ABC 33/40 Birmingham Alabama Latest School Closings and Delays

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When severe weather, infrastructure issues, or power outages strike Central Alabama, ABC 33/40 is the primary source for school closings and delays in the Birmingham, Anniston, and Tuscaloosa areas. Led by Chief Meteorologist James Spann, the station provides real-time updates to ensure the safety of students and faculty.

Current School Closings and Delays Status

How to Stay Informed via ABC 33/40

The station utilizes an integrated system to broadcast closing information across multiple platforms. If a superintendent makes a decision, it typically appears on these channels within minutes:

The Digital Closing List: Visit the ABC 33/40 Weather Closings page for the most comprehensive, alphabetized list of schools, churches, and government offices.
James Spann’s Social Media: For immediate updates, many residents follow James Spann on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, where he often breaks news of district-wide closures before they hit the ticker.
The ABC 33/40 Mobile App: You can set up custom push notifications for “Severe Weather” to get alerts if a “Winter Weather Advisory” or “Snow Warning” is issued for your county.
On-Air Ticker: During severe weather events, look for the crawl at the bottom of your screen during regular programming and news broadcasts.

Common School Schedule Changes

In Alabama, “inclement weather” doesn’t always mean snow. Decisions are often made based on the threat of severe thunderstorms or extreme cold. Here is what the different statuses mean for your family:

Status	Impact on Students
Delayed Opening	Usually a 2-hour or 3-hour delay. Busses run later, and breakfast is often not served.
Early Dismissal	School ends early (e.g., 11:30 AM) to get students home before a storm line arrives.
E-Learning / Remote	The physical building is closed, but students are expected to log in for virtual assignments.
Closed	No school and no remote requirements. These days are usually made up using “Weather Days” built into the calendar.

Why Alabama Schools Close for “Potential” Weather

In the Birmingham area, superintendents often make the call early—sometimes the night before—based on the timing of storm lines. Because many Alabama school districts cover large rural areas, the concern is often for bus safety (high winds or icy bridges) rather than the conditions at the school building itself.

Pro Tip: Do not call the newsroom or your local police department to ask if school is closed. This ties up emergency lines. Instead, refresh the ABC 33/40 digital list or check your school’s official social media page.

Get the latest school closings, cancellations, and delays. View school closures for Alabama from ABC 33/40 Birmingham Alabama. ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama offers news, sports, and weather reporting for the surrounding communities including Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Cullman, Gadsden, Talladega, Sylacauga, Carbon Hill, Jasper, Hoover, Bessemer, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster, Trussville and Homewood.

The station’s brand name, ABC 33/40, is derived from the two stations that operated as full-power satellites of WBMA to distribute its programming to southwestern and northeastern areas of central Alabama from the station’s acquisition of the ABC affiliation in September 1996 until October 2014, WCFT-TV (channel 33) in Tuscaloosa and WJSU-TV (channel 40) in Anniston. – Wikipedia