An unusual year for weather

It seems like Alabama has just about seen it all this year from a weather perspective.

It started in January with most of the Tennessee Valley receiving anywhere from eight to 12 inches of snow.

We go from that extreme cold to the first day of baseball and softball season. Usually, it’s cold and dreary, but not this year. The weather was almost ideal, as it was much warmer than it normally is for late February.

While we did have some cold days during the spring sports season, overall it was much warmer than it usually is. I’m sure that parents, players and fans were happy about that.

Then we move to April. We all remember the unprecedented tornado outbreak, an event in which the National Weather Service is still determining just how many tornadoes touched down. April 27 was also the deadliest day we’ve ever seen for a tornado outbreak.

Then, the whole state pretty much experienced drought conditions through mid-June. That included some areas of south Alabama that saw an exceptional drought, which is the highest rating by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Coupled with that drought, we had extremely high temperatures in June.

Then last week, some areas of the state saw torrential downpours that saw some extreme flash flooding. One area even saw as much as seven inches in just two hours.

I don’t know if this is a symptom of global climate change or if it’s just a normal cycle. However, it’s definitely been a year for the history books in Alabama

Brent Maze is the managing editor of the Hartselle Enquirer.