It was a long, hot summer in Central Alabama and much of the summer was dry. Remember, weather folks count June, July and August as summer which means a total of 92 days. In my opinion, when temperatures reach 90 or higher that it hot. But 95 or higher really wears you down. So I included that category. Lets go across the state on I-20 from east to west:
ANNISTON
* 64 of the 92 days had highs 90 or above
* 31 had 95 or above
* 2 had 100 or above
* The high for the summer was 100 occurring once in July and August
* Rain total for the three months was only 6.81 inches
* 32 of the 92 days had measurable rain
* There were 18 days in a row rainless in June
BIRMINGHAM
* All three months hotter than normal
* 72 of the 92 days had highs 90 or above
* 30 days had 95 or hotter
* 3 days had 100 or higher, 2 in June and 1 in August
* 100 was the high for the entire summer
* Rain total for the three months 12.55 inches, by far the most of the 3 stations
* Only 24 of 92 days had rain (Birmingham got several big amounts)
* Most rain on any one day 2.92 inches
TUSCALOOSA
* 84 of the 92 days had 90 or higher (the heat champion)
* 50 days had 95 or hotter
* It was 100 or higher on 10 days
* 101 was the high for the summer (on 2 days in June and 4 days in both July, August)
* Only 4.82 inches of rain all summer
* Only 19 days with rain
* Most rain in one day 1.21 inches in July
* There were 16 days in a row with no rain in August
FINAL NOTES
* We have been asked, does that mean we will have a real cold winter? No connection. I once did an extensive study of Birmingham records going back to the mid-1880s and I could find no evidence that a hot summer automatically was followed by a cold winter, etc. Am I glad this long summer is over? The answer is yes, yes and yes.
WE CAN STILL HAVE HEAT
* Birmingham had seven days in a row with 100 or hotter in September 1925
* Latest in the year with 100 or higher was September 22, 1925
* In extreme cases, we have had mid 90s well into the first week of October
* Our latest 90+ on record was October 17, 1897 (91)
ANNISTON
* 64 of the 92 days had highs 90 or above
* 31 had 95 or above
* 2 had 100 or above
* The high for the summer was 100 occurring once in July and August
* Rain total for the three months was only 6.81 inches
* 32 of the 92 days had measurable rain
* There were 18 days in a row rainless in June
BIRMINGHAM
* All three months hotter than normal
* 72 of the 92 days had highs 90 or above
* 30 days had 95 or hotter
* 3 days had 100 or higher, 2 in June and 1 in August
* 100 was the high for the entire summer
* Rain total for the three months 12.55 inches, by far the most of the 3 stations
* Only 24 of 92 days had rain (Birmingham got several big amounts)
* Most rain on any one day 2.92 inches
TUSCALOOSA
* 84 of the 92 days had 90 or higher (the heat champion)
* 50 days had 95 or hotter
* It was 100 or higher on 10 days
* 101 was the high for the summer (on 2 days in June and 4 days in both July, August)
* Only 4.82 inches of rain all summer
* Only 19 days with rain
* Most rain in one day 1.21 inches in July
* There were 16 days in a row with no rain in August
FINAL NOTES
* We have been asked, does that mean we will have a real cold winter? No connection. I once did an extensive study of Birmingham records going back to the mid-1880s and I could find no evidence that a hot summer automatically was followed by a cold winter, etc. Am I glad this long summer is over? The answer is yes, yes and yes.
WE CAN STILL HAVE HEAT
* Birmingham had seven days in a row with 100 or hotter in September 1925
* Latest in the year with 100 or higher was September 22, 1925
* In extreme cases, we have had mid 90s well into the first week of October
* Our latest 90+ on record was October 17, 1897 (91)
on September 6, 2006, 7:43 am
I asked my mother about growing kudzu on the porch to provide shade. She says she lived in houses with shade provided by the kudzu. They kept it trimmed so it would not grow over the house. Of course, she really appreciates air conditioning now. The heat was something else while working in the cotton fields. By the way, they did not want to be tanned. They wore long sleeves and sun bonnets so they would not look like field workers.
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