Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Mobile’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 41°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Mobile at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mobile’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mobile’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Mobile feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 268 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 3 and the first by November 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mobile, AL, 8 miles from the city’s center point, 180 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mobile’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 65 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 Mobile
38% 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, AL.
Living with Mobile’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
268 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Mar 3 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, October, November and December. 78 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mobile from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mobile and its neighbors
Semmes has the coldest January nights next door (40°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Mobile’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile, AL | 41° | 91° | 65" | 0.2" |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 41° | 92° | 63" | 0.2" |
| Orange, TX | 42° | 91° | 62" | 0.0" |
| Magalia, CA | 38° | 92° | 61" | 0.1" |
| Brookhaven, MS | 37° | 91° | 61" | 0.0" |
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 Mobile averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.2°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 201,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Mobile compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mobile’s place among Alabama’s.
Mobile weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mobile’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 | 61° | 41° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| February | 65° | 44° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 65° |
| March | 71° | 50° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| April | 77° | 56° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| May | 84° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 77° |
| June | 89° | 71° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| July | 91° | 73° | 7.3" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 80° – 84° |
| August | 91° | 73° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 79° – 84° |
| September | 87° | 69° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 83° |
| October | 80° | 58° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| November | 70° | 48° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| December | 64° | 43° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| Year | 78° | 58° | 64.5" | 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 65°. July is the most reliable, staying within 4°.
Where Mobile’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 Mobile’s center.
- Snow: Mobile, AL (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mobile, AL, 8 miles from the city’s center point, 180 ft higher; 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 Mobile’s climate
What is the weather like in Mobile?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 41°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mobile in winter?
January nights average 41°. About 21 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 44°.
How much snow does Mobile get?
About 0.2 inches in a normal winter at Mobile, AL, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Mobile?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 73°. About 78 days a year reach 90° (Mobile, AL).
When is the first and last frost in Mobile?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 3 and the first fall frost by November 25, about 268 frost-free days, at Mobile, AL.
What growing zone is Mobile 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 Mobile?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, October, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Mobile getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mobile.
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.