Alabama Climate
Top 5 Cities: Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile, and Tuscaloosa
This month in numbers
Alabama experienced its 3rd warmest February–April on record, with an average temperature of 15.65°C, a striking 3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This period also saw the warmest maximum temperatures on record, reaching 22.87°C. April 2026 alone ranked as the 8th warmest April, with an average temperature of 19.28°C, and the 5th warmest for maximum temperatures. In stark contrast, precipitation for the February–April period was the 4th lowest on record, at just 82.04 mm, a deficit of 59.2 mm compared to the average.
What changed
The unusually warm and dry conditions in Alabama stand out against a backdrop of globally elevated temperatures, with global land temperatures for both April and the February–April period ranking as the 2nd warmest on record. Alabama's 3-month temperature anomaly of +2.99°C places it 43rd warmest among 234 regions worldwide. Within the Southeast US climate region, Alabama's April anomaly of +2.20°C was the 5th warmest among its group members. The persistent dryness has led to a significant drought across the state, with 94% of Alabama experiencing active drought conditions as of May 19, 2026, and 56.9% in severe drought. This is a notable increase from May 2025, when less than 3% of the state was experiencing dry conditions.
What’s driving change?
The pronounced warmth and dryness in Alabama are being influenced by a combination of factors. The current Neutral ENSO state is forecast to transition to El Niño by May–July 2026, with probabilities rising to 98% by August–October. While the current Neutral state means muted ENSO influence, the impending El Niño typically brings cooler and wetter conditions to the Southeast USA during winter, which could offer some relief from the current dry spell in the coming months. However, the region has recently experienced an unusual concentration of extreme weather events, including 4 wildfires between May 14 and May 21, representing 100% of the annual total, and 2 drought events since August 2025, also representing 100% of the annual total. These wildfires, such as the Hollow Ridge Fire which burned 311 acres, were exacerbated by the persistent drought conditions. Additionally, severe thunderstorms brought flash flooding to parts of Alabama in early May, particularly in Montgomery on May 6, and in Mobile County on May 22, with some areas experiencing 3-5 inches of rain. You can track these events and more at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's outlook suggests that drought conditions are expected to improve or end for most of Alabama in the late-April through July period, with forecast storms potentially bringing 2-3 inches of rain to North Alabama.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Alabama
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Alabama changing?
Alabama is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Alabama come from?
Climate data for Alabama comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Alabama climate data cover?
The Alabama climate profile covers Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile and surrounding areas. Alabama climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Alabama climate update refreshed?
The Alabama climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.