An arctic air mass settled over central Alabama with early temperatures in the lower 20s across most of central central Alabama. Very light precipitation spread into southwest counties of central Alabama just after sunrise and spread northeast during the day.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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.
An arctic air mass settled over central Alabama with early temperatures in the lower 20s across most of central central Alabama. Very light precipitation spread into southwest counties of central Alabama just after sunrise and spread northeast during the day. Even though most locations recorded only trace amounts, the light rain froze quickly on areas bridges and roads causing hazardous driving conditions.
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 20, 6:59 AM CST, 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 659 AM CST FRI FEB 20 2015 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. AN INTRUSION OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS OVERNIGHT BROUGHT IN A FEW REPORTS OF FLURRIES ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA. THE AIR MASS IS STILL VERY DRY...AND IT WILL TAKE A GOOD PART OF THE DAY TO MOISTEN UP THE ATMOSPHERE ENOUGH TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF PRECIP REACHING THE SURFACE. THE AIR MASS THIS MORNING WILL REMAIN COLD ENOUGH FOR ANY PRECIP. TO FALL AS LIGHT SNOW. AN WARM NOSE WILL DEVELOP AND THE PRECIP. WILL CHANGE TO A SLEET/SNOW MIXTURE ACROSS THE NW COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON...AND EVENTUALLY TO FREEZING RAIN AS THE WARM NOSE DEEPENS. THE MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW LIGHT LIQUID AMOUNTS TODAY AND TONIGHT...GENERALLY ONE-TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS WHILE THE ATMOSPHERE IS COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SNOW/SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES MAINLY DUE TO THE THREAT OF FREEZING RAIN. THE PRECIP. SHOULD CHANGE TO ALL RAIN BETWEEN 3 AM AND 6 AM SATURDAY. THE PRECIP. TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL STAY MAINLY NORTH OF I-20. ON SATURDAY THE BEST FORCING WILL SHIFT NORTHWARD ALONG A LOW LEVEL WARM FRONT ACROSS TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM CONSIDERABLY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S SOUTH OF I-20 BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT RAIN FREE CONDITIONS SOUTH OF I-20 WITH THE HIGHEST RAIN CHANCES ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES. A SURFACE LOW WILL PULL TO THE NORTH OF ALABAMA SATURDAY NIGHT AND PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA. STRONG WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND CONVERGENCE ALONG THE COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO A BAND OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO. DID NOT INCLUDE ANY THUNDERSTORMS AT THIS TIME DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS DEALING WITH WINTER WEATHER. WIDESPREAD RAIN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA. THE BULK OF THE RAIN WILL END ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA SUNDAY AFTERNOON...BUT A WEAK UPPER LEVEL IMPULSE WILL BRING SOME LIGHT PRECIP. INTO THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. THE AIR MASS ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA WILL BE COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME LIGHT SNOW NORTH OF I-59 AND A MIXTURE OF LIGHT SNOW AND RAIN AS FAR SOUTH OF I-20. THE INTENSITY OF THE SNOW DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ENOUGH FOR ANY ADVISORY. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. VERY LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. THE MODELS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE IN A FAST MOVING ZONAL FLOW PATTERN. COLDER AND DRIER AIR IS TRYING TO SPREAD SOUTH AS SEVERAL CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM MOVE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY REGION. AT THE SAME TIME... SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES GET EJECTED INTO THE ZONAL FLOW PATTERN AND PRODUCE PRECIP. ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF COAST REGION. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL DURING THIS PERIOD DUE TO THE PUSH OF LOW LEVEL COLD AIR SOUTHWARD. THERE WILL BE SEVERAL TIME FRAMES...MAINLY AT NIGHT...WHERE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLD ENOUGH FOR WINTRY PRECIP...BUT AMOUNTS AND TIMING ARE VERY UNCERTAIN. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. 58/ROSE && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THRU THE PERIOD. CIGS SHOULD REMAIN NEAR 5K FT WITH E/SE WINDS OF 5-10 KTS. WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO THE TN VALLEY AND POINTS NORTHWARD LATER TODAY. THE BULK OF THE PRECIP SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF THE CENTRAL ALABAMA TERMINALS. 19 && .FIRE WEATHER...VERY DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL TODAY. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL FALL BELOW 25 PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY AS SURFACE WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY. A LIGHT MIXTURE OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES...WITH THE RAIN REMAINING MOSTLY NORTH OF I-20 THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY. RAIN WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA. && && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 36 32 56 46 49 / 20 40 40 80 60 ANNISTON 38 33 58 49 54 / 20 20 30 70 60 BIRMINGHAM 38 35 61 48 49 / 20 30 40 80 60 TUSCALOOSA 42 38 65 49 50 / 20 30 40 80 60 CALERA 40 37 63 52 53 / 10 20 20 70 60 AUBURN 42 34 62 53 65 / 10 10 10 40 70 MONTGOMERY 47 38 68 56 67 / 10 10 10 50 60 TROY 48 37 67 54 69 / 0 10 10 40 60 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BLOUNT...CALHOUN... CHEROKEE...CLEBURNE...ETOWAH...ST. CLAIR. RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: AUTAUGA...BARBOUR...BULLOCK...CHAMBERS... CHILTON...COOSA...DALLAS...ELMORE...LEE...LOWNDES...MACON... MONTGOMERY...PIKE...RUSSELL...TALLAPOOSA. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: MARION...WINSTON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 501 AM CST FRI FEB 20 2015 ALZ011>015-017>050-211415- MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE- CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA- CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA- CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON- BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR- 501 AM CST FRI FEB 20 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. DRY CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO A HIGH FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. OUTDOOR BURNING IS DISCOURAGED. A LIGHT WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES OF CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY AND TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE...FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF A RAIN AND SNOW MIX GENERALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED ON FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE FAR NORTH.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Several bridges glazed over with ice along Interstate 20 with several accidents including injuries.
Light accumulations of freezing rain across the county with several accidents reported.
Light accumulations of freezing rain along Highway 411.
Light accumulations of freezing rain at the intersection of County Roads 26 and 57.
Light accumulations of freezing rain on Interstate 20 bridges.
A report of three-quarters of an inch of snow depth on Mount Cheaha.
Light accumulations of freezing rain and sleet on Old Springville Road causing several accidents.
Light accumulations of freezing rain on roadways causing multiple accidents.
Light accumulations of sleet and freezing rain across the county with multiple accidents on Highways 231 and 75.
Light accumulations of freezing rain along Highway 431 causing multiple accidents.
A band of light freezing rain and sleet causing multiple accidents across the northern portion of Talladega County.
Light accumulations of freezing rain in the city of Gadsden with numerous accidents on the Interstate 759 bridge over Highway 411.
Light accumulations of freezing rain in the town of Centre with multiple accidents.
Light accumulations of sleet and freezing rain across the county.
Light accumulations of sleet and freezing rain with several accidents reported on Interstate 65 near the town of Kimberly.
Light accumulations of sleet and freezing rain on Interstate 65 near the town of Hayden.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, February 2015
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: 562876, 562877, 562878, 562879, 562880, 562881, 562883, 565916, 562884, 565919, 562886, 562887, 562888, 562889, 562890, 564376.