Are We on a Record Setting Pace for Rainfall?

Is Central Alabama on a Record-Setting Pace for Yearly Rainfall?

As you have probably noticed, there has been a good amount of rainfall across Central Alabama so far this year (and in fact all of the state and along the Gulf Coast). But, has this rainfall been more than that seen in previous years? As shown in the table below, rainfall totals in general have been greater as you go south toward the Gulf Coast.

Rainfall January through May, 2014

Birmingham	22.86"
Anniston	23.52"
Tuscaloosa	25.04"
Montgomery	28.89"
Huntsville	23.47"
Muscle Shoals	16.80"
Mobile	41.50"
Brewton	40.03"
Pensacola FL	56.48"
Tallahassee FL	32.09"

Looking at past rainfall records, we can see that the totals so far this year are not unheard of, and in fact there have been many years with higher amounts. It is actually fairly common for rainfall totals to have approached or exceeded forty inches by the end of May, as the table below indicates.

Years with Rainfall of 40" or More January through May

Birmingham	1929 - 42.21"
	1980 - 41.19"
Anniston	1979 - 43.37"
Tuscaloosa	1976 - 40.92"
	1979 - 40.72"
	1980 - 40.29"
	1983 - 41.36"
Montgomery	1912 - 44.10"
	1929 - 44.85"
Huntsville	1991 - 39.53"
Muscle Shoals	1939 - 41.62"
	1991 - 45.05"
Mobile	1929 - 44.62"
	1947 - 46.17"
	1980 - 50.50"
	1991 - 49.71"
Brewton	1980 - 40.95"
	1983 - 42.44"
	1990 - 41.02"
	1995 - 40.21"
Pensacola FL	1991 - 44.48"
	2005 - 46.49"
Tallahassee FL	1973 - 47.20"
	1991 - 48.05"

So, in the "wet" years shown above, what were the final yearly rainfall totals? As you can see below, the remainder of many of these years was not as wet although in most cases the yearly rainfall was still well above normal.

Final Yearly Total for Years with 40" or More January through May

Birmingham	1929 - 81.82"
	1980 - 61.47"
Anniston	1979 - 68.59"
Tuscaloosa	1976 - 68.30"
	1979 - 68.05"
	1980 - 60.62"
	1983 - 78.35"
Montgomery	1912 - 77.89"
	1929 - 78.25"
Huntsville	1991 - 70.26"
Muscle Shoals	1939 - 69.94"
	1991 - 77.17"
Mobile	1929 - 89.34"
	1947 - 84.20"
	1980 - 78.12"
	1991 - 81.67"
Brewton	1980 - 67.04"
	1983 - 83.92"
	1990 - 60.98"
	1995 - 95.77"
Pensacola FL	1991 - 68.62"
	2005 - 76.22"
Tallahassee FL	1973 - 87.80"
	1991 - 72.25"

It is interesting to note that the highest yearly rainfall totals for several stations were not in any of the years shown above. In fact, six of the ten stations (shown in bold in the table below) received their greatest yearly rainfall totals in years when the January through May totals were well below 40 inches.

Greatest Yearly Rainfall All Years

(Totals in Parentheses are January through May Totals)

Birmingham	1929 - 81.82"
Anniston	2013 - 75.28" (32.93”)
Tuscaloosa	1983 - 78.35"
Montgomery	1929 - 78.25"
Huntsville	1989 - 73.58" (28.09”)
Muscle Shoals	1975 - 78.78" (30.92”)
Mobile	1881 - 92.32" (38.03”)
Brewton	1995 - 95.77"
Pensacola FL	1953 - 93.32" (31.32”)
Tallahassee FL	1964 - 104.18" (33.07”)