Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Birmingham experiences its second rainiest May on record—is there more on the way?
Reading time: 3 minutes
Spring is often rainy season here in Birmingham, but this one’s been particularly soggy. Not that you need a reminder.
After yesterday’s rain—and with more drops on the way today, potentially—Birmingham has picked up an astonishing 11.29″ at the Birmingham airport.
This bumps us up to the second rainiest May since record keeping began in 1895, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.
But there are a few bright spots to be found amongst the clouds.
Read on for more stats + why this historic rain had its benefits for Birmingham and surrounding areas.
The drizzly details: How Birmingham + Alabama’s May rain totals stack up
If you’re wondering when the rainiest May we’ve experienced was, it was a staggering 17.22″ (that’s nearly a foot and a half!) back in 2003, when Birmingham faced damaging flooding. It happened within a short period of time, and soils were saturated.
“Over the last month, we’ve had one disturbance after another, but thankfully they’ve moved on through. There’s been a little time to recover between rounds.
We’ve had 10.78″ at our office so far in May, which is the highest total we’ve seen since we started keeping track here in 1995.”
Gary Goggins, meteorologist at Weather Service Birmingham
What’s normal, though? Our typical monthly total is only 4.59″ based on 30-year averages, which puts us at an overachieving (and overflowing) 6.7″ above that average.
Here’s how other Alabama areas are ranking for rainfall so far in May:
- Tuscaloosa airport: Wettest May on record with 14.45″
- Anniston: Second wettest May with 9.84″ (11.49 is their record, also from 2003)
- Montgomery: Fourth wettest May at 9.4″
Find more details on statewide totals + records via our sister site here—though numbers were tallied before yesterday morning’s big soaker.
Keep your eye on the radar for the rest of the day today, and see above for where storms might pop off.
But good news: Sunny skies are forecasted for your weekend after these lines pass through later this afternoon!
One bright spot: We’ve kept our cool
Our friends at Weather Service Birmingham bring up another excellent stat: We haven’t had a 90-degree day yet in the month of May, and the Birmingham airport hasn’t hit 90 so far this year!
Fun fact: That’s the first time in 11 years Birmingham hasn’t reached 90 degrees in May.
We realize this will soon be a fond memory when the summer sizzle starts. But we’ll help keep our cool with a guide to splash pads + community pools.
And should June follow May’s misty pattern, we’ve got you covered there, too. Here are some of our favorite ways to spend a rainy day in the Magic City.
Stay cozy, Birmingham!
What’s it been like at your house? Let us know @bhamnow!
