A dangerous winter storm is expected to affect portions of Alabama Sunday night and Monday.

The storm, packed with wind, snow and ice, has already caused damage and dangerous road conditions from the southern Rockies, across the Midwest and South, and into the Northeast. Meteorologists say the storm will bring freezing rain and sleet to northern and western Alabama as early as Sunday night with a second wave of icy weather Monday.

Alabama Power is prepared for severe winter weather from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Combined with sub-freezing temperatures, forecasters say roads likely will be impassable throughout much of northwest Alabama.

“Travel will remain very difficult across this part of Alabama all the way through Wednesday morning with ice and snow covered roads,” said ABC 33/40 Meteorologist James Spann in a Sunday afternoon blog post. “Power outages are also possible.”

Alabama Power says its Storm Team is ready to respond to severe winter weather forecast for portions of our state.(Danny Kings / Alabama Power)

Alabama Power’s Storm Team of lineworkers, engineers and safety and support personnel say they are ready to respond to severe winter weather. The company is encouraging customers to stay weather aware and follow guidance from local emergency management.

In a joint news release Sunday afternoon the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (Alabama EMA) advised motorists to be prepared for widespread “black ice” conditions.

“Anywhere temperatures are below freezing, moisture on pavement surfaces may freeze to form black ice — a transparent layer of ice on the roadway that is difficult for motorists to detect in advance,” the statement said. “Travel on all routes in the affected areas will be potentially hazardous, and some routes may become impassable. Motorists are strongly advised not to travel except in case of emergency.”

If traveling, ALDOT urges you to beware of hazardous conditions and reduce speed as conditions dictate. The Alabama EMA also urges you to carry a car charger, ice scraper, jumper cables, blankets, food, water and other critical supplies.

To learn more about how to prepare for a winter storm, visit AlabamaPower.com/Storm. If you experience an outage, report it on AlabamaPower.com, through the Alabama Power mobile app or by calling Alabama Power Customer Service at 800-888-2726.