Madison weather in August

In August, Madison sees average daytime highs of 88°F and overnight lows near 71°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 11.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 88°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Madison's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
88°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
71°
11th coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:12 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Madison is city in Alabama, United States.

Density
610/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 88°F through the month.

A typical August day in Madison reaches about 88°F in the afternoon and slips back to 71°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 81°F and 94°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 5°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18872
28872
38872
48871
58871
68871
78871
88871
98871
108871
118871
128871
138871
148871
158871
168871
178871
188871
198870
208870
218770
228770
238770
248770
258770
268770
278770
288769
298769
308769
318669

How August really feels in Madison

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 29 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
29
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Madison weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 34°5.010.10.79.92.2
Feb54° / 37°4.810.70.910.73.1
Mar62° / 44°5.611.60.311.75.2
Apr71° / 52°5.010.2012.86.5
May79° / 61°4.110.8013.86.5
Jun85° / 69°4.112.9014.34.8
Jul88° / 72°4.313.2014.14.2
Aug88° / 71°3.111.1013.34.5
Sep83° / 64°3.57.4012.26.3
Oct72° / 52°3.47.1011.17.3
Nov61° / 42°4.18.9010.25.2
Dec53° / 37°5.410.80.39.72.8

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95446
105446
115446
125446
135545
145545
155545
165545
175644
185644
195743
205743
215644
225644
235644
245743
255644
265644
275743
285743
295743
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Madison gets around 3.1 in of rain over 11.1 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
340
440
540
640
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1438
1538
1637
1736
1835
1935
2034
2134
2233
2333
2433
2532
2632
2731
2830
2930
3029
3128

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 80% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
102835532
202835532
303836512
403936502
513936501
613936501
7131035491
8141134482
9141134482
10141233482
11141332482
12151331482
13151431482
14151530472
15151630472
16151629462
17151730462
18151730452
19151731441
20151732431
21151733421
22151735411
23161736401
24161737391
25161738380
26161739370
27161840350
28171841330
29171941310
30272041290
31282141270

Wind in August

Winds average 4 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:00 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:006:46
213.75:016:45
313.75:026:44
413.75:036:43
513.65:036:42
613.65:046:41
713.65:056:40
813.65:066:39
913.55:066:38
1013.55:076:37
1113.55:086:36
1213.45:096:35
1313.45:096:34
1413.45:106:33
1513.35:116:32
1613.35:126:30
1713.35:136:29
1813.25:136:28
1913.25:146:27
2013.25:156:26
2113.15:166:24
2213.15:166:23
2313.15:176:22
2413.05:186:20
2513.05:196:19
2613.05:196:18
2712.95:206:16
2812.95:216:15
2912.95:226:14
3012.85:226:12
3112.85:236:11

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 5.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Madison?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Madison for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Madison in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Madison sees daytime highs around 88°F and nights near 71°F. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Madison in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Madison peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Madison in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Madison is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 34.7°N, 86.7°W, 705 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Huntsville, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Madison

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Madison.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 696 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 735 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,611 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (43%), artificial surfaces (30%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), grassland (22%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
312 ft
10 miles
735 ft
50 miles
1,611 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Huntsville 9.3 mi · Athens 14 mi · Decatur 15 mi · Cullman 37 mi · Albertville 43 mi · East Florence 52 mi · Florence 53 mi · Tullahoma 55 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Madison (34.6993°, -86.7483°, elevation 705 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).