The climate and weather headlines for 2008 in the Tennessee Valley were:

• The continuation of drought conditions for most areas through much of the year
• Heavy rainfall and an end to the drought in December
• Heavy rainfall in northwestern Alabama in May
• Overall warm and dry Summer and Winter
• Significant tornado outbreak in early February
• Early March snowfall
• Mid-December snowfall in northwestern Alabama

Narrative Climate Summary for Huntsville and Muscle Shoals / Additional Weather Information Included

JANUARY

2008 began with a cold start across the Tennessee Valley. Temperatures were well below normal for the first several days of the new year, and daytime highs did not even reach the freezing mark on January 2nd at Huntsville or Muscle Shoals. As the arctic high pressure system responsible for the cold weather moved across the area on the morning of the 3rd, the barometric pressure at Huntsville climbed to an all-time record high of 1045 mb (30.86 in Hg). This tied the previous record high barometric pressure set on February 12, 1981. As the high shifted to the east of the region, southerly winds brought very mild air into the region for the latter part of the first week. Temperatures climbed into the 70s on the 7th at Huntsville and Muscle Shoals. A series of cold fronts brought cooler conditions and some rainfall to the area over the next week, but temperatures remained generally above normal and precipitation below normal. Stronger cold fronts then moved through the region around the middle of the month, bringing light snow to the area on the 16th. Huntsville reported 0.6 inches of snow, while Muscle Shoals received a little less, at 0.4 inches. This was the most snow in Huntsville in January since 1997, when 2.0 inches was reported. Temperatures remained mostly below normal for the remainder of the month, with another subfreezing calendar day on the 20th. Strong northwesterly flow behind a cold front brought the highest winds of the year to the area on the 29th, with gusts registering 52 mph at Huntsville, and 55 mph at the Shoals. Although healthy rains around an inch or greater occurred with another storm system on the 31st, precipitation finished well below normal at both locations for the month.

FEBRUARY

With the beginning of February, conditions gradually warmed across the region as strong southerly winds brought unseasonably warm, moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico. On the morning of the 5th, low temperatures only reached 65 at Muscle Shoals and 62 at Huntsville, setting record high minimum temperatures for the date. Later that day, record high maximum temperatures were set at both locations as temperatures rose into the mid 70s. This unusually warm and humid airmass for early February set the stage for a significant severe weather event as a cold front moved into the area early on the morning of the 6th. Four tornadoes developed with severe thunderstorms that preceded the frontal passage, including two devastating EF-4 tornadoes that moved across portions of Lawrence, Morgan, and Jackson counties in the early morning hours. Before the frontal passage on the morning of the 6th, the temperature at Huntsville was still at 71 degrees, which set a record high for the date...just after midnight! A couple of strong cold frontal passages later in the month brought brief, but well below normal temperatures on the 13th and the 27th. Overall, however, temperatures averaged above normal for the month, while precipitation continued the below normal trend.

MARCH

Weather conditions were very mild for the beginning of March, with temperatures reaching the mid 70s on the 2nd and 3rd at Huntsville and Muscle Shoals. A gradual cool-down then occurred into the start of the second week, with subfreezing temperatures late on the 7th through early on the 8th leading to snowfall across parts of the area. Snowfall amounts in the west were generally higher, with Muscle Shoals receiving 1.2 inches. This was the most snowfall at the Shoals since March 1993, when 4.6 inches fell during the great Superstorm event. Weak cold fronts brought a couple more bouts of rain and thunderstorms to the area on the 14th, 15th, and 19th, however rainfall totals finished below normal for the month.

APRIL

Both locations received more than two inches of rainfall during the first several days of April, with severe weather accompanying a few thunderstorms on the 4th. Temperatures warmed dramatically ahead of a strong cold front on the 10th and 11th, with afternoon highs reaching the 80s on both days, the first such occurrence of 80s temperatures for the year. Strong thunderstorms accompanied the front as it crossed the area late on the 11th, with severe weather reported in parts of Madison and Marshall Counties. Temperatures gradually cooled over the next several days, with snow shower reports coming in from some locations on the 14th as a strong upper level system crossed the area. Temperatures on the morning of the 15th fell to 32 degrees at Huntsville and 31 at Muscle Shoals, the last freeze of the season for each location. For a while, it seemed as if Huntsville might have its first above normal precipitation month since October 2006, but then conditions turned rather dry again. A frontal passage late on the 18th brought over an inch of rain to the Shoals, but a little over a half an inch to Huntsville. In spite of the relatively abundant precipitation for the first half of the month, April finished just below normal at both locations.

MAY

The long drought that had plagued the area since early in 2005 saw the beginnings of its demise during the month of May, especially for western portions of the area as a series of fronts and squall lines brought significant precipitation to those areas. Radar estimates for the month, indicate amounts over 10 inches occurred in isolated locations in the west. In fact, the cooperative observer 3 miles northeast of Muscle Shoals recorded a healthy 12.60 inches for the month. Precipitation for the month at the Muscle Shoals airport was much less, at 6.84 inches, however this was still 1.54 inches above normal. This was the first time precipitation had been above normal at the Shoals since October of the previous year. At Huntsville, precipitation totaled a respectable 5.10 inches for the month, but this was still just below the normal May amount of 5.24 inches. While this was just below normal, it was the rainiest month at Huntsville since January 2006. Along with the rains came several bouts of severe weather. One such event on May 8th produced several EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes, and one EF-2 tornado that touched down just east of the Muscle Shoals area and did some damage across parts of Colbert, Lawrence, and Lauderdale Counties. Another severe weather event on May 10th produced an EF-2 tornado that struck extreme southern parts of Cullman County, and did damage especially near the town of Colony. Temperatures averaged very close to normal for the month, with Huntsville just slightly above normal, and the Shoals slightly below. The first occurrence of 90 degree temps for the year occurred at both locations on the 24th.

JUNE & JULY

The long summer months began very warm, with daytime highs in the upper 80s on the first couple of days of June, then climbing into the 90s from the 3rd of June well into the second week of the month. Overnight lows only dropped into the low 70s overnight for much of the first two weeks, setting four daily record high minimum temperatures at Huntsville and two at Muscle Shoals. Temperatures continued the general above normal trend through July, with daytime highs breaking the century mark and setting daily record highs on the 20th and 21st of July at the Shoals. The temperature also climbed to 102 on the 22nd, but this was not enough to set a new record. The temperature climbed to 102 at Huntsville on July 21st, and was the only occurrence of 100+ temperatures there all season. For the most part, precipitation was scant for June and July, with deficits over 4.5 inches at Huntsville and nearly 6 inches at the Shoals. Although these two locations were very dry, a few locations did receive fairly heavy rainfall in July. Athens, for example, received over 8 inches for the month, and much of that coming in a deluge when slow moving thunderstorms passed over that location on the 31st. Other locations in Cullman, Morgan, and De Kalb Counties received beneficial rainfall for the month, but the heavier amounts were generally isolated in nature. Overall, the first two months of meteorological summer were quite warm and unusually dry for much of the area

AUGUST

Perhaps the most noteworthy feature for August is that it was the first month since October 2006 in which the Huntsville airport recorded above normal precipitation. Yes, the streak of consecutive below normal precipitation months finally ended at 21, in August 2008. The month got off to a very dry start at Huntsville, with only 0.70 inches of rainfall through the 22nd. Muscle Shoals fared a little better with nearly 1.3 inches by the 22nd. Then, the situation began to change as Tropical Storm Fay moved across Florida and towards the Tennessee Valley during the last week of the month. Although the system had weakened to below Tropical Storm status as it meandered across the southeast, it still managed to produce heavy rainfall across a large part of the region. Heavy rain bands on the eastern side of the system moved across our area on the 24th and 25th, dumping around 3 inches of rain at the Huntsville and Muscle Shoals locations. Heavier rains fell especially in eastern parts of the area. The Boaz cooperative observer in far southeastern Marshall County reported 9.41 inches of rainfall for the month. Many observers in our eastern counties reported generally around 6 to 9 inches. A little more rain fell on the 26th as the weakened system crossed overhead the area, but that would be the last measurable precipitation for the month. By the time August drew to a close, the monthly precipitation at Huntsville was 4.03 inches, which was 0.71 inches above normal for the month. Temperatures for the month averaged just slightly above normal at Huntsville, and slightly below normal at the Shoals. The highest temperatures for both locations were in the 90s, which was in stark contrast to August 2007, which saw a long streak of days with high temperatures at or above 100 degrees and many maximum temperature records broken.

SEPTEMBER

With tropical activity in the Atlantic basin on the increase, it seemed possible that more tropical systems might bring beneficial rains to the Tennessee Valley during the month of September, just like Fay did late in August. However, this was not to be. A couple more systems did impact the Gulf of Mexico region during the month of September, including Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, but these systems and most of their attendant moisture passed well to our west and north. A couple of cold fronts swept through the plains into the Mississippi River Valley, taking most of the remnant tropical storm moisture with these systems well northward, and leaving mostly light rainfall amounts for our area as they passed through. Huntsville recorded rainfall amounts around a third of an inch with the first front on the 4th through the 6th, and just under an inch with the second front on the 14th. Meanwhile, Muscle Shoals recorded just over a half inch and just over a tenth of an inch for these events, respectively. Afterwards, rainfall was very light for the remainder of the month. At the end of the month, the rainfall tally at Huntsville was only 1.33 inches, and was a mere 0.83 inches at the Shoals. This would turn out to be the driest month for the year at both locations. Temperatures for September averaged just slightly above normal at the Shoals, but were a little warmer at Huntsville, averaging 1.5 degrees above normal. The warmest day for each location occurred on the 13th, with high temperatures reaching the low 90s, the last such occurrence of 90 degree temperatures for the year.

OCTOBER

The first several days of October began seasonably cool, with daytime highs in the mid 70s to low 80s and overnight lows in the mid 40s to near 50. Temperatures then warmed ahead of a cold front over the next several days. Strong thunderstorms moved over parts of the area on the 8th, dropping 3.01 inches of rain at the Huntsville International Airport, but just a little under an inch at the Shoals. Radar estimates show that amounts over 3 inches also occurred in far western portions of Colbert and Lauderdale Counties. This was the greatest calendar day precipitation total at Huntsville since December 6th 2004, when 3.07 inches was recorded at the airport. Temperatures only cooled briefly behind this front, warming once again into the 80s through the middle of the month. Then a much cooler airmass moved into the region on the 16th, with temperatures continuing a gradual downward trend over the next several days as a Canadian high pressure system passed to the north of the region. Morning low temperatures reached 37 degrees at Muscle Shoals on the 19th, the first time temperatures in the 30s occurred at the Shoals for the Fall season. Temperatures then rebounded a little before another cold frontal passage late on the 24th brought temperatures down only slightly, but brought rainfall amounts near an inch to Muscle Shoals, and a little under an inch to Huntsville. Temperatures fell further again late on the 26th through the 29th, with the first freeze of the Fall season occurring on the 29th at Huntsville, the Shoals, and across most of the rest of the area.

NOVEMBER

November started off warm and dry, with daytime high temperatures for the first six days of the month in the 70s. A cold frontal passage on the 7th brought cooler conditions and generous rainfall amounts of a little under an inch to most locations. Then a general trend towards below normal temperatures began as a shift in the large scale pattern sent repeated intrusions of cold Canadian air into the eastern U.S. and the Tennessee Valley. Over the remainder of the month, temperatures averaged well below normal for mid to late November. During the 16th through the 22nd, temperatures were especially below normal for the area, with daytime highs only in the 40s and lows in the 20s on some days at Huntsville and the Shoals. The temperature even dropped to 17 at the Shoals on the 22nd, setting a new record low for the date, and beating the old record low of 19 degrees set way back in 1944. Temperatures across the area were mostly in the teens that morning, with conditions at the Cullman Abbey dropping to a very chilly 11 degrees. Although several cold frontal passages occurred during the latter half of the month, precipitation amounts were relatively light. Precipitation for the month finished only around half of normal, with temperatures some 1.6 degrees below normal at Huntsville, and a more impressive 3.8 degrees below normal at the Shoals.

DECEMBER

December began rather chilly, with temperatures averaging around 10 degrees below normal behind the passage of a strong cold front. Precipitation amounts were light, but enough moisture was present on the morning and afternoon of the 1st to allow for some light snow in the increasingly cold air. Huntsville recorded its first measurable snowfall of the season, but the amount was very light, at just 0.1 inches. The Shoals received just a trace of snow officially on the 1st, but more snow would visit that area later in the month. An observer at Mentone, at an elevation of about 1800 feet in eastern De Kalb County, reported 3 inches, while observers in the town of Sewanee, Tennessee reported around 2 inches of snow.

Another strong cold front dropped temperatures yet again on the 5th through the 7th, but brought little in the way of precipitation to the area. However, large scale pattern changes were in the making that would result in heavy precipitation amounts for the area over the remainder of the month. Deep southwesterly flow began to develop across the area on the 9th as an expansive trough dug into the central U.S., and a strong upper ridge formed off the U.S. southeastern coast. Moisture-laden air in the low-levels from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean and in the mid-levels from the Pacific combined to bring heavy precipitation to the area on the 9th. Rainfall amounts were 3.25 inches at Huntsville, and 3.10 inches at the Shoals. This was the greatest calendar day total at Huntsville since September 16th 2004, when 3.65 inches of rainfall was recorded. But the rains kept coming over the next couple of days as waves of low pressure moved along the eastern side of the deep trough and tracked across the Southeast. Huntsville recorded an additional 3.74 inches of precipitation on the 10th and 11th, with a staggering three day total of 6.99 inches! This was the wettest three day period at Huntsville since December 1st-3rd, 1991, when 7.05 inches of precipitation occurred during the three day period. At the Shoals, precipitation was a little less, but was still a very impressive 6.30 inches. Likewise, this was the greatest three day total at the Shoals since December 1st-3rd, 1991 when 8.38 inches of precipitation fell. As might be expected, the heavy rains produced numerous reports of flash flooding across the area, and strong to severe thunderstorms produced some hail and damaging winds, including an EF-2 tornado that struck portions of central Jackson County. As the last in a series of low pressure systems tracked across the area on the 11th, rain changed over to snow across parts of northwestern Alabama. The Shoals received 1.0 inch of snow officially, with locally higher amounts in some areas.

Another front moved into the area on the 15th and 16th, and then stalled just to our south, eventually lifting back to the north as a warm front over the next few days. More precipitation occurred during this period as temperatures cooled, and then warmed behind the warm front. Another deep trough developed in the western U.S. during the middle of the month and gave rise to another area of low pressure in the Plains by the 17th. This system tracked generally eastward through the mid Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley region, bringing warm moist air northward yet again across the Tennessee Valley. Temperatures climbed well into the 60s during the afternoon hours on the 19th and 20th. Heavy rain and thunderstorms occurred across the area on the 20th, with Huntsville receiving over 2 inches of precipitation as a strong cold front crossed the area. Temperatures plummeted behind this system, with high temperatures remaining below freezing from the night of the 21st through the morning hours on the 23rd. Low temperatures on the 22nd dropped to 16 degrees at Huntsville, the first official occurrence of temperatures in the teens there for the winter season. But, the cold spell would be rather short-lived as warm air pushed into the area once again ahead of another cold front. Heavy showers developed ahead of this front, with an EF-1 tornado striking portions of eastern Limestone County late on Christmas Eve. A brief cool-down occurred for Christmas Day, but then temperatures rebounded quickly once again, reaching the 70s at both Huntsville and the Shoals on the 27th. In fact, the 75 degree high temperature that day at the Shoals was enough to tie the previous record high set in 1911.

By the time December came to a close, precipitation totaled 11.95 inches at Huntsville and 10.54 inches at the Shoals. This was the greatest monthly precipitation total at Huntsville since December 1991, when 12.01 inches was recorded, and ranked as the 5th wettest December there since precipitation records began in 1894. At the Shoals, it was the wettest month since May 2003, when 11.15 inches of rain was recorded, and similar to Huntsville, was the wettest December since 1991, when 12.75 inches was recorded. The rainfall was sufficient to essentially put an end to the long drought that had plagued most of the area since 2005.