What Are the Warmest Cities in Alabama?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The three warmest cities in Alabama are Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dothan.
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in Alabama.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in Alabama that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities in Alabama.
Top 10 Warmest Cities in Alabama
Here are the top 10 warmest places in Alabama ranked by their daily mean temperature. Most of them are located in southern Alabama, on the Gulf Coast or close to it.
1. Gulf Shores – daily mean temperature of 69 °F
According to weather data, the resort city of Gulf Shores is by far the warmest city in Alabama. Its average temperatures are mild to hot year round. In the winter, the average high temperature is between 59-62 °F and the average low temperature is between 45-49 °F. In the summer, the average temperature stays at a very high 87-89 °F during the day and drops to 76-78 °F at night. The city has a humid subtropical climate with high precipitation year round.
2. Orange Beach – daily mean temperature of 68 °F
The second of the hottest cities in Alabama is Orange Beach. Like Gulf Shores, Orange Beach is located on the Gulf Coast. This small town gets lower average low temperatures than Gulf Shores and slightly higher average high temperatures. Both places get the same hot summers and plenty of sunny days that are perfect for enjoying the beach. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are the only cities on this list located on the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Dothan – daily mean temperature of 67.85 °F
Dothan is located in the southeastern corner of Alabama, close to the borders with Georgia and Florida. Compared to the previous small cities, Dothan has a much larger population of over 70,000 inhabitants. Average temperatures in the winter in Dothan are 1-2 degrees higher during the day than in the first two cities but nights are colder by 3-5 degrees. Dothan also has hotter summers with daytime temperatures going all the way to 91-93 °F.
4. Mobile – daily mean temperature of 67.6 °F
Like the first two cities, Mobile, located on the Mobile Bay, owes its mild subtropical climate to the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico. Mobile is the fourth largest city in Alabama and the most populous city on this list. It has mild weather in the winter with temperatures around 61-66 °F during the day and 41-44 °F at night. In the summer, average temperatures reach 89-91 °F during the day and drop to 71-73 °F at night. While it enjoys plenty of sunny days, Mobile is one of the wettest cities in the contiguous United States, with 67 inches of annual rainfall.
5. Daphne – daily mean temperature of 67.5 °F
Daphne is a small city located across the Mobile Bay from Mobile. If you’re looking for the best weather in the area, there’s no difference in climate between these two places. They’re both some of the warmest cities of the entire state, offering mild winters and hot, wet summers.
6. Atmore – daily mean temperature of 67.45 °F
Atmore is located on the border with Florida. As the previous cities, this small town has a humid subtropical climate with almost the same average temperatures as Daphne located 44 miles southwest.
7. Bay Minette – daily mean temperature of 67 °F
Bay Minette is located roughly halfway between Atmore and Daphne. The city has slightly higher than the previous cities high temperatures of 62 °F in the coldest month, January. Its summer highs are around 90 °F, like in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
8. Headland – daily mean temperature of 66.85 °F
Headland is a small town that’s a part of the Dothan metropolitan area. Located in the northern part of the area, 10 miles from downtown, it has slightly lower nighttime temperatures year round.
9. Eufaula – daily mean temperature of 66.55 °F
Eufaula is a small city located on the border with Georgia, on the Walter F. George Reservoir. It has some of the hottest summers on this list with temperatures in July reaching 95 °F.
10. Enterprise – daily mean temperature of 66.45 °F
Enterprise is a small city located 30 miles northwest of Dothan. Its average low temperatures are cooler by 2 degrees than in Dothan which means colder winters and more comfortable summer nights.
50 Biggest Cities in Alabama Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in Alabama. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Shores | 75 | 63 | 69 |
| Orange Beach | 77 | 59 | 68 |
| Dothan | 79 | 56.7 | 67.85 |
| Mobile | 77.8 | 57.4 | 67.6 |
| Daphne | 78 | 57 | 67.5 |
| Atmore | 78.4 | 56.5 | 67.45 |
| Bay Minette | 78 | 56 | 67 |
| Headland | 78.3 | 55.4 | 66.85 |
| Eufaula | 80.3 | 52.8 | 66.55 |
| Enterprise | 78 | 54.9 | 66.45 |
| Robertsdale | 77 | 55.9 | 66.45 |
| Montgomery | 78.4 | 54.4 | 66.4 |
| Selma | 77.7 | 54.1 | 65.9 |
| Fairhope | 78.1 | 53.6 | 65.85 |
| Greenville | 77 | 54 | 65.5 |
| Troy | 76.1 | 54.5 | 65.3 |
| Brewton | 78.1 | 52.3 | 65.2 |
| Phenix City | 76 | 54 | 65 |
| Andalusia | 77.3 | 52.6 | 64.95 |
| Tuscaloosa | 75.2 | 53.9 | 64.55 |
| Childersburg | 77.3 | 51.8 | 64.55 |
| Alabaster | 74.9 | 53.9 | 64.4 |
| Northport | 75.7 | 53 | 64.35 |
| Demopolis | 75.9 | 52.5 | 64.2 |
| Auburn | 75 | 53 | 64 |
| Birmingham | 74.3 | 53.6 | 63.95 |
| Helena | 75.1 | 52.8 | 63.95 |
| Bessemer | 75.4 | 52.1 | 63.75 |
| Anniston | 74 | 52.2 | 63.1 |
| Huntsville | 73.8 | 52.1 | 62.95 |
| Muscle Shoals | 73.6 | 52.3 | 62.95 |
| Gadsden | 73.5 | 52.1 | 62.8 |
| Alexander City | 74.9 | 50.7 | 62.8 |
| Athens | 72.4 | 52.7 | 62.55 |
| Clanton | 75 | 50 | 62.5 |
| Opelika | 73.8 | 50.8 | 62.3 |
| Oneonta | 73.2 | 51.4 | 62.3 |
| Calera | 75 | 49 | 62 |
| Guntersville | 71.4 | 52.5 | 61.95 |
| Sylacauga | 73.8 | 49.6 | 61.7 |
| Haleyville | 71.7 | 51.5 | 61.6 |
| Pinson | 73.5 | 49.5 | 61.5 |
| Talladega | 74 | 48.9 | 61.45 |
| Russellville | 72.7 | 50.2 | 61.45 |
| Decatur | 72.2 | 50.6 | 61.4 |
| Winfield | 72.5 | 49.2 | 60.85 |
| Albertville | 71.2 | 49.3 | 60.25 |
| Cullman | 71.1 | 48.7 | 59.9 |
| Scottsboro | 71.6 | 48 | 59.8 |
| Fort Payne | 69 | 44 | 56.5 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring Alabama, check out the following articles:
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Georgia?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Florida?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Mississippi?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Tennessee?
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state.
Frequently Asked Questions
The hottest city in Alabama is Gulf Shores with an annual daily mean temperature of 69 °F. If you’re looking for the best weather in the state, the neighboring Orange Beach is another good option, too.
Snow is extremely rare in southern Alabama. Even on the coldest winter nights, the south usually stays above freezing temperatures.
The northern part of Alabama has more pronounced four seasons, with winter temperatures of about 50 °F during the day and 30 °F at night. In the southern part, in Mobile and on the Gulf Coast, winter highs reach over 60 °F and lows drop to 40-45 °F.
If your definition of best weather is high temperatures and plenty of sunny days (though combined with high precipitation), then Alabama has good weather. If you dislike hot, humid weather in the summer, then Alabama only has good weather between roughly October/November and March/April.