South Alabama buried under historic snow: What we know about the winter weather today

A historic winter storm in south Alabama on Tuesday broke Mobile’s 130-year-old snowfall record and brought a rarely seen covering of snow to the beaches of Gulf Shores.

But while it gave folks in Mobile an exceedingly uncommon opportunity to build snowmen, it also caused more than a few problems around the state.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s winter weather event, what we know and what we can expect today.

How much snow fell in south Alabama? The National Weather Service in Mobile said that as of 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, 7.5 inches of snow had fallen at its office in west Mobile. That broke the all-time record for a snow event of 6 inches in 1895. The weather service said the city’s snowfall also broke its single-day record, which was 5 inches on Jan. 24, 1881.

How’s it looking today? Dangerously cold conditions will persist today as wind chills remain below freezing throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile. Road conditions will likely see minimal improvement through the day, and any lingering moisture will refreeze once the sun sets.

Roads: The Alabama Department of Transportation is urging drivers to exercise “extreme caution” with dangerous black ice possible on state roadways. Alabama National Guard and heavy duty wreckers are working to clear semi trucks stuck along I-85 between exit 58 and exit 64, according to the Lee County EMA.

Schools: Many schools, particularly in south Alabama, are delaying opening or closing all-together on Wednesday. We will provide the latest on school closings here.

Snow at the beach? See it for yourself as webcams capture the sights on Orange Beach and Gulf Shores and folks share their photos and video on social media.

How did the rest of the state fare? Central and north Alabama escaped most of the snow, though it was seen as far north as Montgomery. In Birmingham on Wednesday, a major waterline broke in 12 degree weather, causing problems there.