Dauphin Island, Alabama climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Dauphin Island's normal year runs from 46°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 61.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 20.7°C, January lows of 8°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,552 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDauphin Island #2
- Station IDUSC00012172
- Location30.25°N 88.08°W
- Elevation8 ft (2 m)
- Population1,923
On October 23, the normal high in Dauphin Island is 75°F and the normal low 64°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Dauphin Island.
- Jan 59° 46°
- Feb 62° 49°
- Mar 67° 56°
- Apr 74° 63°
- May 81° 71°
- Jun 86° 76°
- Jul 88° 78°
- Aug 88° 78°
- Sep 85° 76°
- Oct 77° 67°
- Nov 68° 56°
- Dec 61° 49°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Dauphin Island each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 46°F. The most precipitation falls in July (6.80 in), the least in October (3.52 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59°F | 46°F | 52.3°F | 5.23 | 12 | <1 | 2 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 62°F | 49°F | 55.4°F | 4.35 | 10 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 10 min |
| March | 67°F | 56°F | 61.3°F | 4.90 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 12 h |
| April | 74°F | 63°F | 68.3°F | 5.16 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 50 min |
| May | 81°F | 71°F | 76.0°F | 5.01 | 7 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| June | 86°F | 76°F | 81.3°F | 5.87 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 14 h |
| July | 88°F | 78°F | 83.2°F | 6.80 | 12 | 12 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 88°F | 78°F | 83.2°F | 6.02 | 12 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 85°F | 76°F | 80.3°F | 5.24 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 77°F | 67°F | 72.0°F | 3.52 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 68°F | 56°F | 61.7°F | 3.86 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 10 h 40 min |
| December | 61°F | 49°F | 55.2°F | 5.13 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 75°F | 64°F | 69.2°F | 61.09 | 115 | 36 | 4 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 8°C | 11.3°C | 133 mm |
| February | 16°C | 10°C | 13.0°C | 110 mm |
| March | 19°C | 13°C | 16.3°C | 124 mm |
| April | 23°C | 17°C | 20.2°C | 131 mm |
| May | 27°C | 22°C | 24.4°C | 127 mm |
| June | 30°C | 25°C | 27.4°C | 149 mm |
| July | 31°C | 26°C | 28.4°C | 173 mm |
| August | 31°C | 26°C | 28.4°C | 153 mm |
| September | 30°C | 24°C | 26.8°C | 133 mm |
| October | 25°C | 19°C | 22.2°C | 89 mm |
| November | 20°C | 13°C | 16.5°C | 98 mm |
| December | 16°C | 10°C | 12.9°C | 130 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00012172; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Dauphin Island?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November. Of those, May has the fewest days with rain (7).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00012172.
When is the last frost in Dauphin Island?
In Dauphin Island, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 31 in half of years and after February 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before January 6 in half of years and before December 12 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 79% of years here (NOAA).
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- January 311 year in 10 after February 27; 9 in 10 after January 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- January 61 year in 10 before December 12; 9 in 10 before February 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 340 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 21 in half of springs and before January 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Dauphin Island in zone 9b in ZIP code 36528. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Dauphin Island's NOAA station is in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 29°F (22 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Alabama · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00012172; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Dauphin Island?
In a normal year in Dauphin Island, 36 days a year reach 90°F, 4 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 115 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 36a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 4a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 115a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00012172.
How sunny is Dauphin Island?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Dauphin Island, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. May is the sunniest month (84%) and February the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 3.0 |
| February | 72% | 3.6 |
| March | 78% | 4.8 |
| April | 81% | 5.9 |
| May | 84% | 6.5 |
| June | 81% | 6.3 |
| July | 79% | 5.9 |
| August | 80% | 5.6 |
| September | 83% | 5.3 |
| October | 84% | 4.5 |
| November | 82% | 3.5 |
| December | 72% | 2.7 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Dauphin Island need?
A normal year in Dauphin Island brings 1,323 heating degree days, 75% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,883 cooling degree days, 3.2 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,183 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 394 | 2 |
| February | 272 | 4 |
| March | 147 | 32 |
| April | 31 | 130 |
| May | 1 | 342 |
| June | 0 | 489 |
| July | 0 | 564 |
| August | 0 | 564 |
| September | 0 | 461 |
| October | 19 | 238 |
| November | 147 | 48 |
| December | 312 | 9 |
| Year (annual) | 1,323 | 2,883 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00012172. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Dauphin Island been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 72.6°F, 3.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 69.2°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2023 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 71.9°F | +2.7°F | 45.00 |
| 2025 | 72.6°F | +3.4°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00012172. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Dauphin Island's climate compare?
Dauphin Island is warmer than 79 of the other 79 places with their own NOAA record in Alabama, and wetter than 62. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 69.2°F is warmer than 94%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Dauphin Island is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Dauphin Island's climate
What is the coldest month in Dauphin Island?
January, with a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 46°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 78°F at night).
Does it snow in Dauphin Island?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is no measurable snow a year.
What is the rainiest month in Dauphin Island?
July, with 6.80 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 3.52 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Dauphin Island in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Dauphin Island in zone 9b in ZIP code 36528. By the same method at Dauphin Island's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 29°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 9b.
How late can frost come in Dauphin Island?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 31; in one year in ten it comes after February 27. Waiting until February 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alabama climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Coden, AL13 miles from this station, 66.1°F a year
- Fairhope, AL24 miles from this station, 66.0°F a year
- Pascagoula, MS31 miles from this station, 67.8°F a year
- Mobile, AL31 miles from this station, 67.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made