Confidence is growing Alabama could be slammed by a winter storm starting late Friday and lasting into Saturday.

The National Weather service has issued winter storm watches for north and part of central Alabama that will go into effect midnight on Friday. Snow amounts of up to 6 inches are possible with up to 8 inches in some north Alabama areas, the weather service warned. Central Alabama could see up to 5 inches of snow and sleet.

You can see more on the latest forecast here.

Winter storm warning, watch and advisory

Local National Weather Service offices issue the individual advisories for winter weather and local criteria for a storm plays a role. For example, the NWS said the amount of snow that triggers a winter storm warning in the northeast plains is typically much higher than the amount needed t trigger a winter storm warning in the Southeast.

A winter storm watch means snow, sleet or ice are possible and people should take precautions now.

“Confidence is medium that a winter storm could produce heavy snow, sleet or freezing rain and cause significant impacts,” the NWS said in its description. A winter storm warning means snow, sleet or ice is expected and people should proceed with storm preparations. When a winter storm warning is issued, “confidence is high” that a storm could produce “heavy snow, sleet or freezing rain and cause significant impacts.”

A winter weather advisory is the lowest level of warnings issued. It means wintry weather is expected and people should exercise caution. A winter weather advisory means “light amounts of wintry precipitation or patchy blowing snow will cause slick conditions and could affect travel is precautions aren’t taken,” NWS said.

Key terms to understand from NWS:

• Freezing Rain: Rain that freezes when it hits the ground; creating a coating of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines.
• Sleet: Rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes moisture on roads to freeze and become slippery.
• Wind Chill: A measure of how cold people feel due to the combined effect of wind and cold temperatures; the Wind Chill Index is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin. Both cold temperatures and wind remove heat from the body; as the wind speed increases during cold conditions, a body loses heat more quickly. Eventually, the internal body temperature also falls and hypothermia can develop. Animals also feel the effects of wind chill; but inanimate objects, such as vehicles and buildings, do not. They will only cool to the actual air temperature, although much faster during windy conditions.