Tuscaloosa, Alabama Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Tuscaloosa weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:20 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Heavy Drizzle later15%0.05″94°74°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast26%0.01″94°71°0°
- WednesdaySep 23Drizzle——94°72°0°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle——82°71°-12°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——87°64°+5°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——89°68°+2°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——89°65°0°
Air quality now AQI 57 · Moderate
AQI 57 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 17.4 µg/m³ (AQI 66) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 12 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 36. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~78%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 36
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 8
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 17.4 µg/m³ (AQI 66) with a 0.96 fine-to-coarse ratio and 3 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.96
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:04 PM
- Moonset
- 1:31 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Tuscaloosa at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 84°F (high 94°F, low 74°F), 10°F above the 74°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: March 18 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 7 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — harvest peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Tuscaloosa
- Mon94°74°15%
- Tue94°71°26%
- Wed94°72°8%
- Thu82°71°7%
- Fri87°64°2%
- Sat89°68°1%
- Sun89°65°4%
- Mon88°68°4%
- Tue89°66°22%
- Wed88°68°26%
- Thu91°68°17%
- Fri93°64°17%
- Sat93°71°19%
- Sun92°72°23%
- Mon91°69°14%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Tuscaloosa
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Tuscaloosa — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Late season
As of September 21, the first frost (around November 10) is about 7 weeks away. Frost-tender plants keep producing until then. This city's planting calendar for September: harvest peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Tuscaloosa
SPC has placed Tuscaloosa in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3MRGLMarginal Risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa sits in Tuscaloosa County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 21m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 57m — a swing of +4h 24m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Birmingham, the state’s largest city, lies about 47 miles to the ENE. The nearest town Tuscaloosa tracks is Graysville, roughly 44 miles to the NE.
Air quality in Tuscaloosa
Air quality in Tuscaloosa’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 34). See the full air-quality history for Tuscaloosa.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, summer squash |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | — | peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
July is Tuscaloosa's warmest stretch (~82°F) and January its coldest (~46°F); precipitation crests in February at 5.6 inches and ebbs in September to 3.5 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 5.1″ | 7 |
| February | 50° | 5.6″ | 8 |
| March | 57° | 5.5″ | 8 |
| April | 64° | 5.4″ | 7 |
| May | 72° | 4.0″ | 6 |
| June | 79° | 5.3″ | 7 |
| July | 82° | 4.9″ | 7 |
| August | 81° | 4.2″ | 8 |
| September | 76° | 3.5″ | 4 |
| October | 65° | 3.6″ | 5 |
| November | 54° | 4.8″ | 5 |
| December | 48° | 5.2″ | 8 |
Regional context
Similar climates Holt, AL, Northport, AL, Cottondale, AL
In Tuscaloosa, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 46°F and July near 82°F — a 36°F seasonal arc — with about 57.3 inches of precipitation over 79 rainy or snowy days.
No season owns Tuscaloosa's rain: February reaches 5.6 inches across 8.4 days and September keeps 3.5 inches on 3.9, an even spread through Tuscaloosa's year. That lines Tuscaloosa up with places like Holt, AL, Northport, AL and Cottondale, AL, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
Around March 18, Tuscaloosa sheds its freezing nights — lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens go into Tuscaloosa's beds. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Tuscaloosa, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. The season ends by November 10 in Tuscaloosa, once hard frosts set back in. Open lawns in Tuscaloosa whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Holt, AL, Northport, AL, Cottondale, AL, Coker, AL, Coaling, AL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Tuscaloosa?
- In Tuscaloosa, expect the last spring frost near March 18; Tuscaloosa's first autumn frost comes around November 10.
- What is the rainy season in Tuscaloosa?
- Rainfall in Tuscaloosa peaks in February near 5.6 inches, out of about 57 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Tuscaloosa?
- On average July tops the year in Tuscaloosa at about 82°F.
- What is the coldest month in Tuscaloosa?
- The coldest stretch in Tuscaloosa falls in January, around 46°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Tuscaloosa?
- In Tuscaloosa, sow peas and hardy greens around March 18; Tuscaloosa's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- How many rainy days does Tuscaloosa get?
- Tuscaloosa records around 79 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Tuscaloosa?
- Since January in Tuscaloosa averages 46°F, Tuscaloosa's USDA zone follows that floor — confirm it by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Tuscaloosa?
- Tuscaloosa's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Tuscaloosa?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Tuscaloosa in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Tuscaloosa?
- Current conditions for Tuscaloosa and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Tuscaloosa forecast updated?
- The Tuscaloosa forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Tuscaloosa?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Tuscaloosa are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Tuscaloosa?
- The next few days in Tuscaloosa's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Tuscaloosa sits at 33.2°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Tuscaloosa
- 35401
- 35403
- 35404
- 35405
- 35406
- 35407
- 35475
- 35476
- 35486
- 35487