A low pressure system tracked east across the northern Gulf of Mexico producing a swath of snow across the Tennessee Valley on Christmas Day 2010. For Huntsville, this event resulted in a record snowfall for December 25th, and was the second White Christmas on record.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS HUN wrote it up.
A low pressure system tracked east across the northern Gulf of Mexico producing a swath of snow across the Tennessee Valley on Christmas Day 2010. For Huntsville, this event resulted in a record snowfall for December 25th, and was the second White Christmas on record. The previous one was in 1989 when 0.3 inches of snow fell.
A mixture of rain and snow began in northwest and north central Alabama between 3 and 5AM CST, and between 5 and 7AM in northeast Alabama. The mixture rapidly changed to all snow and became moderate to heavy at times during the morning hours. Visibility fell to 1/4 to 1/2 mile at times, with snowfall accumulating at a rate of one half to one inch per hour in some areas. All told, snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches on average occurred, with a few locations in the higher elevations of northeast Alabama receiving between 4 and 7 inches. Many locations in valley areas remained just above 32 degrees much of the day, thus roadways were mainly wet and slushy through the day. However, the higher elevations remained below freezing which resulted in hazardous driving conditions. As colder air filtered into the region during the overnight hours, additional snow showers developed as an upper level low dropped southeast across the region. This system produced an additional dusting to up to one inch of snowfall.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 24, 11:22 PM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Lauderdale County received from an inch or less in northwest portions of the county up to 2.5 inches in Anderson.
Colbert County received 2 to 3 inches of snow across central and eastern portions of the county. 3.0 inches of snow was reported in Littleville.
Franklin County received 3 to 4 inches of snow. 4.0 inches was reported in Phil Campbell.
Lawrence County received 2 to nearly 4 inches of snow. 3.5 inches was reported in Moulton.
Limestone County received 2 to nearly 4 inches of snow. 3.8 inches was reported in Athens.
Morgan County received 2 to 3 inches of snow. 2.5 inches was reported in Hartselle.
Snowfall began in northwest portions of Jackson County around 4 am, then spread eastward during the next few hours. The snowfall persisted longest in southeast portions of the county, ending by around 3 pm. Jackson County received 3 to nearly 6 inches of snow, with the heaviest in northwest portions of the county. 5.5 inches fell in Skyline, and 3.0 inches fell in Scottsboro and Stevenson.
Cullman County received 2 to 4 inches of snow. 3.5 inches was reported in West Point.
Madison County received 2 to 7 inches of snow. The highest amounts occurred across central and eastern Madison County, especially in the higher elevations on the Cumberland Plateau. 3.5 inches fell in Madison, 4.5 inches fell in Meridianville, and 6 to 7 inches were reported on Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville.
Marshall County received 2 to nearly 4 inches of snow. 3.5 inches fell in Boaz.
DeKalb County received 3 to 4 inches of snow. 4.0 inches fell in Ider, Peeks Corner, and Valley Head.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, December 2010
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: 273940, 273941, 273942, 273943, 273944, 273945, 273950, 273946, 273947, 273948, 273949.