Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Wet weather: 57 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Birmingham, more than in 95% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 91°. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 82% of U.S. towns. February has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.0° rise. Garden planting can start around March 21; autumn frost returns near November 11.
A year in Birmingham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Birmingham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Birmingham’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Birmingham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 236 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 21 and the first by November 11. Frost and day counts come from Birmingham Airport, Birmingham’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Birmingham’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 15°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Birmingham Airport, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; March is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Birmingham
54% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Birmingham Airport.
Living with Birmingham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
236 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 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 Nov 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November. 70 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Birmingham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Birmingham and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Birmingham in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Birmingham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | 33° | 91° | 57" | 1.4" |
| Southaven, MS | 32° | 91° | 56" | 1.4" |
| Collierville, TN | 32° | 91° | 56" | 2.1" |
| Warren, AR | 34° | 92° | 56" | 1.5" |
| Leland, NC | 34° | 90° | 57" | 0.9" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Birmingham averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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. In a city of 196,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Birmingham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Birmingham’s place among Alabama’s.
Birmingham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Birmingham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Birmingham Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 33° | 5.2" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 51° |
| February | 59° | 36° | 5.4" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 39° – 56° |
| March | 67° | 43° | 5.5" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 65° |
| April | 75° | 49° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| May | 82° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 77° – 83° |
| August | 90° | 69° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| September | 86° | 63° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| October | 76° | 51° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| November | 65° | 41° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| December | 57° | 36° | 5.1" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 37° – 56° |
| Year | 74° | 51° | 56.6" | 1.4" | 118 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 56°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Birmingham’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 Birmingham’s center.
- Snow: Birmingham Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Birmingham Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Birmingham’s climate
What is the weather like in Birmingham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Birmingham in winter?
January nights average 33°. About 47 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Birmingham get?
About 1.4 inches in a normal winter at Birmingham Airport, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Birmingham?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 65 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Birmingham Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Birmingham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 21 and the first fall frost by November 11, about 236 frost-free days, at Birmingham Airport.
What growing zone is Birmingham in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Birmingham?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Birmingham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Birmingham.
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.