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MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Transportation has personnel and equipment on standby to respond to icy bridge and road conditions during temperatures expected to be in the teens in much of Alabama this week.

Transportation Director Joe McInnes says the department is committed to keeping roads and bridges open, if possible.

McInnes said motorists should allow extra travel time, allow extra distance between other vehicles, and slow down near bridges and overpasses where icy conditions may develop.

BIRMINGHAM — It’s cold across Alabama, but forecasters say you haven’t felt anything yet.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday posted a hard freeze watch for much of Alabama as a blast of cold Arctic air headed south from the Midwest. Forecasters say temperatures could fall into the single digits before it’s over.

Temperatures Wednesday night were supposed to range from 20 in the Tennessee Valley to the mid-30s on the coast, followed by highs in the 30s across much of the state on a windy Thursday.

The weather will turn bitterly cold Thursday night, when forecasters say temperatures could fall into the single digits in outlying areas from central Alabama north. Lows are supposed to be in the lower 20s near the coast.