National Weather Service offices in Alabama and Tennessee,
including NWS Huntsville, are conducting Winter Weather Awareness
Week from Monday, November 17, through Wednesday,
November 19, 2008. The purpose of this week is to
call attention to the winter weather that we experience across
northern Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. Yes we can
and do get winter weather!
The winter of 2007-2008 was relatively
mild and dry like the one before. December of 2007 was about
6 degrees above normal in Huntsville, with January returning
closer to normal and February about one degree warmer than
average. We recorded 0.6 inches of snow at the Huntsville
International Airport on January 16 2008. A trace was recorded
on the 13th, 26th and 27th of February 2008.
Those types of events may cause minor travel problems. However,
the Tennessee Valley has experienced more significant winter
storms in the past, such as:
- 1993 "Storm of the Century":
Huntsville received 7.3 inches of snow, 17.7 inches of snow
fell on Valley Head, and a foot of snow was reported in
Scottsboro.
- 1963-1964 New Year's Storm: An all-time
record snow event for the city of Huntsville that resulted
in 17.1 inches of snow over a 24-hour period.
(For more information on both events, visit our significant
weather event posters page.)
The Tennessee Valley does experience winter weather--and
now is the perfect time of the year to check your
winter preparedness plans. Make sure your NOAA Weather
Radio has fresh batteries in it. Make sure you have a means
of receiving winter weather information, and be prepared in
case you have no way to travel.
Note: Some of the snowfall and ice accumulation criteria
that prompt the issuance of winter weather advisories and
warnings have changed across the Tennessee Valley. More
information can be found here, including some recent product
consolidations. |
www.weather.gov 
National Weather Service Forecast Office
