Huntsville + Madison officials now preparing for winter storm

With up to seven inches of snow expected to fall on Madison County in the next 24 hours, City officials in Huntsville and Madison — along with Madison County representatives — addressed weather preparedness Thursday morning ahead of the winter storm.

Here’s what to know:

State of Emergency declared in Alabama

A winter storm warning goes into effect at midnight Thursday for north Alabama, including Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties. Gov. Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency for much of the state, including the Huntsville metro area.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Paul Finley and Madison County Commissioner Mac McCutcheon addressed the storm at a Thursday morning news conference.

Winter storm will affect travel

City officials said residents should take steps to be ready to remain at home if the weather creates lingering road issues.

“The most important message we want to convey is the need for personal preparation. You can still go to the grocery store, get the food, gas and prescriptions you need and have a plan in place so you can ride out this winter weather event over the next 72 hours.”

Mayor Tommy Battle

Madison County Commissioners have treated rural roads beyond the city limits of Huntsville and Madison. The City of Madison and Madison County will have heavy equipment in place to help clear major roads.

Other preparations include:

• Huntsville is staging snowplows and motor graders throughout the city, particularly in areas with steep grades and near hospitals.
• The City has recently retrofitted 10 of its 1-ton trucks with plows, resulting in a total of 15 1-ton trucks with plows. 
• Huntsville also has 20 half-ton trucks with bumper-mounted plows as well as motor graders.
• Huntsville Police (HPD) is positioning barricades in areas where roads may need to be closed, such as bridges and overpasses.
• The Alabama Department of Transportation has treated federal and state roads in advance of the storm.

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