And you can credit some of that to an extensive snow pack. About 1/2 of the Lower 48 States now covered by snow due to the unusually severe (especially for so early) snowstorm within the last few days. Snow cover now as far south as North Texas, all of Oklahoma, all of Missouri as well as Extreme NW Arkansas. Cold arctic air gets an extra chill from flowing across that snow pack and does not have to travel as far before it chills Alabama.
We may not know the final low for regularly hourly reporting stations until noon as those stations only report highs or lows every 6 hours. However, the numbers below should be close. In some cases, I used 7 am temperatures because those were one degree colder than the low for the night reported at 6 am.
ALABAMA
15 at Belle Mina (just NE of Decatur and lowest so far in Alabama)
18 at Union Grove and just north of Eva (Morgan County)
19 in Vinemont and Hamilton
20 in Decatur, Crossville, West Trussville, Bankhead National Forest, Owens Crossroads, Russellville, Scottsboro, Valley Head and Russell Cave.
21 in Rainbow City*Cullman, Huntsville, Trussville (on a ridge) Muscle Shoals, Black Creek
22 at Nocallula Falls and in Desoto State Park
23 at Birmingham, Greystone Farms, Ellisville, Meridianville, Altoona/Attalla, Womack Road in Pinson
24 at Cottondale, Alabaster (Najho Pines)
25 at Reform (Pickens County) Albertville, Moody, Centreville, Fort Payne, West Hueytown
26 at Pelham, Jemison, Alexander City, Clanton, Livingston, Talladega, Dearmanville, Anniston, Tuscaloosa, Alabaster (ridge)
27 at Shelby County Airport and Heflin
31 in Verbena
32 in Wadley, Auburn, Montgomery, Mobile
ALABAMA (ABC 33/40 SKYCAMS)
23 in Downtown Birmingham
22 in Cullman and Gadsden
28 in Demopolis
38 at Gulf Shores
19 in Hamilton
24 at Inverness
25 in Jasper
26 in Downtown Tuscaloosa
(No report from atop Mt. Cheaha)
REGIONAL
14 at Savannah, Tenn.
23 at Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains
26 in Gatlinburg
8 above zero atop Mt. Leconte
10 above at Grandfather Mountain, N.C., and Beech Mountain, N.C.
72 in Key West (Chuck Biddinger reminded us of that)
LOWS ACROSS SNOW COVERED COUNTRY
14 in St. Louis
6 in Chicago
1 above in Rockford, Ill.
0 in Springfield, Ill.
6 in Springfield, Mo.
14 in Tulsa
9 below zero in Kremmling, Colo.
* Margie Richardson, 3340 Skywatcher for Rainbow City reports the hot chocolate is flowing freely. She must make it by the gallons!
