Record cold hit central Alabama on Wednesday as temperatures dipped into the 50s across several cities.
NWS meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite told Newsweek thatBirmingham’s morning temperature got to 55 degrees, “which broke the record of 58 degrees.” The average low temperature for this time of year is 70, he said.
55 degrees, which broke the record of 58 degrees.
Why It Matters
The end of summer has brought contrasting weather across the U.S. The dip in temperatures follows a cold front that ushered in autumnal weather across much of the U.S. earlier this week. Many states from the Upper Midwest to the Gulf Coast areexperiencing chilly weather, which even prompted some frost advisories in Minnesota and Wisconsin earlier this week.
Meanwhile, abnormally high temperatures have hit the Pacific Northwest and prompted heat-related weather warnings this week.
What to Know
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham, Alabama, shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, about the record temperatures across its forecast region.
Minimum temperatures on Wednesday broke a 57-year-old daily record in Birmingham.
“RECORD COLD for August 27th Across Central AL: Here’s a list of low temps for this morning – with 47° recorded just east of Oneonta!” NWS Birmingham posted. “RECORDS BROKEN OR TIED: Anniston: 53° (53 in 1952) Birmingham: 55° (58 in 1968) Shelby Co Airport: 58° (62 in 2015) – Records began in 1995.”
In an earlier post, NWS Birmingham said several cool mornings were expected this week.
“Good morning Central Alabama. Are you enjoying the cool morning? We are going to see several more days of cool starts. Rain chances increase Thursday afternoon through Friday,” the post said.
For Thursday morning, the coolest weather will likely be in Hamilton, Alabama, with the forecasted temperatures of 58 degrees. Minimum temperatures will remain in the high 50s or low 60s for much of central Alabama through at least next Tuesday.
However, this doesn’t mean summer is over.
“While the upcoming cool down will offer a nice break, temperatures will likely climb again in September,” NWS Birmingham said in an infographic posted on X.
Aside from the chilly weather, there were no NWS weather alerts in place for the entire state of Alabama as of Wednesday evening.
What People Are Saying
NWS meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite told Newsweek: “Birmingham this morning got to 55 degrees, which broke the record of 58 degrees. Our average low temperature for this time of year is 70.”
NWS in a Wednesday morning forecast: “Much of the [continental U.S.] to have below average temperatures the next few days except for the Pacific Northwest, Southern Plains and northern most Northern Plains.”
What Happens Next
Cool weather will persist across much of the Central U.S. through the weekend, though Satterwhite said it doesn’t look like more records will be broken. Looking forward, the NWS Climate Prediction Center temperature outlook shows that above-average temperatures will return for nearly the entire U.S. save for the Pacific Northwest between September 6 and September 19.
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