text: The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state.Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December besides the typically severe spring.The northern part—along the Tennessee River Valley—is most vulnerable.The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as Dixie Alley, as distinct from the Tornado Alley of the Southern Plains.Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around in Mobile and around in Birmingham.Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years.Historic snowfall events include New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm and the 1993 Storm of the Century.The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is per year.In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.Alabama's highest temperature of was recorded on September 5, 1925, in the unincorporated community of Centerville.The record low of occurred on January 30, 1966, in New Market.Flora and fauna Alabama is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna in habitats that range from the Tennessee Valley, Appalachian Plateau, and Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of the north to the Piedmont, Canebrake, and Black Belt of the central region to the Gulf Coastal Plain and beaches along the Gulf of Mexico in the south.The state is usually ranked among the top in nation for its range of overall biodiversity.Alabama is in the subtropical coniferous forest biome and once boasted huge expanses of pine forest, which still form the largest proportion of forests in the state.It currently ranks fifth in the nation for the diversity of its flora.