Bessemer, AL Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bessemer's primary NOAA station, BESSEMER 3 WSW.
The climate verdict for Bessemer
Water is the standout signal in Bessemer, Alabama: 55.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 64°F. It scores 83/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 81% of them.
- 64°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 83/100
- comfort score, above 81% of station-mapped location scores
- 55.5"
- annual precipitation · 1" snow
- 232 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Bessemer: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00010764 · Bessemer, AL 64°F mean · 55.5" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-WET · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 64°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,832
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Abilene
- PRCP-WET 55.5"
- SWING-MID 36°F
- COMF-TOP 83/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00010764
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Abilene, TX (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AL station list.
- Bessemer (this station) 64°F
- Hot Breckenridge, TX 64°F
- Near Abilene, TX 64°F
- Near Anson, TX 64°F
- Near Bonita, TX 64°F
Climate Living Index · Bessemer
Bessemer: 75/100 · grade B
Bessemer publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bessemer, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 83/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 63.7°F · 3.8° from 67.5°F | 89/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 74 calendar days | 84/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 232 days/year | 82/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 1.2 inches/year | 81/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 55.5 in · 20.5 from 35 in | 26/100 · F |
Bessemer · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bessemer is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 44.8°F and warmest-month mean 81.2°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 81.2°F
- Coldest month
- 44.8°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · balanced station
Where Bessemer sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bessemer's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 15% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Bessemer sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 10% wettest
- Bessemer's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 79%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Bessemer is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bessemer compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bessemer's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
83 Top 19% score exceeds 81% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Bessemer's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 37 complete annual observations from 1978 to 2025, BESSEMER 3 WSW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.34°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bessemer primary station fitted change +0.34 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 5.4" | 0.4" | 16.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 61°F (16°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 68°F (20°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 5.4" | 0.7" | 5.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 76°F (24°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| May | 83°F (28°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.8 |
| June | 89°F (32°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.8 |
| July | 92°F (33°C) | 71°F (21°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 4.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 23.2 |
| August | 92°F (33°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 22.1 |
| September | 87°F (31°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.4 |
| October | 77°F (25°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| November | 66°F (19°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 58°F (14°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 5.2" | 0.1" | 14.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Bessemer runs from a mild 33°F around January 19 to 92°F at the peak near July 28, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 21 through September 2, covering 74 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 22 to November 3.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 33°F around January 19.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 22, when 37% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 29 at 21%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 113 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 7 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 27°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bessemer.
Where Bessemer Stands Nationally
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 74 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
The normal water year runs well above the national norm at roughly 56 inches.
Bessemer earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.4"
10.4 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
10.9 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
10.5 days with precipitation
10.9 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.8 days with precipitation
Bessemer spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 24% of the annual total and December through February 29%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Bessemer has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 36.4°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: March averages 5.4" and October 3.3". The three wettest months together take 29% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Bessemer, it arrives in quantity
55.5" of precipitation falls across only about 113 wet days here, averaging 0.49 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 113 a year, 31% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.49 inches
- Most wet days
- March, about 11
- Fewest wet days
- September, about 6
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Bessemer, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 1.2 inches of snow a year here, most likely in March. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 0 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 10
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 23
50% probability date
Growing Season
232 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,537
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,100
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AL closest to Bessemer on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (64°F here).
- Abilene, TX 64°F · 0.0°F off
- Anson, TX 64°F · 0.0°F off
- Breckenridge, TX 64°F · 0.0°F off
- Bronte, TX 64°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (55.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Deland, FL 55.5" · 0.0" off
- Franklin, NC 55.5" · 0.0" off
- Holly Springs, MS 55.5" · 0.0" off
- Richlands, NC 55.5" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Bessemer's climate pattern fits together
mixed demand · wet · mid swing
Water is prominent even though neither heating nor cooling wholly defines the record. Bessemer averages 55.5 inches of precipitation a year. Annual snowfall totals 1.2 inches. The monthly table supplies the seasonal distribution hidden by that annual total.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Bessemer's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 36.4°F. The annual average is 64°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Bessemer's normal, at 2,537 and 2,100 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 232-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Bessemer's primary station, where heating and cooling demand are close enough that neither season sets the character on its own. On a balanced station like Bessemer, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.
Questions about Bessemer's climate
How much rain does Bessemer get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Bessemer get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bessemer? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bessemer's primary station: BESSEMER 3 WSW (USC00010764). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0105980). Match rule for Bessemer: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bessemer comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.