Midday Nowcast: Clearing Sky and Cooler; The “Forgotten” Tornado Outbreak of 2011
The sky will clear through the afternoon and it is noticeably cooler today compared to yesterday with highs ranging from the upper 60s to lower 70s.
Category: Met 101/Weather History
OTD in 1932: Alabama’s Deadliest Tornado Outbreak
Remembering Alabama’s deadliest tornado outbreak that occurred on this date in 1932.
Were You Dreaming of a White Christmas?
Most of us dream of enjoying a White Christmas, but for lifelong Birmingham residents like me, that has been am elusive dream. We came close in 2010.
OTD in 1956: Tornadoes Rake South Central Alabama
A family of tornadoes ruined Christmas for several Alabama families from Monroe County to Montgomery County on this date back in 1956.
1988: F3 Tornado On This Date in Tuscaloosa
A tornado struck south Tuscaloosa early on a Sunday morning on this date in 1988, damaging 15 homes, injuring seven, and prompting National Guard cleanup efforts.
On This Date in 1957: Deadly Tornado Struck Walker County
On this date in 1957, Alabama was in the middle of a late season warm spell and severe weather outbreak.
April 3, 1974 Through the Eyes of J.B. Elliott
Today is the 50th anniversary of the April 3, 1974 Superoutbreak of tornadoes, when 148 tornadoes affected 13 states and Ontario. This is a story about J.B. Elliott and that day.
Remembering the February 1-2, 1996 Winter Storm with a Series of Hilarious NWS Forecast Discussions
As forecasters at the NWS Birmingham became a little stir-crazy by the end of the February 1996 winter storm, one of them typed out a hilarious state forecast discussion that is hall-of-fame material.
The Anastasia Miracle in 1704
During the Spanish Succession War, Tyrolean forces planned to plunder Benediktbeuern Monastery in Bavaria, but a miraculous weather twist foiled their plans as a warm, föhn wind caused the frozen swamps that the troops planned to march across, sparing the monastery.
The January Thaw
The January thaw is a weather singularity. A singularity is an event that occurs more often than one would expect with chance. The January thaw is a period of above normal warmth that frequently occurs in mid-Winter in the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada.
The Stormy Iron Bowl Afternoon that Turned Deadly
The 1983 Iron Bowl game came with a severe thunderstorm that produced a tornado warning for Jefferson County in the middle of the game. But the game played on… And later the same storm produced a deadly tornado.
Fine Weather Played a Contributing Role in the Thanksgiving Day 1951 Deadly Train Wreck in Woodstock
Folks around Birmingham talked about that 1951 Thanksgiving wreck at Woodstock for years. Ironically, fine weather played a contributing role in the crash which killed 17 people.
1951 Streamliner Crash
OTD in 1951, a blizzard led to a tragic train collision at the Wyoming/Utah border. The Union Pacific’s City of San Francisco ran two signals and crashed into the back of the City of Los Angeles in whiteout conditions, killing 17 and injuring 159. Follow my weather history tweets on Twitter.
Hurricane History of the Cedar Keys
Today, Cedar Key, Florida is a resort and artists colony and fishing village. There has not been a major hurricane there since Easy in 1950. But it has a devastating hurricane history beforee that.
