Tuscaloosa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Tuscaloosa sees average daytime highs around 57°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 15.0 in of precipitation over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 57°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Tuscaloosa's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Tuscaloosa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 57°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 38°F
- Precipitation
- 15.0 in
- 30 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 4.1
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Tuscaloosa in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 57°F.
A typical winter day in Tuscaloosa reaches about 57°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Tuscaloosa
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 29 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Tuscaloosa weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55° / 37° | 4.8 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 59° / 40° | 5.1 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 67° / 46° | 5.6 | 11.1 | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 74° / 54° | 4.9 | 9.5 | 12.8 | 6.9 |
| May | 82° / 62° | 4.1 | 10.1 | 13.7 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 87° / 70° | 4.2 | 12.9 | 14.2 | 4.3 |
| Jul | 90° / 73° | 4.1 | 14.4 | 14 | 3.5 |
| Aug | 90° / 72° | 3.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 86° / 66° | 3.1 | 7.9 | 12.2 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 76° / 55° | 3.6 | 7.3 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 65° / 44° | 3.9 | 7.9 | 10.3 | 6.3 |
| Dec | 57° / 39° | 5.1 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 4.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Tuscaloosa gets around 15.0 in of rain and snow over 30 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Tuscaloosa?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Tuscaloosa for sightseeing.
What to pack for Tuscaloosa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Tuscaloosa sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 30 days see rain.
UV index in Tuscaloosa in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tuscaloosa peaks around July 15 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Tuscaloosa in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Tuscaloosa is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa sits at 33.2°N, 87.6°W, 223 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Northport, 1.2 mi away.
Topography around Tuscaloosa
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Tuscaloosa.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Tuscaloosa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft around an average of 190 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,198 ft.
The land around Tuscaloosa is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Tuscaloosa (33.2098°, -87.5692°, elevation 223 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.