Base, local area hit by snowstorm

The Wright-Flyer sculpture at Maxwell is bathed in heavy snowfall Feb. 12. A total of two inches of snow accumulated during Friday's storm that lasted from sunrise to about 4 p.m.(U.S. Air Force photo by Bennett Rock)

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Base, local area hit by snowstorm

Published Feb. 19, 2010
By Carl Bergquist
Air University Public Affairs

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- For the third winter in a row, snow has fallen and accumulated at Maxwell-Gunter. This year, three and a half inches of snow fell, and the base received two inches of accumulation, said the Maxwell Weather Office manager.

"The temperature at sunrise was 37 degrees, so it took awhile for it to get cold enough to start accumulating," Dave Scott said. "About 1.5 inches melted before the accumulation started at about 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and continued until about 4 p.m."

He said cold air from a Canadian high pressure system colliding with a low pressure system moving from west to east across the Gulf of Mexico provided the perfect situation for snow in Alabama.

Mr. Scott said in recent years the area has received 0.8 inches of snow in March 2009 and 2.5 inches of snow in January 2002.

"The storm of the century in March 1993 produced the most snow in recent years with a maximum daily snowfall of 3.8 inches," he said.