Winter Storm — Lamar, Alabama

2025-01-10 · Lamar, Alabama

Event narrative

Sleet and snow amounts of 3 to 4 inches across Lamar County.

Wider weather episode

A shortwave trough moved into the Mississippi Valley by early January 10, with a surface low moving across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Existing cold air across the northern half of the state supported snowfall, which occurred after 3 AM. Moderate to heavy snowfall fell across the Birmingham metro area, the Tuscaloosa area, and most areas north and east. Precipitation began initially as rain and sleet as evaporative cooling greatly reduced dew point depressions at the surface. Many areas saw sleet and snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches during the morning hours, with isolated pockets up to 5 inches in northwestern counties. As a nose of warm air aloft moved in from the southwest, snowfall gradually changed back to sleet, which coated the fresh snowpack. During the daylight hours, many areas warmed above freezing at the surface, with rainfall continuing. Some areas over eastern Central Alabama remained below freezing and were subjected to light freezing rain, which accumulated on trees and other surfaces. Travel impacts were felt throughout the region, with snow and ice-covered roadways leading to numerous vehicle incidents, mainly during the early to mid-morning hours. One fatality occurred in Talladega County due to hypothermia.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1222730. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.