Birmingham - Hottest Decades

Ranked here are the hottest decades on record for Birmingham, Alabama. The lists include decades when Birmingham had the highest average temperatures, the most hot days and the fewest cold days. These extremes are for temperatures observed at Birmingham—Shuttlesworth International Airport and cover nine decades, from the 1930s to the 2010s.

That is when Birmingham had weather measurements that are consistent and complete enough to compare decades. Each decade comprises a standard 10-year range. For instance, the 1990s includes measurements from Jan 1, 1990 to Dec 31, 1999. Links to the data behind these lists are in the References section on this page.

Hottest High Temperatures

Average daily maximum temperature at Birmingham
High °F Decade High °C
Highest 74.9 2010s 23.8
Runner-up 74.3 1950s, 1930s 23.5

Warmest Low Temperatures

Average daily minimum temperature at Birmingham
Low °F Decade Low °C
Highest 54.3 1930s 12.4
Runner-up 54.1 2010s 12.3

Most Warm Days

Total days per year on average when Birmingham had temperatures of at least 70 °F (21 °C)
Days Decade
Highest 236 2010s
Runner-up 233 2000s

Most Hot Days

Total days per year on average when Birmingham had temperatures of at least 90 °F (32 °C)
Days Decade
Highest 75 2010s
Runner-up 72 1950s

Fewest Freezing Days

Total days per year on average when Birmingham had temperatures of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower
Days Decade
Lowest 32 1930s
Runner-up 44 1940s

How Much Hotter are 2010s?

Compared with averages for the previous 50 years (1960 to 2009), the 2010s in Birmingham had:

  • 19 more days each year with temperatures of 90 °F and higher
  • 1.5 °F higher daily maximum temperatures (0.9 °C)
  • 2.6 °F higher daily minimum temperatures (1.4 °C)
  • 9 fewer days a year with freezing temperatures
References

Current Results. 2020. Birmingham AL Temperature Averages by Decade

Jay Lawrimore, Ron Ray, Scott Applequist, Bryant Korzeniewski, Matthew Menne. 2016. Global Summary of the Year, Version 1.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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