Middle Bay Light · Photo: Altairisfar · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Belle Fontaine: 64 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 43°. Winter and summer sit 47° apart. In January, nights here are milder than in 92% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from February to May and October to December, with highs of 63–83°.
A year in Belle Fontaine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Belle Fontaine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Belle Fontaine’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Belle Fontaine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 292 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by February 21 and the first by December 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mobile Dwtn Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Belle Fontaine’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 23°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 64 inches of rain a year
July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain falls on about 117 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.2" in a normal year at Mobile, AL, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Belle Fontaine
32% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mobile Dwtn Airport.
Living with Belle Fontaine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
292 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Feb 21 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Dec 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, May, October, November and December.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Belle Fontaine from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Belle Fontaine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Belle Fontaine yet.
Climates most like Belle Fontaine’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Fontaine, AL | 43° | 90° | 64" | 0.2" |
| New Iberia, LA | 43° | 91° | 62" | 0.0" |
| Orange, TX | 42° | 91° | 62" | 0.0" |
| Springfield, FL | 43° | 90° | 58" | 0.0" |
| Magalia, CA | 38° | 92° | 61" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Belle Fontaine averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.2°).
A smaller shift than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Belle Fontaine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Belle Fontaine’s place among Alabama’s.
Belle Fontaine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Belle Fontaine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mobile, AL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 43° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| February | 64° | 46° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 64° |
| March | 70° | 52° | 5.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| April | 76° | 58° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| May | 83° | 66° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 77° |
| June | 88° | 73° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 78° – 84° |
| July | 90° | 75° | 7.5" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 80° – 84° |
| August | 90° | 75° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 79° – 85° |
| September | 87° | 71° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 77° – 83° |
| October | 79° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| November | 69° | 50° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| December | 63° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| Year | 76° | 60° | 64.0" | 0.2" | 117 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 46° to 64°. July is the most reliable, staying within 4°.
Where Belle Fontaine’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Belle Fontaine’s center.
- Snow: Mobile, AL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mobile Dwtn Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Belle Fontaine’s climate
What is the weather like in Belle Fontaine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 43°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Belle Fontaine in winter?
January nights average 43°. About 15 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Belle Fontaine get?
About 0.2 inches in a normal winter at Mobile, AL, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Belle Fontaine?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 75°. About 73 days a year reach 90° (Mobile Dwtn Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Belle Fontaine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by February 21 and the first fall frost by December 6, about 292 frost-free days, at Mobile Dwtn Airport.
What growing zone is Belle Fontaine in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Belle Fontaine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, May, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Belle Fontaine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Belle Fontaine.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.