Editing Alabama (section)

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Alabama}}

The state is classified as [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] (''Cfa'') under the [[Köppen climate classification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |title=Encyclopedia of Alabama: Climate |date=August 17, 2007 |publisher=University of Alabama |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621180731/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1283 |archive-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The average annual temperature is 64{{spaces}}°F (18{{spaces}}°C). Temperatures tend to be warmer in the southern part of the state with its proximity to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], while the northern parts of the state, especially in the [[Appalachian Mountains]] in the northeast, tend to be slightly cooler.<ref name="cprgsw">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |title=Alabama Climate |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616140321/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78303/Alabama |url-status=live}}</ref> Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of {{convert|56|in|mm}} of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state.<ref name="cprgsw"/>

Summers in Alabama are among the hottest in the U.S., with high temperatures averaging over {{convert|90|°F}} throughout the summer in some parts of the state. Alabama is also prone to [[Tropical cyclone|tropical storms and hurricanes]]. Areas of the state far away from the Gulf are not immune to the effects of the storms, which often dump tremendous amounts of rain as they move inland and weaken.

South Alabama reports many [[thunderstorm]]s. The Gulf Coast, around Mobile Bay, averages between 70 and 80 days per year with thunder reported. This activity decreases somewhat further north in the state, but even the far north of the state reports thunder on about 60 days per year. Occasionally, thunderstorms are severe with frequent [[lightning]] and large [[hail]]; the central and northern parts of the state are most vulnerable to this type of storm. Alabama ranks ninth in the number of deaths from lightning and tenth in the number of deaths from lightning strikes per capita.<ref>[http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damages in the United States, 2004–2013] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010029/http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/stats/04-13state_fatality_rates.pdf |date=April 27, 2014}}. NLSI. Retrieved April 26, 2014.</ref>

[[File:Phil Campbell tornado damage.jpg|thumb|Tornado damage in [[Phil Campbell, Alabama|Phil Campbell]] following the statewide [[2011 Super Outbreak|April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak]]]]
Alabama, along with [[Oklahoma]] and [[Iowa]], has the most confirmed [[Fujita scale|F5]] and [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF5]] tornadoes of any state, according to statistics from the [[National Climatic Data Center]] for the period January 1, 1950, to June 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIST: States with the most F5/EF5 tornadoes since 1950; Ohio high on list |work=newsnet5 |date=June 3, 2013 |url=http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232719/http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/kshb-list-states-with-the-most-ef5-tornadoes |archive-date=April 26, 2014}}</ref> Several long-tracked F5/EF5 tornadoes have contributed to Alabama reporting more tornado fatalities since 1950 than any other state. The state was affected by the [[1974 Super Outbreak]] and was devastated tremendously by the 2011 Super Outbreak. The 2011 Super Outbreak produced a record amount of tornadoes in the state. The tally reached 62.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oliver |first=Mike |title=April 27's record tally: 62 tornadoes in Alabama |date=August 4, 2011 |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |publisher=al.com |access-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109185256/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/april_27s_record_tally_62_torn.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The peak season for tornadoes varies from the northern to southern parts of the state. Alabama is one of the few places in the world that has a secondary tornado season in November and December besides the typically severe spring. The northern part—along the Tennessee River Valley—is most vulnerable. The area of Alabama and Mississippi most affected by tornadoes is sometimes referred to as [[Dixie Alley]], as distinct from the [[Tornado Alley]] of the Southern Plains.

Winters are generally mild in Alabama, as they are throughout most of the Southeastern United States, with average January low temperatures around {{convert|40|°F}} in Mobile and around {{convert|32|°F}} in Birmingham. Although snow is a rare event in much of Alabama, areas of the state north of Montgomery may receive a dusting of snow a few times every winter, with an occasional moderately heavy snowfall every few years. Historic snowfall events include [[New Year's Eve 1963 snowstorm]] and the [[1993 Storm of the Century]]. The annual average snowfall for the Birmingham area is {{convert|2|in|mm}} per year. In the southern Gulf coast, snowfall is less frequent, sometimes going several years without any snowfall.

Alabama's highest temperature of {{convert|112|°F}} was recorded on September 5, 1925, in the unincorporated community of [[Centerville, Alabama|Centerville]]. The record low of {{convert|-27|°F}} occurred on January 30, 1966, in [[New Market, Alabama|New Market]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |title=Record high and low temperatures for all 50 states |website=Internet Accuracy Project |publisher=accuracyproject.org |access-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117053325/http://www.accuracyproject.org/recordtemps.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Alabama weatherbox}}