Today is the average date of the last freeze in Birmingham. But, of course, our weather is rarely “average”. Freezing temperatures have been recorded as late as April 23, and some pretty remarkable big late season snow events are also on the books. So, for summer fans your time is coming, but it is a little early for the tank tops and sun tan lotion.
The latest snow on record here was on April 25, 1910 when flurries were flying as far south as Birmingham. The latest significant snow on record was on April 3, 1987, when 5 inches was measured at the Birmingham Airport. That same storm produced 60 inches of snow at Newfound Gap in the North Carolina mountains, and 25 inches at Charleston, West Virginia. Here in Alabama, ten inches fell at Valley Head, with 9 inches just down the road at Fort Payne. Many people here called this storm the “Dogwood Snowstorm” since the dogwoods were in full bloom at the time. Unfortunately, those of us in the weather office didn’t go a very good job of handling that event; we figured we might have a little light rain or a few flurries, but 5 inches was not in the plan. Part of the problem is not having enough guts to forecast a significant amount of snow in April!
While April can serve up some cold weather, it is best known for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding. Some of us (myself included) are old enough to remember the “Superoutbreak” of tornadoes April 3-4, 1974. That one event produced 148 tornadoes across the eastern part of the U.S. (and into Canada), and was responsible for about 335 deaths and over 6,000 injuries. Here in Alabama, the town of Guin was almost wiped out that night by an F5 tornado. In all 80 people died in our state that long night. April 2006 is just around the corner; we have to wonder what is ahead this year!
The latest snow on record here was on April 25, 1910 when flurries were flying as far south as Birmingham. The latest significant snow on record was on April 3, 1987, when 5 inches was measured at the Birmingham Airport. That same storm produced 60 inches of snow at Newfound Gap in the North Carolina mountains, and 25 inches at Charleston, West Virginia. Here in Alabama, ten inches fell at Valley Head, with 9 inches just down the road at Fort Payne. Many people here called this storm the “Dogwood Snowstorm” since the dogwoods were in full bloom at the time. Unfortunately, those of us in the weather office didn’t go a very good job of handling that event; we figured we might have a little light rain or a few flurries, but 5 inches was not in the plan. Part of the problem is not having enough guts to forecast a significant amount of snow in April!
While April can serve up some cold weather, it is best known for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding. Some of us (myself included) are old enough to remember the “Superoutbreak” of tornadoes April 3-4, 1974. That one event produced 148 tornadoes across the eastern part of the U.S. (and into Canada), and was responsible for about 335 deaths and over 6,000 injuries. Here in Alabama, the town of Guin was almost wiped out that night by an F5 tornado. In all 80 people died in our state that long night. April 2006 is just around the corner; we have to wonder what is ahead this year!
on March 22, 2006, 9:59 pm
http://mikewx.blogspot.com/
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