Decatur, Alabama climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Decatur's normal year runs from 32°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 49.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.3°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 32°C, 1,257 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDecatur Pryor Field
- Station IDUSW00053852
- Location34.65°N 86.95°W
- Elevation592 ft (180 m)
- Population57,974
On October 22, the normal high in Decatur is 72°F and the normal low 47°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 29%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Decatur.
- Jan 51° 32°
- Feb 55° 35°
- Mar 64° 42°
- Apr 73° 50°
- May 81° 59°
- Jun 88° 67°
- Jul 90° 70°
- Aug 90° 68°
- Sep 85° 61°
- Oct 75° 50°
- Nov 62° 39°
- Dec 54° 35°
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 Decatur each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 32°F. The most precipitation falls in December (5.20 in), the least in August (3.05 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 32°F | 41.4°F | 4.64 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| February | 55°F | 35°F | 45.3°F | 4.96 | 12 | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| March | 64°F | 42°F | 52.7°F | 4.96 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 73°F | 50°F | 61.6°F | 4.50 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 81°F | 59°F | 69.9°F | 4.15 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 88°F | 67°F | 77.1°F | 3.66 | 11 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 90°F | 70°F | 79.7°F | 3.95 | 12 | 19 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 90°F | 68°F | 78.8°F | 3.05 | 11 | 18 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 85°F | 61°F | 73.1°F | 3.21 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 75°F | 50°F | 62.0°F | 3.23 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 62°F | 39°F | 50.8°F | 3.96 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 54°F | 35°F | 44.1°F | 5.20 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 51°F | 61.4°F | 49.47 | 126 | 64 | 62 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | 0°C | 5.2°C | 118 mm |
| February | 13°C | 2°C | 7.4°C | 126 mm |
| March | 18°C | 5°C | 11.5°C | 126 mm |
| April | 23°C | 10°C | 16.4°C | 114 mm |
| May | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 105 mm |
| June | 31°C | 19°C | 25.1°C | 93 mm |
| July | 32°C | 21°C | 26.5°C | 100 mm |
| August | 32°C | 20°C | 26.0°C | 77 mm |
| September | 30°C | 16°C | 22.8°C | 82 mm |
| October | 24°C | 10°C | 16.7°C | 82 mm |
| November | 17°C | 4°C | 10.4°C | 101 mm |
| December | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 132 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Belle Mina (2 mi N) (4 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00053852; 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 Decatur?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USW00053852.
When is the last frost in Decatur?
In Decatur, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 27 in half of years and after April 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 in half of years and before October 22 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 271 year in 10 after April 10; 9 in 10 after March 8
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 22; 9 in 10 before November 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 221 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 245 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 14 in half of springs and before November 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Decatur in zone 8a across its 3 ZIP code areas (8a in 35603, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Decatur's NOAA station is in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (20 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 USW00053852; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Decatur ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Decatur's 3 ZIP code areas are all in zone 8a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Decatur?
In a normal year in Decatur, 64 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 62 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 126 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 64a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 62a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 3high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 126a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00053852.
How sunny is Decatur?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Decatur, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and February the cloudiest (64%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 276th (with 27 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 2.5 |
| February | 64% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 4.2 |
| April | 77% | 5.5 |
| May | 77% | 6.0 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 80% | 6.1 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 80% | 4.9 |
| October | 78% | 3.9 |
| November | 76% | 2.9 |
| December | 67% | 2.2 |
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 Decatur need?
A normal year in Decatur brings 3,119 heating degree days, 42% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,828 cooling degree days, 2.0 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,114 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 733 | 0 |
| February | 553 | 2 |
| March | 390 | 9 |
| April | 158 | 55 |
| May | 32 | 185 |
| June | 0 | 363 |
| July | 0 | 457 |
| August | 0 | 429 |
| September | 13 | 258 |
| October | 156 | 63 |
| November | 433 | 6 |
| December | 649 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,119 | 1,828 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00053852. 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 Decatur been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 64.2°F, 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 61.4°F. 1 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 61.2°F | −0.2°F | 57.11 |
| 2022 | 60.9°F | −0.5°F | 50.19 |
| 2024 | 64.2°F | +2.8°F | 50.17 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00053852. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Decatur's climate compare?
Decatur is warmer than 18 of the other 79 places with their own NOAA record in Alabama, and wetter than 0. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 61.4°F is warmer than 78%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Decatur 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.
Which places near Decatur share this climate record?
4 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Hartselle, AL16,201 people · 15 mi S
- Priceville, AL3,872 people · 9 mi SE
- Trinity, AL2,602 people · 9 mi SW
- Mooresville, AL47 people · 4 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Decatur's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Decatur. This page uses Decatur Pryor Field; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur (4 mi SE) USC00012209 | 5 mi S | 550 ft | 61.4°F | 31°F | 89°F | 58.0 | – | March 26 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Decatur's climate
What is the coldest month in Decatur?
January, with a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 32°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Decatur?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Decatur's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Belle Mina (2 mi N) (4 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Decatur?
December, with 5.20 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 3.05 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Decatur in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Decatur in zone 8a across its 3 ZIP code areas (8a in 35603, the largest). By the same method at Decatur's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 12°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 8a.
How late can frost come in Decatur?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 27; in one year in ten it comes after April 10. Waiting until April 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Decatur in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Alabama climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Belle Mina (2 mi N), AL4 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- Athens, AL9 miles from this station, 62.6°F a year
- Huntsville, AL9 miles from this station, 62.9°F a year
- Courtland, AL23 miles from this station, 60.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made