A low pressure system formed off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico during the overnight hours of Tuesday, February 8th. This surface low tracked eastward along the coast during the morning of Wednesday, February 9th, dragging moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico and pulling cold air in from the north.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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 BMX wrote it up.
A low pressure system formed off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico during the overnight hours of Tuesday, February 8th. This surface low tracked eastward along the coast during the morning of Wednesday, February 9th, dragging moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico and pulling cold air in from the north. The combination of the moisture and cold air brought snowfall to much of Central Alabama. The first report of snow was in Hamilton in Marion county beginning around 4 pm. As the precipitation moved through the state, many areas started out as light rain due to temperatures warming to around 50 degrees during the afternoon, especially across the southern counties of Central Alabama, but the cold air was not far behind. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 inches in Lamar county to Trace amounts along the Interstate 85 corridor. Cold temperatures overnight resulted in icy and slick travel conditions through the overnight hours.
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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:07 PM CST, 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 307 PM CST WED FEB 9 2011 .DISCUSSION... "THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART..." AS OLD MAN WINTER LEAVES A PARTING SHOT FOR PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL. THE STAGE IS SET...AND NOW WE WATCH AND WAIT FOR THE PRECIPITATION TO MOVE ON IN. I DIDN'T MAKE A LOT OF CHANGES SINCE THE NOON FIRST PERIOD UPDATE...AND I REMAIN COMFORTABLE (OR MAYBE "COMFORTABLY NUMB") WITH THE ONGOING SNOW TIMING AND AMOUNTS FORECAST. MID-AFTERNOON MESO-ANALYSIS REVEALS A SURFACE LOW NEAR BATON ROUGE...WITH THE FRONTAL TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTHWEST AND NORTHEAST FROM THE LOW. IT LOOKS LIKE THAT SURFACE TROUGH IS DISPLACED A BIT SOUTHEAST OF THE THERMAL GRADIENT. THE CLOUDS HAVE BEEN MOVING IN AND OUT OF CENTRAL ALABAMA THROUGH THE DAY...WHICH CAUSED SOME TEMPERATURES SWINGS. MOST SPOTS GOT INTO 40S...WITH THE SOUTHERN MOST LOCATIONS ACTUALLY TOUCHING 50 DEGREES. BUT THE COLD FRONT IS REAL...AS THE TEMPERATURE AT HALEYVILLE DROPPED TO 6 DEGREES (TO 34F) BETWEEN 1 AND 2 PM...AND CULLMAN/VINEMONT DROPPED FROM 45 TO 36 DEGREES BETWEEN 2 AND 241 PM. LOOKING TO OUR WEST...SNOW AREA CONTINUES TO MAKE STEADY PROGRESS EASTWARD. IMPRESSIVE SNOWFALL RATES RIGHT FROM THE ONSET OF SNOW AT PLACES LIKE OXFORD AND TUPELO. GRANTED...THAT AREA REMAINED MUCH COLDER THROUGH THE AFTERNOON COMPARED TO CENTRAL ALABAMA. BUT I THINK THE COLD COULD ACTUALLY REMAIN JUST AHEAD OF THE SNOW SHIELD FOR A WHILE. NOT TO MENTION THE COOLING ASSOCIATED WITH NIGHT FALL. THE BIG QUESTION REMAINS -- DOES THE BIG NORTH MS PRECIP AREA LARGELY REMAIN INTACT...OR DOES RAINFALL INCREASE CLOSER TO THE SURFACE LOW AND ATTACHED SURFACE TROUGH...CUTTING OFF THE MOISTURE FARTHER NORTH? MY GUT FEELING IS THAT A LITTLE OF BOTH WILL HAPPEN...BUT THAT CURRENT SNOW AREA IS JUST SO BIG AND MENACING TO IGNORE. SO...LIKE I SAID...I AM STILL COMFORTABLE (BUT NOT COMPLETELY CONFIDENT) IN THE HAVING THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FORECAST IN OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES. THE HIGHEST LIQUID EQUIVALENT QPF COULD VERY WELL END UP BEING IN THE US-80 AND I-85 ZONE...BUT I THINK A LOT OF THAT MAY END UP BEING RAIN BEFORE CHANGING OVER LATER TONIGHT. HAVING SAID THAT...I AM NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH IN THAT "MOSTLY RAIN" SCENARIO TO LOWER THE WINTER STORM WARNING. THE POSSIBILITY OF A MESOSCALE SNOW BAND SETTING UP ALONG THE SURFACE TROUGH SCARES ME ENOUGH TO LEAVE THE WSW AS IS. WILL CARRY A LIGHT MIXTURE IN THE EAST/SOUTHEAST IN THE 09Z-12Z PERIOD. CONDITIONS THEN DRY OUT AND REMAIN DRY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 7 DAY FORECAST. TEMPERATURE FORECAST OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON SNOWFALL TONIGHT. ONCE WE GET TO THE WEEKEND...ALL SIGNS CONTINUE TO POINT TOWARD MODERATING TREND INTO NEXT WEEK. /61/ && .AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO LAST AT LEAST THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR ALL TAF SITES... WITH OVERCAST TO BROKEN ALTOSTRATUS LINGERING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. TCL...EET...AND BHM WILL SEE A WINDOW OF CLEAR CONDITIONS FOR A FEW HOURS...BUT THEN GRADUALLY CLOUD OVER LATER THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AS WINTRY PRECIP BEGINS TO IMPACT THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA BY 22Z. EXPECTING MVFR CONDITIONS AT THE ONSET...THEN GOING DOWN TO IFR BY 01-02Z ACROSS THE NORTHERN SITES. THE FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE WHERE THE HEAVIER SNOW BAND WILL SET UP FROM 02-06Z ACROSS THE NORTHERN LOCATIONS. WENT AHEAD AND PLACED A TEMPO GROUP AT TCL...BHM...AND EET FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF THE HEAVIER SNOW BAND TO MOVE THROUGH JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT...WITH VISIBILITIES OF 1/2SM. MGM AND TOI WILL NOT BE IMPACTED AS MUCH AS OUR NORTHERN LOCATIONS...AND EXPECTING THE POSSIBILITY OF -SN AT MGM...AND ALL RAIN FOR TOI. ALL LOCATIONS WILL SEE IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. NOTICE...KEET TAF WILL HAVE (AMD LTD TO VIS WIND AND WX) AMENDED TO THE END OF THE FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE 2010/2011 WINTER SEASON. THE CEILOMETER DATA WILL BE GOING THROUGH NUMEROUS TESTS AND MONITORED FOR ACCURACY. 56/GOGGINS && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 25 36 19 48 20 / 100 10 0 0 0 ANNISTON 30 39 19 48 22 / 100 10 0 0 0 BIRMINGHAM 26 38 19 49 25 / 100 10 0 0 0 TUSCALOOSA 27 38 19 49 24 / 100 0 0 0 0 CALERA 28 38 22 49 25 / 100 10 0 0 0 AUBURN 31 42 20 49 19 / 100 10 0 0 0 MONTGOMERY 31 41 24 48 25 / 100 10 0 0 0 TROY 32 44 24 50 21 / 100 10 0 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: AUTAUGA...BIBB...BLOUNT...CALHOUN... CHAMBERS...CHEROKEE...CHILTON...CLAY...CLEBURNE...COOSA... DALLAS...ELMORE...ETOWAH...HALE...JEFFERSON...LEE...LOWNDES... MACON...MARENGO...MONTGOMERY...PERRY...RANDOLPH...SHELBY...ST. CLAIR...TALLADEGA...TALLAPOOSA. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: FAYETTE...GREENE...LAMAR...MARION...PICKENS...SUMTER... TUSCALOOSA...WALKER...WINSTON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 320 PM CST WED FEB 9 2011 ALZ011>015-017>050-101225- AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE- CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE- JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY- PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA- TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON- 320 PM CST WED FEB 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SNOW IS LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ALABAMA BEGINNING AS EARLY AS THIS AFTERNOON AFTERNOON IN THE NORTHWEST...AND LASTING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SNOWFALL WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION EAST OF THE AREA BY SUNRISE THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES...BUT ANY HAZARDOUS IMPACTS WILL MOST LIKELY BE FROM SNOW. AT THIS TIME THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS AREAS SOUTH OF I-20 AND NORTH OF A LINDEN TO PRATTVILLE TO LAFAYETTE LINE. FOR A MAP OF FORECAST SNOW TOTALS...PLEASE VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM WEB SITE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...A COLD AIR MASS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE SOUTHEAST WHICH COULD BRING A HARD FREEZE TO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA FRIDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BECOME NECESSARY WEDNESDAY NIGHT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 254 PM CST WED FEB 9 2011 ALZ011>015-017>045-047-101200- AUTAUGA-BIBB-BLOUNT-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE- COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE- LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-PICKENS-RANDOLPH- SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER- WINSTON- 254 PM CST WED FEB 9 2011 ...HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS LIKELY OVERNIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING... A STRONG STORM SYSTEM CROSSING CENTRAL ALABAMA WILL RESULT IN ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL...BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA AND QUICKLY SPREADING EASTWARD AFTER SUNSET. SNOW ACCUMULATING ON AREA ROADWAYS COULD RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. AS TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW FREEZING...SLICK SPOTS WILL DEVELOP ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES FIRST WITH SECONDARY ROADWAYS BECOMING INCREASINGLY HAZARDOUS WITH TIME. SNOWFALL COULD REMAIN ON THE ROADWAYS THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...BEFORE TEMPERATURES WARM ABOVE FREEZING. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...PLEASE DO SO WITH EXTREME CAUTION. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HEAD OUT EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...ALLOW EXTRA TRAVEL TIME. TEMPERATURES SHOULD CLIMB ABOVE FREEZING THURSDAY AFTERNOON...EXCEPT FOR THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES WHERE HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR FREEZING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 heavy snow, 7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall totals averaged 3.5 inches across the county, with some locations receiving over 4 inches.
Snowfall totals averaged 2.3 inches across the county.
Snowfall totals averaged 3.9 inches across the county, with some locations in the northeast and central portions of the county receiving over 4 inches.
Snowfall totals averaged 4.1 inches across the county.
An average of 2.3 inches of snow fell across the county.
Snowfall totals averaged 3.1 inches across the county. Locations in the northern portions of the county received over an inch of snow.
An average of 2.5 inches of snow fell across the county, with the higher amounts occurring in the northwest portion of the county.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous travel conditions.
Snowfall totals averaged 2.6 hours across the county, with some areas receiving over 4 inches.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous travel conditions.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous road conditions.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous road conditions.
An average of 2 inches of snow fell across the county with northern areas receiving up to 2.5 inches.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous road conditions.
An average of 2 inches of snow fell across the county, with some locations receiving 2.2 inches.
Snowfall totals average 1.9 inches across the county. Locations in the western portion of the county received up to 2.8 inches.
An average of 1.5 inches of snow fell across the county, with locations in and around Clanton receiving up to 2.5 inches.
Snowfall totals average 2.3 inches across the county.
Snowfall totals average 2 inches across the county. Locations in the southwestern portions of the county received up to 3 inches of snow.
Snowfall totals average 2 inches across the county.
Snowfall totals averaged 1 inch across the county. Locations in the northwest portions of the state received 2 inches of snow.
Snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous travel conditions.
Light snowfall across the county resulted in reduced visibilities and hazardous travel conditions.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, February 2011
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: 288373, 288374, 288375, 288376, 288377, 288379, 288378, 289323, 289306, 289327, 289330, 289331, 289300, 289333, 289311, 289315, 289312, 289317, 289319, 289320, 289321, 289328, 289329.