Did someone say snow in Alabama? Latest models say it’s probable

This story was originally published Tuesday, Jan. 7. Check in with the National Weather Service in Birmingham and in Huntsville for the latest forecasts.

We all know it’s cold this week but there is still one thing every Alabamian wants to know: Will we get snow?

If you’re in the northern third of the state, you likely already saw some snowflakes and flurries fall earlier this week but nothing was sticking to the ground throughout most of Alabama.

READ MORE: ALDOT prepping roads as Winter Storm Watch issued in Alabama

But a recent forecast seems to think more is on its way. There’s a good chance most of us will wake up Friday to snow on the ground but just how much is tough to predict.

‘Potentially significant winter weather event’

There seems to be a sense of growing agreement among meteorologists and predictive models that there will be some amount of snow across the northern half of the state this week.

In particular, two models stand out, showing significant snowfall in the Huntsville and Birmingham metro areas with at least some snow accumulating as far south as Montgomery.

Wednesday night into Thursday morning is expected to bring the coldest temperatures to the state but any snow, rain or wintry mix isn’t expected to start until Thursday night. But by Saturday morning, there could be a lot of it on the ground.

Here’s a breakdown of the two models listed above + what areas could be heavily impacted:

That does not mean there will be a 4 to 9 inches of snow will cover every square foot of the state but there could be that much accumulation in spots between Thursday night and early Saturday morning.

Expect a winter weather advisory to be issued throughout the state. Roads could be icy and hazardous throughout the weekend due to snow, freezing rain and ice so stay aware if you have to get behind the wheel.

“Confidence continues to build, showing a potentially significant winter weather event Friday for portions of north and central Alabama. I caution you, this is simply a look a 1 run of each these models and anything can change. The trend has been increasing with respect to snow potential especially north of I-20. There’s plenty to still be narrowed down and fine tuned, bottom line, the potential is there for winter weather across much of the state from Friday AM through Friday night.”

~ Evan Chickvara, ABC 33/40 meterologist

Make sure to stay tuned to your local meteorologists + weather services for updated models ahead of Friday. And if you see any snow this week, post it and tag The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn!