A strong arctic air mass pushed southward across much of the southeastern United States on Monday, February 10, behind a strong cold front, and temperatures struggled to warm into the lower 30s Monday afternoon across north Central Alabama. Monday evening, rain spread northward from the Gulf of Mexico over the cold airmass at the surface over Central Alabama.
Every event with a place to put it; 25 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 strong arctic air mass pushed southward across much of the southeastern United States on Monday, February 10, behind a strong cold front, and temperatures struggled to warm into the lower 30s Monday afternoon across north Central Alabama. Monday evening, rain spread northward from the Gulf of Mexico over the cold airmass at the surface over Central Alabama. As temperatures fell below freezing early Tuesday morning, February 11, a mix of freezing rain and snow occurred across locations generally north of the Interstate 20 corridor. Precipitation ended from west to east by mid morning on Tuesday, but temperatures remained in the 30s across the north and lower 40s across the south through the day. By Tuesday evening, surface high pressure settled across the northeastern United States, resulting in cold air damming along the East Coast and around the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. This reinforced the cold air at the surface across much of Central Alabama. Meanwhile, a surface low strengthened in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico as the first of two mid level troughs moved toward the area. Moisture spread back northward, but with surface temperatures just above freezing for much of the area, a cold light rain prevailed Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, February 12, cold air damming strengthened across east Central Alabama, leading to widespread freezing rain and ice accumulations of one quarter of an inch to one half of an inch. This resulted in significant damage in Mt. Cheaha State Park. Areas of light precipitation continued through the day on Wednesday across Central Alabama, at times producing isolated sleet and freezing rain with light accumulations. Temperature profiles gradually cooled and precipitation transitioned from freezing rain and sleet to snow late Wednesday afternoon. As a strong upper level low moved across the area, a deformation zone developed and crossed the northern half of Central Alabama, from west to east, dropping significant amounts of snow Wednesday night. Additional snow bands developed late Wednesday night, producing additional snow across portions of the area.
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 10, 11:57 PM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1157 PM CST MON FEB 10 2014 .UPDATE... FOR 06Z AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... SO FAR SO GOOD...AS FAR AS THE FORECAST GOES. TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS ARE DOING REMARKABLY WELL...CONSIDERING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SITUATION. MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS EVENING -- SEEMS TO BE A BIT MORE FARTHER NORTH THAN WHAT THE MODELS HAD EARLIER PREDICTED (AND WHAT THE 00Z NAM INITIALIZED AS WELL). WE'VE STARTED GETTING SOME SLEET AND SNOW REPORTS MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN IN THAT WEST-EAST ORIENTED BAND FROM HAMILTON TO GADSDEN. LOOKS LIKE MOST TEMPERATURES IN THAT ZONE ARE JUST ABOVE FREEZING. WITH COLD AND DRY ADVECTION CONTINUING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...I WOULD SUSPECT THAT THINGS WILL PROBABLY GET TO 32 DEGREES OR LOWER BEFORE TOO LONG. AS IT DOES...THE CHANCES OF HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS INCREASES. IN AREAS FARTHER SOUTH (DOWN TO TCL...BHM...ANB)...IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL MORE HOURS TO START SEEING WIDESPREAD ADVERSE WINTRY WEATHER. BUT OBSERVATIONS AND AN EARLY LOOK AT THE INCOMING MODEL DATA SUGGEST THAT WE DON'T MESS WITH THE CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING AREA. 00Z NAM MODEL SOUNDING STILL HAS A DEFINITE SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN LOOK TO IT DOWN TO AT LEAST I-20 BY 09Z. ALL IN ALL...WON'T BE MAKING ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST (INCLUDING SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION FORECASTS) AT THIS TIME. FOLKS THAT ARE OUT AND ABOUT TONIGHT (ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH HALF OF THE STATE) NEED TO GET SETTLED IN BEFORE CONDITIONS TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE. /61/ && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. THE PESSIMISTIC TREND FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WAS IMPROVED SLIGHTLY AND DELAYED A FEW HOURS NORTH. OTHERWISE THE OVERALL FORECAST IS CLOSE TO PREVIOUS ISSUANCE WITH IFR CONDITIONS SOUTH MUCH OF THE PERIOD AND MVFR/IFR NORTH. A SURFACE COLD FRONT WAS WELL SOUTH OF CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH NORTHERLY WINDS AREAWIDE. THESE NORTHERLY WINDS REMAIN THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD AROUND 8KTS. A LARGE PRECIPITATION AREA CONTINUES ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. SURFACE WET BULB TEMPERATURES ARE AT FREEZING JUST NORTH OF THE NORTHERN TERMINALS. MANY AREAS ALREADY REPORTING SLEET AND SNOW. IT STILL LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN AS TEMPERATURES DROP AND PRECIPITATION INCREASES TOWARD DAYBREAK. HAVE RAIN TRANSITIONING TO FZRA FOR A PERIOD ROUGHLY 09-15Z AT TCL/BHM/ANB. MENTIONED ONLY RAIN FOR EET/MGM/TOI. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PRECIPITATION TYPE AS IT SLOWLY TRANSITIONS NORTH. 75 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 238 PM CST MON FEB 10 2014/ AS EXPECTED...TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON HAVE STRUGGLED TO RISE ACROSS OUR NORTHERN AREAS DUE TO COLD ADVECTION AND THICK CLOUD COVER. ALL MODELS HAVE MISHANDLED AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES BY WARMING THEM TOO MUCH. AN EXPANSIVE SNOWPACK TO OUR NORTH COULD ALSO AID IN KEEPING CONDITIONS AS COLD OR SLIGHTLY COLDER THAN RAW MODEL OUTPUT INDICATES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ALTHOUGH A BIT DELAYED FROM PREVIOUS FORECASTS...WIDESPREAD PRECIP SHOULD DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT WHILE COLD ADVECTION CAUSES THE FREEZING LINE TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD TO NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF I-20 AT DAYBREAK TUESDAY. THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR SIGNIFICANT SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS REMAINS GENERALLY NEAR AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM JASPER TO GADSDEN WITH 850MB TEMPS FLUCTUATING BETWEEN -1 TO +1C...AND SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. A BAND OF HEAVIER PRECIP WILL LIKELY FORM IN THE VICINITY OF THE 850MB TROUGH NEAR I-20...AND A FEW MODELS SUGGEST THAT 850MB TEMPS COULD DROP TO 0C AT BIRMINGHAM...POSSIBLY PUTTING THE METRO AREA IN PLAY FOR MORE OF A SLEET/SNOW EVENT RATHER THAN FREEZING RAIN. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS TREND...BUT FOR NOW THE FORECAST INDICATES THE BULK OF THE SNOW REMAINING NORTH OF BIRMINGHAM. FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED SOUTH OF THE SNOW/SLEET AXIS...TO ALONG OR JUST SOUTH OF I-20...WHERE 850MB TEMPS WILL FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 1-3C...AND FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 1/4 INCH ALONG WITH SLEET ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 1/2 INCH ARE POSSIBLE BY NOON TUESDAY. WITH PRECIP CONTINUING FOR MOST AREAS THROUGH AT LEAST NOON TUESDAY...I HAVE MY DOUBTS AS TO HOW MUCH TEMPERATURES WILL RISE AND HAVE UNDERCUT ALL MODEL GUIDANCE. ALTHOUGH NOT INDICATED IN THE FORECAST...IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME AREAS MAY REMAIN BELOW FREEZING. THERE MAY NOT BE MUCH OF A BREAK IN PRECIPITATION ON TUESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING AS WESTERLY MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL LIKELY RESULT IN A CONTINUATION OF ISENTROPIC LIFT AND LIGHT PRECIP. THE ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE SCENARIO NOTED YESTERDAY...A POSSIBLE ONE-TWO PUNCH...NOW APPEARS TO BE AN ALMOST CERTAINTY FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND COLDER AND STRONGER WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GULF LOW PRESSURE IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT HEIGHT FALLS. WITH THE SURFACE LOW DEEPENING AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING EASTWARD TO MID-ATLANTIC REGION...THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLD WEDGE WILL OCCUR OVER THE CAROLINAS WESTWARD INTO ALABAMA. THERE IS A POTENTIAL THAT IT COULD BE COLD ENOUGH FOR FREEZING RAIN ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL ALABAMA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MAY ALSO BE ONGOING NEAR AND NORTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR OVERNIGHT TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND SOME OF THIS COULD END UP BEING SNOW IF THE MODELS CONTINUE THE COLDER TREND. AS THE TROUGH DIGS TO OUR WEST INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THE SURFACE LOW SHOULD DEEPEN RAPIDLY AS IT MOVES FROM THE NORTHERN GULF TO THE CAROLINA COAST. THIS SOLUTION HAS STRONG SUPPORT FROM ALL MODELS. A STRENGTHENING 850MB CIRCULATION TO OUR SOUTH AND TIGHTENING TEMPERATURE GRADIENT AT 850MB...ALONG WITH DYNAMIC COOLING...MAY RESULT IN A TRANSITION TO MODERATE SNOW WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN A DEFORMATION BAND ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE FORECAST FOR THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA. WITH THE TWO WAVES OF PRECIP EXPECTED TO OCCUR SO CLOSELY TOGETHER...THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL RUN UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT. 87/GRANTHAM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 30 34 33 35 30 / 100 80 100 90 80 ANNISTON 32 36 33 35 30 / 100 100 100 100 70 BIRMINGHAM 30 35 33 36 29 / 100 100 100 80 70 TUSCALOOSA 32 36 35 37 29 / 100 100 100 80 60 CALERA 33 38 36 37 30 / 100 100 100 80 60 AUBURN 39 44 34 36 31 / 100 90 100 100 50 MONTGOMERY 41 44 39 40 33 / 100 90 100 100 40 TROY 43 45 39 41 32 / 100 90 100 100 40 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BLOUNT...CALHOUN...CHEROKEE...CLEBURNE... ETOWAH...FAYETTE...JEFFERSON...LAMAR...MARION...PICKENS...ST. CLAIR...TUSCALOOSA...WALKER...WINSTON. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BIBB...CLAY...GREENE...HALE...RANDOLPH... SHELBY...SUMTER...TALLADEGA. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 837 PM CST MON FEB 10 2014 ALZ011>015-017>050-120245- 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- 837 PM CST MON FEB 10 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A WINTRY MIX IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA OVERNIGHT. THERE IS A RISK FOR ACCUMULATING AMOUNTS OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW. SEVERAL INCHES OF SLEET AND SNOW ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS AREAS GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM ALICEVILLE...TO TUSCALOOSA...TO TALLADEGA...TO HEFLIN. FOR SEVERAL MILES SOUTH OF THIS LINE...UP TO TWO-TENTHS OF AN INCH OF FREEZING RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MOUNDVILLE...BIRMINGHAM...ALABASTER...AND WEDOWEE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BE STRONGER THAN THE FIRST SYSTEM...AND DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF COLD AIR IN PLACE...THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF SEVERAL ADDITIONAL INCHES...MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. PLEASE STAY UPDATED ON THE LATEST PRODUCTS FOR CHANGES TO THIS DANGEROUS WINTER STORM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm, 9 winter weather, 4 heavy snow, 1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to snow across Marion county, with snowfall continuing for around 5 hours. Snowfall totals up to 4 inches were reported across the county.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to snow across Winston county, with snowfall continuing for around 5 hours. Snowfall totals of 2 inches were reported across the county.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to snow across Etowah county, with snowfall continuing for around 5 hours. Snowfall totals of 2 inches were reported.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to snow across Cherokee county, with snowfall continuing for around 5 hours. Snowfall totals of 2 inches were reported.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to a freezing rain and snow mix across Walker county. Light ice accumulations on elevated surfaces, up to one tenth of an inch, were reported, as well as a dusting of snow.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to freezing rain across Jefferson county. Light ice accumulated on elevated surfaces and elevated surfaces.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to freezing rain across Tuscaloosa county, with light ice accumulating on elevated surfaces.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to freezing rain across Fayette county, with light ice accumulating on elevated surfaces.
During the early morning hours on Tuesday, February 11, rain transitioned to a freezing rain and snow mix across Blount county. Light ice and snow accumulated on roadways and elevated surfaces. Just under an inch (0.8 inches) of snow was reported.
Precipitation spread across Cleburne County during the morning of February 12th. Temperatures fell below freezing at approximately 6:30 am, as rain transitioned to freezing rain. Light freezing rain continued on and off through afternoon, with one quarter of an inch accumulating by 9:30 am in parts of the county. By approximately 2:30 pm, up to a half inch of ice accumulated in Mt. Cheaha State Park. Over 1000 trees across the park were snapped or damaged, along with dozens of powerlines that were downed. The park was closed for a couple weeks for clean up efforts. The freezing rain exited the county by approximately 8 pm.
Precipitation spread across Marion County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 1:30 pm. As temperatures fell, snow began and lasted for about 9 hours. Additional snow accumulated of up to 5 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Winston County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 1:50 pm. As temperatures fell, sleet began and quickly transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 4.5 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Etowah County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures hovered just above freezing until approximately 2:00 pm. The extreme northern portions of the county did experience a brief period of light freezing rain, however no accumulations or impacts were observed. As temperatures fell in the early afternoon, sleet began and quickly transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 3 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Blount County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 3:00 pm. As temperatures fell, rain transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 7.8 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Calhoun County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures hovered just above freezing until approximately 2:00 pm. Light freezing rain began, with little accumulations observed. Temperatures rose above freezing for a couple of hours as rain continued until approximately 5 pm, when temperatures fell back below freezing and snow began. Additional snow accumulated of up to 3 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Lamar County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 2:30 pm. As temperatures fell, freezing rain began and quickly transitioned to snow, which lasted for about 5 hours. Additional snow accumulated of up to 2.3 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Fayette County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 3:00 pm. As temperatures fell, rain transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 5 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Walker County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 3:00 pm. As temperatures fell, rain transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 5 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across Cherokee County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 5:00 pm. As temperatures fell, rain transitioned to snow. Additional snow accumulated of up to 6 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation occurred on and off on during the morning and afternoon on February 12th across Tuscaloosa County. Temperatures remained above freezing for most of the day. As temperatures fell during the early evening hours, rain transitioned to light snow lasting for a couple of hours. Snow exited the county to the south at approximately 7:00 pm. Temperatures remained below freezing through evening hours, as a heavy band of snow moved through the county between midnight and 1:00 am. Accumulations of up to 0.8 inch were observed across portions of the county.
Precipitation spread across Jefferson County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 4:00 pm. As temperatures fell, sleet began and quickly transitioned to snow from west to east across the county. Additional snow accumulated of up to 5.5 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation spread across St. Clair County on Wednesday morning, with temperatures remaining above freezing until approximately 4:00 pm. As temperatures fell, sleet began and quickly transitioned to snow from the northwest to southeast across the county. Additional snow accumulated of up to 3 inches were observed in parts of the county.
Precipitation occurred on and off on during the morning and afternoon on February 12th across Bibb County. Temperatures remained above freezing for most of the day. As temperatures fell during the early evening hours, rain transitioned to light snow lasting for a couple of hours. Snow exited the county to the south at approximately 8:30 pm. Temperatures remained below freezing through evening hours, as a heavy band of snow moved through the county between 1:00 am and 3:00 am. Accumulations of up to 1 inch were observed across portions of the county.
Precipitation occurred on and off on during the morning and afternoon on February 12th. Temperatures remained above freezing for most of the day. As temperatures fell during the early evening hours, rain transitioned to snow lasting for a couple of hours. Snow exited Chilton County to the south at approximately 8:30 pm. Temperatures remained below freezing through evening hours, as a heavy band of snow moved through the county between 1:00 am and 3:00 am. This produced light accumulations across the northern part of the county, covering the roads.
Precipitation occurred on and off on during the morning and afternoon on February 12th across Shelby County. Temperatures remained above freezing for most of the day. As temperatures fell during the early evening hours, rain transitioned to snow lasting for a couple of hours. Snow exited the county to the south at approximately 8:30 pm. Temperatures remained below freezing through evening hours, as a heavy band of snow moved through the county between 1:00 am and 3:00 am. Accumulations of up to 1.5 inches were observed across portions of the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, February 2014
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: 506177, 506178, 507687, 507688, 507644, 507685, 507689, 506179, 507658, 507611, 506946, 507579, 507582, 507588, 507583, 507578, 507585, 507587, 507589, 507607, 507580, 507581, 507608, 507600, 507602.