Alabama design temperatures
Outdoor heating and cooling design conditions for 10 Alabama weather stations. Choose the station nearest to you in distance and elevation, and check whether your building department specifies its own values.
| Station | Elevation | 99.6 % heating | 99 % heating | 1 % cooling / MCWB | 0.4 % cooling / MCWB | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniston/CalhounWMO 722287 · 1973–1996 | 610 ft | 19 °F | 23 °F | 93 / 76 °F | 95 / 76 °F | Load calculator |
| BirminghamWMO 722280 · 1973–1996 | 630 ft | 18 °F | 22 °F | 93 / 75 °F | 95 / 76 °F | Load calculator |
| DothanWMO 722268 · 1973–1996 | 400 ft | 27 °F | 30 °F | 93 / 76 °F | 95 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
| Ft Rucker/Cairns AAFWMO 722269 · 1967–1996 | 299 ft | 26 °F | 30 °F | 93 / 76 °F | 95 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
| Huntsville/MadisonWMO 723230 · 1973–1996 | 643 ft | 15 °F | 20 °F | 92 / 75 °F | 94 / 75 °F | Load calculator |
| Maxwell AFB/MontgomeryWMO 722265 · 1973–1996 | 167 ft | 26 °F | 30 °F | 95 / 77 °F | 97 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
| Mobile/BatesWMO 722230 · 1973–1996 | 220 ft | 26 °F | 30 °F | 92 / 76 °F | 94 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
| Montgomery/DannellyWMO 722260 · 1973–1996 | 203 ft | 24 °F | 27 °F | 93 / 76 °F | 96 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
| Muscle ShoalsWMO 723235 · 1973–1996 | 551 ft | 16 °F | 20 °F | 93 / 76 °F | 95 / 76 °F | Load calculator |
| TuscaloosaWMO 722286 · 1973–1996 | 171 ft | 20 °F | 24 °F | 94 / 77 °F | 96 / 77 °F | Load calculator |
Using these values
- Heat-loss calculations for homes commonly use the 99 % heating value, and cooling loads the 1 % dry bulb with its mean coincident wet bulb (MCWB). The 99.6 % and 0.4 % values are more conservative.
- “Load calculator” opens the heating and cooling load calculator with that station’s 99 % and 1 % temperatures and its design moisture difference (outdoor air at the 1 % condition versus 75 °F, 50 % RH indoors, at the station’s elevation).
- Source: U.S. Air Force Combat Climatology Center and NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Engineering Weather Data (1999; public domain). Each station’s period of record is shown under its name; they end by 1996, and the climate has warmed since, so check local requirements before relying on a value for a permit.