This report describes the typical weather at the Dothan Regional Airport (Dothan, Alabama, United States) weather station over the course of an average year. It is based on the historical records from 1974 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Dothan, Alabama has a warm humid temperate climate with hot summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by croplands (62%) and forests (36%).
Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 40Â°F to 91Â°F and is rarely below 26Â°F or above 96Â°F.
The warm season lasts from May 15 to September 24 with an average daily high temperature above 85Â°F. The hottest day of the year is July 19, with an average high of 91Â°F and low of 73Â°F.
The cold season lasts from November 30 to February 21 with an average daily high temperature below 65Â°F. The coldest day of the year is January 18, with an average low of 40Â°F and high of 59Â°F.
The length of the day varies significantly over the course of the year. The shortest day is December 21 with 10:06 hours of daylight; the longest day is June 20 with 14:12 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:36am on June 9 and the latest sunset is at 7:51pm on July 1. The latest sunrise is at 6:59am on November 2 and the earliest sunset is at 4:38pm on December 6.
Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in this location during 2012, starting in the spring on March 11 and ending in the fall on November 4.
The median cloud cover ranges from 37% (mostly clear) to 70% (partly cloudy). The sky is cloudiest on January 7 and clearest on October 19. The clearer part of the year begins around March 23. The cloudier part of the year begins around December 1.
On October 19, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 37% of the time.
On January 7, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast, mostly cloudy, or partly cloudy 63% of the time, and clear or mostly clear 36% of the time.
The probability that precipitation will be observed at this location varies throughout the year. Precipitation is most likely around July 16, occurring in 50% of days. Precipitation is least likely around October 15, occurring in 24% of days.
Over the entire year, the most common forms of precipitation are thunderstorms, light rain, and moderate rain.
Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 43% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around July 12, when it is observed during 35% of all days.
Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 32% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around January 27, when it is observed during 17% of all days.
Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 16% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around January 11, when it is observed during 9% of all days.
During the warm season, which lasts from May 15 to September 24, there is a 41% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of thunderstorms (64% of days with precipitation have at worst thunderstorms), light rain (20%), and moderate rain (11%).
During the cold season, which lasts from November 30 to February 21, there is a 35% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of light rain (44% of days with precipitation have at worst light rain), moderate rain (23%), thunderstorms (16%), and heavy rain (7%).
Either snow is exceptionally unlikely to fall at any time during the year at this location or this station does not reliably report precipitation types.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 40% (comfortable) to 97% (very humid) over the course of the year, rarely dropping below 22% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is driest around April 14, at which time the relative humidity drops below 49% (comfortable) three days out of four; it is most humid around August 21, exceeding 95% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a year, the dew point typically varies from 30Â°F (dry) to 75Â°F (very muggy) and is rarely below 13Â°F (dry) or above 78Â°F (oppressive).
There are two periods in the year that are most comfortable: The first is between February 24 and May 15 and the second is between October 2 and December 7. The air feels neither too dry nor too muggy during these periods.
Over the course of the year typical wind speeds vary from 0 mph to 15 mph (calm to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 21 mph (fresh breeze).
The highest average wind speed of 9 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around March 3, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 15 mph (moderate breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 6 mph (light breeze) occurs around August 10, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 11 mph (gentle breeze).