Due to continuing dangerous road conditions, Cullman county and city schools will be closed Friday, Jan. 19. Wallace State will have a remote/virtual learning day. 

The Cullman County Basketball Tournament, that was scheduled to begin Saturday, will now begin on Monday, Jan 22, at Wallace State. Revised brackets are being prepared and, along with an updated schedule, will be posted to ccboe.org later Thursday afternoon.

———————————————————————————

The Relay for Life 2024 kick off has been rescheduled to Thursday, Jan. 25, at 5:30 p.m. with a meeting in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church.

All are invited to join in the fight against cancer, celebrate survivors and contribute to the ongoing progress in cancer research. To register a team, donate or learn more, visit www.relayforlife.org/cullmanal or contact Helen Allen at 256-709-4019 or helenma1941@gmail.com.

———————————————————————————

ADEM: Don’t drip faucets when temps are above freezing

Due to excessive water demand experienced by many public water systems across the state, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is requesting that residents and businesses discontinue dripping faucets once temperatures are above freezing.

Water utilities across the state are struggling to keep up with increased consumer demand, exacerbated by leaks from frozen pipes as they thaw, ADEM said in a press release. The public can help by checking for leaks inside and outside of their homes or businesses. If leaks are found, they should shut off the water supply until the leaks are repaired.

Customers are urged to contact their local water supplier if they have a major leak and are unable to shut off their water supply. This is particularly important for vacant buildings with water service that have not already been disconnected.

Meteorologists are predicting another round of very cold temperatures for much of the state this weekend. ADEM recommends the use of insulated covers for outdoor faucets whenever possible as an alternative to dripping those faucets.

———————————————————————————

Cullman City Hall will delay opening until 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19.

———————————————————————————

EMA warns of black ice

According to the Cullman County Emergency Management Agency, road conditions continue to be “treacherous” throughout Cullman County. All county roads and most city streets are still covered with ice and snow.

Road crews are out (Thursday) working to clear roadways. The Impassable travel advisory remains in effect for all county roads until further notice.

ALDOT continues to treat and plow Alabama and U.S. roadways. However, there is still significant ice on those routes.

Multiple 18-wheelers were reported stuck on the side of the road just past Interchange 222, near Dodge City, due to not being able to get up the hill.

“We are expecting lots of black ice to be a problem,” stated a post from the EMA Facebook page.

The National Weather Service out of Huntsville, is forecasting rain or freezing rain before 9 p.m. tonight (Thursday), then a chance of rain until midnight.

Temperatures will fall back below freezing Thursday night, which will cause more concern for dangerous driving conditions.

“We know some of you have to go to work. We are working to get road conditions updated from all the local agencies. As soon as we know anything, we will put it out. Remember, all of the county back roads are still completely frozen because they are not traveled and have tree coverage, so the sun did not hit them very much. As soon as we get information, we will try to push it out to all of you,” the EMA Facebook pages stated.

———————————————————————————

The Cullman County Board of Education meeting originally scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m.

———————————————————————————

Due to road conditions across, the Solid Waste Authority of the City and County of Cullman has postponed their meeting until Friday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. at the Cullman County Courthouse

———————————————————————————

For the safety of our circulation team, the Thursday edition of The Times will be delivered when road conditions have improved. Check here and our Facebook page for weather updates and breaking news.

———————————————————————————

(Jan. 16. 2:11 p.m.) Due to icy roadways, the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 near the 298 mile marker is currently closed and will be for an undetermined amount of time. Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to monitor the situation and provide updates accordingly.

———————————————————————————

Cullman city and county schools will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 17, due to the threat of severe weather.

The Wallace State campus will also be closed. Students, faculty and staff will have a virtual learning/work day. WSCC students should check Blackboard for class information.

———————————————————————————

All county roads and bridges north of U.S 278 in Cullman County should be considered impassable until further notice, according to officials with Cullman County Emergency Management Agency.

The general public is advised to suspend or delay all travel. Only emergency vehicles should travel on county roads and bridges until further notice.

———————————————————————————

The following streets/intersections are closed in the city of Cullman due to deteriorating road conditions:

• Fantasia Dr NW at Northwood Dr NW
• Fantasia Dr NW at Pinewood Dr NW
• Main Ave NE at Childhaven Rd NE
• Convent Rd NE at Morning Dr NE
• Larkwood Dr NE at Larkwood Ct NE
• Larkwood Dr NE at Chatteau Dr NE
• Lakehill St NW at Carrollton Dr NW
• Woodland St NW at Edgewood St NW
• Terri Pines entrance
• Eva Rd at Forrest Ave NE
• Eva Rd by Cullman High School

Please do not be out on the streets unless absolutely necessary, and use extreme caution if you must drive.

———————————————————————————

Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division have received reports of icy roadway conditions with the following counties:

Cullman County

Interstate 65 has reports icy road conditions.

Roads are treacherous icy, please use caution.

Blount County

All roads treacherous icy, please use caution.

Morgan County

U.S. 31 has reports of icy road conditions.

Interstate 65 has reports of icy road conditions.

Alabama 36 has reports of icy conditions.

Alabama 67 has reports of icy conditions.

Roads are treacherous icy, please use caution.

Madison County

Alabama 53 to Jeff Road is treacherous icy, please use caution.

U.S. 231 has reports of icy conditions.

U.S. 72 has reports of icy road conditions.

Bankhead Parkway is closed.

Green Mountain Road is closed.

Walker Lane Road has reports of icy conditions.

County Roads in the north part of the county are deemed impassable.

Limestone County

U.S. 72 has reports of icy road conditions.

Interstate 65 has reports of icy road conditions.

U.S. 31 has reports of icy road conditions.

County roads and bridges are deemed impassable.

Jackson County

Alabama 79 has reports of icy road conditions.

U.S. 72 has reports of icy road conditions.

Roads and bridges are treacherous icy, please use caution.

Marshall County

Alabama 69 treacherous icy, please use caution.

U.S. 231 treacherous icy, please use caution.

GA Mountain Road treacherous icy, please use caution.

———————————————————————————

Do to deteriorating road conditions, the Cullman County Courthouse and all county offices will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16. County road and water departments will monitor the situation and respond as necessary throughout the night and into tomorrow. Sanitation will assess road conditions and resume when it is safe to do so.

“It is in the best interest of the employees and citizens to remain at home tomorrow January 16, 2024, unless on-call,” Cullman County Commission Chairman Jeff “Clem” Clemons said in a Facebook post.

“I will be in contact with EMA and will be working with them to monitor the situation. I will continue to keep you updated. We will be monitoring throughout the day tomorrow to determine the conditions on Wednesday.”

———————————————————————————

The Cullman City Sanitation Department will not run Tuesday, Jan. 16. 

The city sanitation department will be watching the weather and hope to return to regular schedule Wednesday, Jan. 17. All residential customers should put their carts out per normal schedule as the plan is to run Tuesday and Wednesday routes on Wednesday. Commercial customers should be back on schedule by Saturday.

Also, Cullman City Hall will delay opening Tuesday, Jan. 16, until 9 a.m.

———————————————————————————

(UPDATE) All lanes on Interstate 65 in Cullman County are open.

The multi-vehicle crash occurring at approximately 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, closing all lanes the interstate in portions of the county, was due to icy roadways according to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

———————————————————————————

Vinemont-Providence Fire Department is warning travelers to avoid the following bridges if at all possible: Bridges along county roads 1223, 1282, 1354, 1301 and 1398.

————————————————————————————

Cullman County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster has opened four warming stations, with shelters opening at 6 p.m. Monday and closing at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. They will open again at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening and close at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Those who plan to stay overnight at the warming stations must check in no later than 9 p.m. If no one arrives seeking shelter by 9 p.m., that shelter will close for the night.

Here is a list of Cullman County warming stations:

ADDED: The Dodge City Town Hall will be available tonight (Monday, Jan. 15) as a warm shelter. Please bring all necessary items, as no additional blankets or supplies will be provided.

Camp Liberty — 15719 AL-157, Vinemont. Camp Liberty is located in the Battleground area. Those staying at the warming station must bring their own pillows, air mattresses, food, etc.

The Link – 708 9th St. SE, Cullman. The Link will have cots and blankets provided by the Red Cross.

Trinity Pentecostal Church – 307 Whaley Ave, Hanceville. Trinity Pentecostal will provide soups and sandwiches during the day in addition to being open as a warming station. Red Cross will be providing cots and blankets.

Hanceville Civic Center – 902 Commercial St. Hanceville. Hanceville Civic Center will have sandwiches and water provided by Hanceville 1st Baptist Church, as well as cots and blankets provided by the Red Cross.

(UPDATE Jan. 16) {Unsheltered International is unable open its ministry warehouse and warming station today (Tuesday) due to impassable roads. They will evaluate the weather and travel conditions and update if open will open tomorrow (Wednesday).} Unsheltered International, 479 County Road 827 Cullman, will be open Monday, Jan. 15-Friday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. They will provide snacks and drinks. 

For weather updates and warming station announcements, follow Cullman County EMA on Facebook.

————————————————————————————

On Sunday, Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 25 counties ahead of this week’s winter weather.

“We are anticipating unusually cold temperatures in Alabama this week, so I am urging everyone to be prepared, take caution traveling and stay weather aware,” Ivey said in a press release.

The counties include: Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston.