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Huntsville, Madison and Madison County unite to address treacherous road conditions

Published on January 10, 2025

As crews continue to clear snow-covered roads from Winter Storm Cora, regional leaders urge residents to avoid travel unless necessary due to worsening conditions.

The National Weather Service forecasting office in Huntsville said sleet and freezing rain is expected to fall throughout the afternoon, making road clearance more difficult. Precipitation is expected to end at about 8 p.m.

“That may be the most dangerous time of this storm,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. “That’s not a time you want to be on the road.”

Mayor Battle, Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon and Madison Mayor Paul Finley lauded the collaboration between their governments in working to minimize the effect of snow and ice on roadways.

“Thank you to all the agencies that have been working this,” Mayor Battle said. “They have been preparing all week. Now it’s action time and everyone is doing a great job.”

Officials urged looking out for neighbors and those who may be in need.

“It’s very important the public understands the conditions out there and they try to help each other,” Chairman McCutcheon said. “We’re anticipating that ice could be a drastic change in conditions so we just encourage people to help each other.”

The Huntsville area is seeing the benefit of long-range planning and preparation for winter events.

“It’s great having people focused on this all the time and then when something like this happens, they put the plan into action,” Mayor Finley said. “We have phenomenal teams from both the City and the County.”

Warming Centers

Huntsville-Madison County EMA Director Jeff Birdwell said that due to the high volume of calls to 911, calls should be for true emergencies only.

Warming centers continue to be available throughout Huntsville for unsheltered individuals. About 335 people took advantage of the warming centers overnight Thursday and another 144 people received services at First Stop.

  • Community Warming Center – The Livin’ Room (2820 Governors Drive SW): Call 256-427-5400 or email rvealeby@nativity-hsv.org
  • First Stop (206 Stokes St.): Open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 256-533-3391
  • Downtown Rescue Mission (1400 Evangel Drive NW): Open 24/7. Call 256-536-2441
  • Salvation Army (305 Seminole Drive SW): Open Monday-Sunday, 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Call 256-536-9147

If the City is open, Huntsville Transit will provide transportation to warming centers. If the City is closed, those needing a ride should call the Huntsville Police Department’s non-emergency number at 256-722-7100.

Acknowledge Barricades

Huntsville Police Chief Kirk Giles reminded drivers that it is illegal to go around road barricades. He said roads that are still open could be treacherous for drivers.

Huntsville Fire & Rescue Chief Mac McFarlen said yellow tape will be placed on mirrors, antennas or door handles of disabled vehicles on roadsides to mark that the incident has been investigated and to minimize calls to the 911 Center.

For real-time information about road conditions and closures, sign up to receive notifications through the City Alerts system.

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