Winter Storm in Alabama, February 1 to 3, 1996

Name: Winter Storm in Alabama, February 1 to 3, 1996
Start: 1996-02-01T15:00
End: 1996-02-03T08:00
Location: Alabama

February 1 to 3, 1996 · NWS BMX · 31 events in 31 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 31 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $595,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 31

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BMX wrote it up.

A winter storm brought a mixture of freezing and frozen precipitation to approximately the northern half of Alabama. A period of freezing rain followed by light snow brought traffic to a complete standstill across North Alabama. Ice accumulations were large enough in many locations to down trees or break off tree limbs. Power outages were common but widespread with pockets of outages. Power outages were probably not as severe as they might have been. The wintery precipitation began late Thursday, the first, but had ended across the state by Saturday morning.A number of chicken houses in the northern part of the state collapsed under the weight of ice and snow. Ice and snow accumulations varied widely with some of the highest amounts reported in the 1 to 3 inch range.Effects of the storm lingered into Monday and Tuesday when a number of school systems remained closed primarily because of problems associated with travel.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

31 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lauderdale

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Lauderdale forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.901, -87.654 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Colbert

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Colbert forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.700, -87.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Franklin

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.442, -87.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lawrence

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Lawrence forecast zone
Property damage: $65,000
Coordinates: 34.522, -87.311 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Limestone

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Limestone forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.810, -86.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Madison

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.763, -86.550 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morgan

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Morgan forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 34.454, -86.853 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marshall

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.367, -86.307 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jackson

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.779, -85.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dekalb

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Dekalb forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.460, -85.804 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.137, -87.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lamar

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Lamar forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.779, -88.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.721, -87.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Winston

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Winston forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.149, -87.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Walker

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Walker forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.803, -87.297 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cullman

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Cullman forecast zone
Property damage: $35,000
Coordinates: 34.132, -86.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Blount

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Blount forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.981, -86.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Etowah

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Etowah forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.045, -86.035 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Calhoun

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.771, -85.826 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cherokee

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Cherokee forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.176, -85.604 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cleburne

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Cleburne forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.675, -85.519 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pickens

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Pickens forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 33.281, -88.089 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tuscaloosa

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Tuscaloosa forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 33.290, -87.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.554, -86.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shelby

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.264, -86.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, St. Clair

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: St. Clair forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.716, -86.315 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Talladega

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Talladega forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.380, -86.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greene

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 32.853, -87.952 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sumter

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Sumter forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 32.591, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hale

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Hale forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 32.763, -87.629 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bibb

When: February 1, 3:00 PM CST to February 3, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Bibb forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 32.999, -87.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Alabama in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Alabama, February 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5539876, 5539877, 5539878, 5539879, 5539880, 5539881, 5539882, 5539883, 5539884, 5539885, 5539886, 5539887, 5539888, 5539889, 5539890, 5539891, 5539892, 5539893, 5539894, 5539895, 5539896, 5539897, 5539898, 5539899, 5539900, 5539901, 5539902, 5539903, 5539904, 5539905, 5539906.