Is summer two-thirds over? Weather people consider June, July and August as Summer and September, October and November Autumn. So, for us we can say that summer is two-thirds in the books.
But the old thermometer sometimes has a mind of its own and it doesn’t always turn out that way. It can be very hot, not only in August, but well into September. In a normal year, the four weeks from mid-July through mid-August is our hottest time of the year. During that time the normal high temperature for Birmingham is 91. It drops back to 90 on August 16 and to 88 by the end of the month.
In past history, September has occasionally thrown the book at us. September has the unusual distinction of being the one single month that Birmingham recorded the largest number of days of temperatures 100 or higher which was 12 in 1925. The most 100-degree days in August was 8 in 1995.
In that September 1925 heat wave, the hottest temperature of all time for the whole state of Alabama occurred at Centreville—a blistering 112 degrees. It was a long drawn out heat wave with extremely high temperatures re-occurring at several times of the month. It was also during the period of a major drought. A major heat wave and drought are first cousins.
In 1925, air conditioning was virtually unheard of. For sure there had to be a great deal of suffering and probably a lot of heat strokes during that terrible period. Of course we’re thankful for air conditioning. Don’t know how we could do without it. Even this past week when we had mid 90s for several days in a row. But life goes on through heat and cold and through drought and flood.
--J.B. Elliott
But the old thermometer sometimes has a mind of its own and it doesn’t always turn out that way. It can be very hot, not only in August, but well into September. In a normal year, the four weeks from mid-July through mid-August is our hottest time of the year. During that time the normal high temperature for Birmingham is 91. It drops back to 90 on August 16 and to 88 by the end of the month.
In past history, September has occasionally thrown the book at us. September has the unusual distinction of being the one single month that Birmingham recorded the largest number of days of temperatures 100 or higher which was 12 in 1925. The most 100-degree days in August was 8 in 1995.
In that September 1925 heat wave, the hottest temperature of all time for the whole state of Alabama occurred at Centreville—a blistering 112 degrees. It was a long drawn out heat wave with extremely high temperatures re-occurring at several times of the month. It was also during the period of a major drought. A major heat wave and drought are first cousins.
In 1925, air conditioning was virtually unheard of. For sure there had to be a great deal of suffering and probably a lot of heat strokes during that terrible period. Of course we’re thankful for air conditioning. Don’t know how we could do without it. Even this past week when we had mid 90s for several days in a row. But life goes on through heat and cold and through drought and flood.
--J.B. Elliott