Historical Look At This Cold Wave

Thanks to the NWS in Birmingham for this historical perspective…

…UNUSUAL COLD WEATHER FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA…

ANOTHER REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH
CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS AIRMASS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES
TO PLUMMET INTO TEENS AREA WIDE TONIGHT. HARD FREEZE WARNINGS HAVE
ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AREA. THESE TEMPERATURES ARE NOT
NECESSARILY UNUSUAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR…HOWEVER…THE LONG
DURATION AND EVENTUAL DEEPENING OF THIS COLD AIR OUTBREAK ARE OF
CONCERN. WHILE TEMPERATURES ON ANY GIVEN DAY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE
RECORD SETTING…THE RECORDS FOR CONSECUTIVE NUMBER OF COLD DAYS
WILL BE THREATENED. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF SOME SNOWFALL
ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT…WITH STORM
TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS WESTERN
PORTIONS CENTRAL ALABAMA. TO MAKE MATTERS EVEN WORSE…WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING MAY FALL BELOW
ZERO.

HERE IS A LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL COLD WEATHER STATISTICS AT
TUSCALOOSA…BIRMINGHAM… ANNISTON…AND MONTGOMERY…PERTAINING TO
THE CURRENT COLD SNAP.

AT BIRMINGHAM…THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED (BETWEEN THE
YEARS OF 1895 AND 2009) WAS -10 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 13…1899. THE
COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDED WAS 13 ON DECEMBER 12…1962.
THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL STREAKS THAT ARE WORTH NOTING. THE FIRST IS
IN REGARDS TO MORNING LOWS. SO FAR BIRMINGHAM HAS NOW RECORDED 3
DAYS…IN WHICH THE LOWS HAVE DROPPED BELOW 25 DEGREES. THE RECORD
CONSECUTIVE STREAK FOR THIS IS 11 DAYS…WITH THE ENDING DATE OF
JANUARY 28…1940. CURRENTLY…THE FORECAST FOR THE BIRMINGHAM
AIRPORT CALLS FOR LOWS TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 25 DEGREES THROUGH
JANUARY 11…WHICH WOULD BRING THE CURRENT STREAK TO 10 DAYS. A
SECOND NOTEWORTHY STREAK WOULD BE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN WHICH THE
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES. THE RECORD IS 4
DAYS…SET BACK IN JANUARY 1978.

SOME RECORD LOWS THROUGH JANUARY 11…ARE AS FOLLOWS…

DAY TEMPERATURE DATE LAST SET
— ———– ————-
5 9 1924
6 4 1924
7 11 1970
8 7 1942
9 5 1970
10 2 1982
11 -1 1982

AT TUSCALOOSA…THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED (BETWEEN THE
YEARS OF 1948 AND 2009) WAS -1 DEGREE ON FEBRUARY 8…1989. THE
COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDED WAS 18 ON DECEMBER 22…1989.
THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL STREAKS THAT ARE WORTH NOTING. THE FIRST IS
IN REGARDS TO MORNING LOWS. SO FAR TUSCALOOSA HAS NOW RECORDED 2
DAYS…IN WHICH THE LOWS HAVE DROPPED BELOW 25 DEGREES. THE RECORD
CONSECUTIVE STREAK FOR THIS IS 10 DAYS…WITH THE ENDING DATE OF
FEBRUARY 21…1958. CURRENTLY…FORECAST FOR THE TUSCALOOSA AIRPORT
CALLS FOR LOWS TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 25 DEGREES THROUGH JANUARY
11…WHICH WOULD BRING THE CURRENT STREAK TO 9 DAYS. A SECOND
NOTEWORTHY STREAK WOULD BE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN WHICH THE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES. THE RECORD IS 4 DAYS…SET
BACK IN JANUARY 1977.

SOME RECORD LOWS THROUGH JANUARY 11…ARE AS FOLLOWS…

DAY TEMPERATURE DATE LAST SET
— ———– ————-
5 12 1969
6 13 1959
7 13 1970
8 12 1970
9 6 1970
10 4 1982
11 0 1982

AT ANNISTON…THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED (BETWEEN THE
YEARS OF 1903 AND 2009) WAS -5 DEGREES ON JANUARY 21…1985. THE
COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDED WAS 14 ON FEBRUARY 14…1905.
THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL STREAKS THAT ARE WORTH NOTING. THE FIRST IS
IN REGARDS TO MORNING LOWS. SO FAR ANNISTON HAS NOW RECORDED 3
DAYS…IN WHICH THE LOWS HAVE DROPPED BELOW 25 DEGREES. THE RECORD
CONSECUTIVE STREAK FOR THIS IS 10 DAYS…WITH THE ENDING DATE OF
JANUARY 7…1940. CURRENTLY…FORECAST FOR THE ANNISTON AIRPORT
CALLS FOR LOWS TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 25 DEGREES THROUGH JANUARY
11…WHICH WOULD BRING THE CURRENT STREAK TO 10 DAYS…AND TIE THE
RECORD. A SECOND NOTEWORTHY STREAK WOULD BE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN
WHICH THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES. THE RECORD
IS 4 DAYS…SET BACK IN JANUARY 1977.

SOME RECORD LOWS THROUGH JANUARY 11…ARE AS FOLLOWS…

DAY TEMPERATURE DATE LAST SET
— ———– ————-
5 11 1969
6 14 1959
7 11 1970
8 10 1970
9 2 1970
10 4 1982
11 1 1982

IN MONTGOMERY…THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED (BETWEEN THE
YEARS OF 1872 AND 2009) WAS -5 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 13…1899.
THE COLDEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDED WAS 18 ON JANUARY 9…1886.
THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL STREAKS THAT ARE WORTH NOTING. THE FIRST IS
IN REGARDS TO MORNING LOWS. SO FAR MONTGOMERY HAS NOW RECORDED 2
DAYS…IN WHICH THE LOWS HAVE DROPPED BELOW 25 DEGREES. THE RECORD
CONSECUTIVE STREAK FOR THIS IS 7 DAYS…WITH THE ENDING DATE OF
JANUARY 5…2000. CURRENTLY…FORECAST FOR THE MONTGOMERY AIRPORT
CALLS FOR LOWS TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 25 DEGREES THROUGH JANUARY
11…WHICH WOULD EASILY PUT THE CURRENT STREAK INTO THE RECORD
BOOKS. AT THE SAME TIME MONTGOMERY HAS BEEN BELOW 30 DEGREES A
RECORD 11 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN JANUARY OF 1970. UP TO THIS DAY THERE
HAVE BEEN 3 DAYS RECORDED. A THIRD NOTEWORTHY STREAK WOULD BE
CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN WHICH THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS AT OR BELOW 32
DEGREES. THE RECORD IS 4 DAYS…SET BACK IN JANUARY 1897.

SOME RECORD LOWS THROUGH JANUARY 11…ARE AS FOLLOWS…

DAY TEMPERATURE DATE LAST SET
— ———– ————-
5 13 1924, 1884
6 8 1924, 1884
7 15 1970
8 15 1970
9 5 1886
10 10 1886
11 4 1982

MEDIA PARTNERS ARE URGED TO CONVEY COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS TO
VIEWERS…READERS…AND LISTENERS THROUGH THE DURATION OF THIS COLD
SNAP.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON WINTER WEATHER SAFETY…VISIT
THE NWS WEBSITE AT WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/WINTER.

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