A blast of freezing air is expected in Alabama and much of the Southeast through Monday and into the early part of the week.
Overnight temperatures are expected to be the coldest of the season, dipping into the lower teens in north Alabama Sunday night. Temperatures will remain below freezing from 3 a.m. Sunday morning until around noon on Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Huntsville.
Wind chills will be in the single digits and teens.
Central Alabama will also see very cold overnight with low temperatures ranging from the lower teens northwest to the lower 20s in the southeast. Wind chill values will be as low as 5 degree. The cold weather advisory stretches all the way to the coast where temperatures are expected to dip to the lower 20s and wind chills as low as 10 degree.
NWS recommends people limit their time outdoors, bring pets inside, dress in warm clothing layers, check on neighbors and family and keep space heaters three feet away rom everything.
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Keep pipes from bursting
NWS also recommends people drain or cover pipes to keep the from freezing.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, concerns about freezing pipes increase when temperatures drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below. This can especially be a concern in the South when it is less likely that homes are built with pipes located inside or in the warm areas of your home.
The pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to the severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines and water sprinkler lines, the Red Cross reported. Water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages or kitchen cabinets are also vulnerable. Pipes that run against exterior walls that have little to no insulation can also freeze easily.
There are steps you need to take now to prevent your pipes from freezing. Here are suggestions from Huntsville Utilities and the American Red Cross:
- Make sure sprinklers are turned off and drained
- Disconnect outside hoses
- Wrap exposed pipes in insulation
- Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks to let warmer room air in
- Let faucets drip to keep water moving through the pipes. You don’t need to drip every faucet but focus on the ones in unheated areas or exterior walls, especially the faucet farthest from your main water line.
- A single drip of a few drops per second is enough to keep water moving. Drip both hot and cold water is possible and open cabinet doors to let indoor air war the pipes.
- Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a “pipe sleeve” or installing UL-listed “heat tape,” “heat cable,” or similar materials on exposed water pipes. Newspaper can provide some degree of insulation and protection to exposed pipes – even ¼” of newspaper can provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.
If your pipes do freeze
- Immediately shut off water at the main valve
- Thaw pipes with a hair dryer or space heater
- Once thawed, slowly turn water back on and check for cracks
