Weather outlook for Alabama in December: How cold will it be where you live?

It’s officially meteorological winter, and it certainly feels like it across Alabama as very cool temperatures are forecast for today.

Meteorological winter lasts from December 1st to February 28th. Astronomical winter begins with the winter solstice, often referred to as the shortest day of the year. In 2024, this falls on Saturday, December 21st.

December is off to a cold start, but will it continue through the holidays?

There’s no way to know for sure, but NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has made a prediction. Unfortunately for Alabama, it’s not going one way or the other.

The temperature outlook for the entire month of December includes an equal chance of both below and above average temperatures. (The temperature outlook for December can be found at the top of this post.)

Nationally, the places most likely to be warmer than average are in the Southwest and the places most likely to be colder than average are in the Northeast.

What about rain – or any other type of precipitation?

The CPC’s December outlook includes the same forecast for Alabama – equal chances of above-average or below-average precipitation.

Here are the precipitation outlook for December:

Nationally, the Southwest has the highest chance of below-average precipitation, while Alaska and parts of the northern states have a higher chance of above-average precipitation.

These forecasts cover the entire month. What does it look like in the short term?

The six- to 10-day temperature outlook updated Monday suggests Alabama could see near-average temperatures Dec. 8-12:

The precipitation outlook for December 8-12 shows a higher chance of above-average precipitation, particularly for the southern half of the state (40 to 50 percent):

The eight- to 14-day outlook shows an increased chance (33-40 percent) of above-average temperatures for all of Alabama around mid-month (December 10-16):

The precipitation outlook for the same period (December 10-16) shows near-average precipitation for most of Alabama, but a slightly increased chance of below-average precipitation for the northwestern portion of the state:

What is average anyway?

Temperatures tend to get colder in December, but here are the average high temperatures, low temperatures and precipitation for the month of December for several cities in Alabama:

BIRMINGHAM

Average high temperature: 56.9 degrees

Average low temperature: 37.9 degrees

Average rainfall: 4.87 inches

CULLMAN

Average high temperature: 53.1 degrees

Average low temperature: 32 degrees

Average rainfall: 6.22 inches

DOTHANE

Average high temperature: 63.8 degrees

Average low temperature: 42.4 degrees

Average rainfall: 4.76 inches

GADSDEN

Average high temperature: 55.6 degrees

Average low temperature: 35.7 degrees

Average rainfall: 5.48 inches

HUNTSVILLE

Average high temperature: 55 degrees

Average low temperature: 35.9 degrees

Average rainfall: 5.87 inches

MOBILE

Average high temperature: 63.5 degrees

Average low temperature: 43 degrees

Average rainfall: 5.45 inches

MONTGOMERY

Average high temperature: 61.9 degrees

Average low temperature: 38.6 degrees

Average rainfall: 4.99 inches

Muscle swarms

Average high temperature: 55 degrees

Average low temperature: 36.1 degrees

Average rainfall: 5.48 inches

TROY

Average high temperature: 60.7 degrees

Average low temperature: 39.8 degrees

Average rainfall: 4.96 inches

TUSCALOOSA

Average high temperature: 57.9 degrees

Average low temperature: 38.2 degrees

Average rainfall: 5.06 inches