Honestly, January in the Magic City is a total mood swing. One day you’re walking through Railroad Park in a light fleece, and the next, you’re frantically checking the plumbing for exposed pipes. If you’re looking at the birmingham alabama 10 day forecast, you’ve probably noticed things are about to get weird. We’re currently sitting in that classic Alabama "transition zone" where the humidity makes 40 degrees feel like 20, and the sky can't decide if it wants to be a postcard or a swamp.
Right now, it’s 47°F and wet. It feels heavy out there. With 90% humidity and northwest winds at 7 mph, the air has that biting dampness that local meteorologists like James Spann have warned us about for decades. We’re coming off a night of showers, and while the rain is tapering off, the real story is the temperature roller coaster we're about to ride through the end of January.
The Immediate Drop: Why Sunday is the Outlier
You might see "sunny" for tomorrow and think it’s a great day for a hike at Ruffner Mountain.
Wait. Sunday, January 18, is going to be the coldest day of the week. Even though the sun will be out, the high is struggling to hit 38°F. When you factor in a 10 mph west wind, it’s going to be brutal for anyone not layered up. The low will drop to 28°F, which is the magic number for gardeners to start worrying about their remaining hardy perennials.
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By Monday, January 19, we stay in the deep freeze. High of 46°F, low of 24°F. If you’ve lived here long enough, you know that "sunny and 24" at night means frost that’ll take ten minutes to scrape off your windshield before the morning commute. Tuesday follows suit with a high of 44°F and another 24°F night. Basically, keep the heavy coat at the front of the closet until at least Wednesday.
Rain Returns and the Mid-Week Thaw
Things start to shift as we hit the middle of the 10-day stretch. Wednesday, January 21, brings the clouds back. We’ll see a high of 53°F, which feels like a heatwave after those 20-degree nights. But the price of that warmth is rain. There’s a 20% chance of showers Wednesday night, jumping to a 65% chance of light rain on Thursday, January 22.
The humidity is going to spike back up to 76% on Thursday. It’s that "gray Birmingham" weather—not quite a storm, just a persistent, chilly drizzle.
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- Friday, Jan 23: Sunny, high of 58°F, low of 40°F.
- Saturday, Jan 24: Cloudy, high of 60°F, low of 47°F.
- Sunday, Jan 25: Rain, high of 52°F, low of 29°F.
That Sunday, January 25, is one to watch. We’ve got a high of 52 and then a massive crash to 29 degrees. In Central Alabama, that’s the classic setup for "wintry mix" talk, though the current data suggests the moisture might pull out before the freeze really sets in.
Is Snow Actually Coming?
Let's be real. Every time the birmingham alabama 10 day forecast shows a low in the 20s, the grocery stores run out of milk and bread.
Right now, the models are teasing us. Saturday night (tonight, Jan 17) actually has a 5% chance of snow on the back end of the current system. Monday and Tuesday also show a nominal 5% chance of snow flurries during the day.
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Is it going to stick? Probably not. The ground is still relatively warm, and the moisture content is low. But for a city that treats a single snowflake like a natural disaster, it’s enough to keep people talking at the Piggly Wiggly. The National Weather Service in Birmingham (BMX) is keeping a close eye on the Sunday night/Monday morning window, but for now, they're leaning toward "limited or no impacts."
Planning Your Week in the Magic City
If you're trying to schedule outdoor work or just a patio dinner at Avondale, stick to Friday or Saturday. Those look like the only days where the temperature and the rain chances actually play nice together.
The end of the forecast period—Monday, January 26—looks messy again. We’re looking at light rain, a high of 49°F, and 91% humidity. It’s just going to be a damp, dreary end to the month.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Drip your faucets: Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights are all hitting well below freezing (28°F, 24°F, and 24°F). If you have exposed pipes, don't risk it.
- Check your tires: Drastic temp drops from 50 to 20 usually trigger that annoying "low pressure" light on your dashboard.
- Layer for Sunday: If you’re heading to an outdoor event, remember that 38°F high. It’s significantly colder than it has been all week.