Snowfall on January 21, 2025

An unusually cold and dry Arctic airmass was present across Central Alabama on the early morning of January 21, 2025, with temperatures in the upper teens to 20s and dewpoints in the single digits. Moisture began to increase along the Gulf Coast in advance of a positively tilted longwave trough which extended from the Great Lakes Region southwest through Texas. This rapidly resulted in the development of historic winter storm conditions along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana into southern Mississippi and the Alabama coast. By mid-morning, moisture began to translate inland across the Florida Panhandle and into southern and southeastern portions of Central Alabama, with reports of flurries as early as 8 AM CT.

Initially, precipitation struggled to reach the ground due to a deep surface to 800mb layer of dry air measured on the 12Z and 18Z radiosonde observations in Calera. However, reports of light to moderate snowfall began to increase through the morning across counties generally along and south of the Interstate 85 corridor where the moisture was able to overcome the dry airmass. Snow was quick to accumulate on roadways due to the preceding cold conditions, and travel quickly became hazardous as the snow continued to fall through the afternoon.

The longer duration of snowfall resulted in accumulations ranging from as low as 0.5 inches at the Montgomery Regional Airport to 2 inches in Auburn with bursts of heavier snowfall resulting in 5 to 6 inch accumulations from Pike County east into Barbour County. The stubborn dry layer north of those areas produced a sharp gradient in the appreciable snowfall with most locations north of I-85 seeing little to no accumulation.

Terra MODIS Visible Satellite Imagery
January 22 at 10am

Ansley, AL
Courtesy Jennifer Boyett

Auburn, AL
Courtesy Tavern on the Traxs

Barbour County, AL
Courtesy Alesha Williams

Barbour County, AL
Courtesy Haley Westbrook

Batesville, AL
Courtesy Irene Sims-Lawrence

Beauregard, AL
Courtesy Ranell Bedwell

Beulah, AL
Courtesy Kelly Green

Brundidge, AL
Courtesy Jessi Williams

Brundidge, AL
Courtesy Lindsay Middlebrooks

Bullock County, AL
Courtesy Michelle Roughton

Cecil, AL
Courtesy Mary Darnell

Chambers County, AL
Courtesy Jenna Bailey

Clayton, AL
Courtesy Courtney Nolin

Clio, AL
Courtesy Marah-Katelin Adams

Crawford, AL
Courtesy Brittany Horton

Cusseta, AL
Courtesy Tiffany Hussey

Dadeville, AL
Courtesy Ashli Grant

Dublin, AL
Courtesy Beth Hicks

Eclectic, AL
Courtesy Ashtin Arant

Eufaula, AL
Courtesy Steve Watkins

Fleta, AL
Courtesy Brittany Kelly

Fort Deposit, AL
Courtesy Leslie Hood

Goshen, AL
Courtesy Justina Ivey

Goshen, AL
Courtesy Madison Thomas

Grady, AL
Courtesy Stacey Whatley

Hurtsboro, AL
Courtesy Lori Denson

Jackson's Gap, AL
Courtesy April Snowden

Ladonia, AL
Courtesy Elizabeth Simmons

Lafayette, AL
Courtesy Felecia Brock

Lanett, AL
Courtesy Josh Brown

Letohatchee, AL
Courtesy Anna Myrick

Liberty City, AL
Courtesy Levi Hall

Little Texas, AL
Courtesy Jennifer Dawn

Louisville, AL
Courtesy Ashton Parmer

Lowndes County, AL
Courtesy Chase Rutledge

Macon County, AL
Courtesy Amy DeLoach

Mathews, AL
Courtesy Maegan Humphries

Montgomery, AL
Courtesy Jocelyn Li

Notasulga, AL
Courtesy Sarah Hunter

Opelika, AL
Courtesy Yvonne Garrison

Phenix City, AL
Courtesy Carmon Nix

Pike Road, AL
Courtesy Debbie Green

Pike Road, AL
Courtesy Rachel Mayer

Ramer, AL
Courtesy Chelsea Auerbach

Redland, AL
Courtesy Anna Dozier

Reeltown, AL
Courtesy Deana Mann

Salem, AL
Courtesy Amy Pearson

Salem, AL
Courtesy Michelle Smith

Sandy Ridge, AL
Courtesy Misty Smith

Smiths Station, AL
Courtesy Anna Walton

Snowdoun, AL
Courtesy Julie Perkins

Snowdoun, AL
Courtesy Karly Faulkner

Southern Pike County, AL
Courtesy Tina McLendon

Spring Hill, AL
Courtesy Symantha Smith

Southern Russell County, AL
Courtesy Beth Mott

Tallassee, AL
Courtesy David & Aimee Holloway

Texasville, AL
Courtesy Ronald Williams

Troy, AL
Courtesy Amy Stubblefield

Troy, AL
Courtesy Mike Jordan

Troy, AL
Courtesy Suki Tipp

Troy, AL
Courtesy Katarina Agnew

Union Springs, AL
Courtesy Jennifer Greer

Valley, AL
Courtesy Kacie Hearn

Wetumpka, AL
Courtesy Tina Sanford

Surface Analysis
Jan 21 at 9 am

Surface Analysis
Jan 21 at 12 pm

Surface Analysis
Jan 21 at 3 pm

Surface Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 pm

Surface Analysis
Jan 21 at 9 pm

250mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 am

500mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 am

850mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 am

250mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 pm

Image Not Available

500mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 pm

850mb Analysis
Jan 21 at 6 pm

KBMX Sounding
Jan 21 at 6 am

KBMX Sounding
Jan 21 at 12 pm

KBMX Sounding
Jan 21 at 6 pm

Local Day 1 Outlook
Jan 21 at 3 am

Local Day 2 Outlook
Jan 20 at 830 am

Local Day 3 Outlook
Jan 19 at 4 am

Forecast Snow Totals
Jan 21 at 1230 pm

Forecast Snow Totals
Jan 20 at 4 am

Forecast Snow Totals
Jan 19 at 130 pm