On Thursday, March 5, 2015, the northern half of Central Alabama observed a mixture of wintry precipitation mainly in the form of sleet. The precipitation began as light freezing rain, but quickly changed over to sleet in most locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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.
On Thursday, March 5, 2015, the northern half of Central Alabama observed a mixture of wintry precipitation mainly in the form of sleet. The precipitation began as light freezing rain, but quickly changed over to sleet in most locations. The highest accumulations of sleet occurred across the northwest counties of Central Alabama, where Marion and Winston counties received up to 1 inch. Farther south along the I-20 corridor, light accumulations of one-tenth of an inch or less were observed, but that was just enough to make for some hazardous travel conditions on bridges and overpasses.
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 Mar 5, 3:32 AM CST, 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 332 AM CST THU MAR 5 2015 .DISCUSSION... INTENTLY WATCHING TEMPERATURES EARLY THIS MORNING. WHILE THE MODELS MAY NOT HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW 70S AT MGM AND THE LOW 30S AT HALEYVILLE...THE ONGOING FORECAST ACTUALLY HAS THE PROGRESSION OF THE FREEZING LINE INTO OUR AREA HANDLED PRETTY WELL. STILL THINK THE SURFACE FREEZING LINE WILL REACH THE FAYETTE AND JASPER AREAS BY 12Z...AND GET AS FAR SOUTH AS ALICEVILLE...NORTH TCL...NORTHERN METRO BHM...GADSDEN AND CENTRE BY 15Z. FREEZING LINE WILL PROBABLY PUSH A BIT FARTHER SOUTH FROM THERE...MAYBE ONE MORE COUNTY. BEFORE STALLING...AS DAYLIGHT STARTS TO BATTLE THE STRONG COLD ADVECTION. 06Z NAM DEPICTS AN AREA OF ENHANCED PRECIPITATION GATHERING IN MS AND SHOOTING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA BETWEEN 12Z AND 16Z. JUDGING BY RADAR LOOPS OVER THE LAST HOUR...THAT GATHERING OF ENHANCED RAIN MAY BE HAPPENING IN MS RIGHT NOW. THIS WILL BE THE CRITICAL TIME WHERE FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS WOULD MOST LIKELY REACH THEIR GREATEST INTENSITY. OUR CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING AREA COINCIDES PRETTY WELL WITH THIS JUXTAPOSITION OF STEADY PRECIPITATION AND BELOW FREEZING SURFACE TEMPERATURES...AND WILL MAINTAIN CURRENT WARNING AND ADVISORY AREAS. MODELS INSIST ON RAPIDLY MOVING PRECIPITATION OUT OF THE AREA BY 21Z, COLD ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE UNABATED HOWEVER. ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOT LIKELY TO BREAK ANY RECORD LOWS TONIGHT...THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT FEEL ANY LESS COLD. LONG RANGE MODELS ARE STARTING TO SHOW SOME SIGNS OF AGREEMENT ON THE FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. BEYOND THAT IT LOOKS LIKE MORE WET WEATHER IS IN STORE...ALTHOUGH DETAILS REMAIN QUITE SKETCHY. FORTUNATELY...THERE'S NO OBVIOUS TIME UPCOMING WHERE TEMPERATURES WOULD BE COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ANY MORE WINTRY WEATHER. /61/ && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF DISCUSSION. COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH EET AT THIS TIME WITH NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT. PERIODS OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AND INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. SOME FREEZING RAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT FOR BHM AND TCL WHERE THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE FLUCTUATING BETWEEN 30 AND 33 DEGREES BETWEEN 18Z TO 21Z. CEILINGS WILL DROP INTO IFR WITH VERY SLOW IMPROVEMENT LATE IN THE DAY TOMORROW. 88 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GADSDEN 38 22 43 26 55 / 90 10 0 0 0 ANNISTON 42 23 45 27 56 / 80 10 0 0 0 BIRMINGHAM 36 20 43 28 55 / 90 10 0 0 0 TUSCALOOSA 36 21 44 28 56 / 90 10 0 0 0 CALERA 39 22 45 29 57 / 90 10 0 0 0 AUBURN 62 28 49 32 60 / 70 20 0 0 0 MONTGOMERY 56 27 50 30 60 / 70 20 0 0 0 TROY 64 28 50 32 60 / 70 20 0 0 0 && .BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BIBB...CALHOUN...CHEROKEE...ETOWAH... GREENE...HALE...JEFFERSON...PICKENS...SHELBY...ST. CLAIR... SUMTER...TUSCALOOSA. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BLOUNT...FAYETTE...LAMAR...MARION...WALKER... WINSTON. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 426 AM CST THU MAR 5 2015 ALZ011>015-017>050-061330- 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- 426 AM CST THU MAR 5 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MILLPORT...TO CORDOVA...TO ONEONTA CAN EXPECT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. ICE TOTALS OF UP TO THREE-TENTHS OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SLEET ACCUMULATIONS UP TO TWO-TENTHS OF AN INCH. AREAS SOUTH OF THE LINE ABOVE AND NORTH OF A LIVINGSTON...TO ALABASTER...TO PELL CITY...TO ANNISTON LINE WILL RECEIVE A LESSER DURATION OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. ICE ACCUMULATION OF LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 sleet, 4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Periods of light to moderate sleet fell across Marion County with total accumulations of one-half to one inch.
Periods of light to moderate sleet fell across Winston County with total accumulations of one-half to one inch.
Periods of light to moderate sleet fell across northern Lamar County with total accumulations of one-half inch.
Periods of light to moderate sleet fell across the northwest portions of Fayette County with total accumulations up to one-half inch.
Periods of light to moderate sleet fell across the northwest corner of Walker County with total accumulations up to one-half inch.
Light freezing rain and sleet fell across Blount County with total accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch.
Light freezing rain and sleet fell across Pickens County with total accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch.
Light freezing rain and sleet fell across Tuscaloosa County with total accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch.
Light freezing rain and sleet fell across Jefferson County with total accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch.
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, March 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: 565666, 565667, 565668, 565669, 565670, 565677, 565672, 565674, 565675.