You might call it Alabama’s arctic weather “round two.” Temperatures on Monday morning are expected in the mid-teens with wind chills in the single digits. The Gulf coast is bracing for a near one hundred percent of snow on Tuesday. This is Alabama’s second shot of arctic weather in about a week. The first one dropped up to seven inches of snow, closed schools, and delay airline flights. Jennifer Saari is a forecaster with the National Weather Service. She says people typically make one mistake with this kind of cold blast…
“That it's only for today and it will be fine tomorrow, and we will be cold for several more days. So you just need to be prepared. Stay warm, you know, make sure your space heaters are kept away from things that are flammable, and make sure, you know, the kids are bundled up in layers,” Saari said.
Snow in Mobile is considered rare. The website SnowPlowNews says the first recorded occurrence of two inches of snow in Alabama’s Port City was back in 1963. The reported record is just over three inches in 1973. The current forecast (subject to change) is two to five inches of snowfall on Tuesday. Jennifer Saari, with the National Weather Service in Huntsville, lists certain items Alabamians should have in their cars while this cold snap.
“Make sure you have a spare set of gloves, blanket. If you don't have a spare jacket, throw a couple of layers of long sleeve shirts or sweatshirts in the trunk, an extra hat, if you have one, just items to try and keep you warm for just in case. And then a cell phone charger as well, and some granola bars, just to, you know, keep hungry in case,” she said.
The lows are forecast to stay below freezing in parts of Alabama until later this week. The high temperatures along the Tennessee Valley are predicted to be that cold until Wednesday. Things should warm up as the week goes on.
