shortly after 3 p.m. today, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham issued a Special Weather Statement for the northern half of Alabama, including Cherokee County. 

The statement warns of the potential for light freezing rain across north Alabama on Wednesday.  

“An area of freezing drizzle or light freezing rain may work into northwestern portions of central Alabama by 6 a.m. Wednesday,” the statement reads.  

The NWS predicts that the weather system will move eastward across the state. The statement reads that there is potential for frozen precipitation to reach the Interstate 65 corridor by noon, and the northeast by 3 p.m.  

“This includes all counties along and north of Interstate 20,” said the NWS. “The best chance for freezing rain will include the counties along and north of U.S. 278 on roughly a line from Hamilton to Gadsden.” 

The NWS also said warmer air moving north from the Gulf will convert the freezing rain to rain by the early evening hours. 

Cherokee County School Superintendent Brian Johnson told The Post has been in contact with local EMA officials about the potential for bad weather on Wednesday. 

“It looks like the freezing rain that is being predicted will not reach the western half of Alabama until the afternoon," Johnson said. “But we may let out early if conditions deteriorate before the end of the day tomorrow.”  

Johnson said any announcements about schedule changes due to the weather will go out over the SchoolCast automated calling system, as usual.