Heat stress in Huntsville
North Alabama summers pile thick humidity onto steady heat, pushing heat-stress levels high across the Tennessee Valley.
Reduce exertion and hydrate frequently. Take regular breaks somewhere cooler.
Wet-bulb globe temperature via the Liljegren (2008) method. This page is cached and refreshes in the background, so the live badge below can be a few minutes ahead of it.
View Huntsville on the live mapReading heat stress in Huntsville
Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is the heat measure that actually tracks danger to the body. Unlike the plain air temperature on your phone, it folds in humidity, wind, and direct sun: the factors that decide whether your sweat can still cool you. It’s the standard the military, athletic associations, and occupational-safety bodies use to call when outdoor activity is no longer safe.
That matters in Huntsville because north Alabama summers pile thick humidity onto steady heat, pushing heat-stress levels high across the Tennessee Valley. The number above is the live outdoor WBGT for the city right now; tap through to the live map to inspect any neighborhood, scrub the forecast hour by hour, and see the 7-day outlook.
How hot Huntsville usually gets
Across 2015–2024, Huntsville averaged a 88°F daily high in summer: 72nd hottest of the 174 metros we track, and July is typically the warmest month.
Summer runs warm rather than extreme: about 42 days a year reach 90°F, and 100°F is essentially unheard of.
Humidity is the real story: summer averages about 73%, so sweat evaporates poorly and heat stress runs well above what a 88°F afternoon suggests.
It rarely strays far above its own average, topping out at 98°F in this sample.
Daily high temperatures and humidity from ERA5 reanalysis, 2015–2024 (hottest day in the sample: 2016-06-25). These are climate averages for context: the reading at the top of this page is the live one.
For school sports, AHSAA (Alabama High School Athletic Association) publishes AHSAA Heat Stress Exercise Restrictions (updated 28 May 2024), which uses wet-bulb globe temperature. Alabama’s activity zones appear beside the live reading in the app.
Heat in Huntsville: common questions
How hot does it usually get in Huntsville?
Across 2015–2024, Huntsville averaged a 88°F daily high through summer, with about 42 days a year at or above 90°F. July is typically the hottest month, and the hottest day in that sample reached 98°F. Figures are from ERA5 daily reanalysis.
When is the hottest time of year in Huntsville?
July has the highest average daily high in Huntsville. Humidity is the real story here: summer averages about 73%, so sweat evaporates poorly and heat stress runs well above what the temperature alone suggests. Use the forecast on this page to plan around the specific days that matter.
Does Alabama have a heat policy for school sports?
AHSAA (Alabama High School Athletic Association) publishes AHSAA Heat Stress Exercise Restrictions (updated 28 May 2024), which uses wet-bulb globe temperature. Alabama’s activity zones appear beside the live reading in the app. Our WBGT is a modeled estimate rather than the on-site device reading a policy may call for, so check the association's own document for current requirements.
What is the WBGT in Huntsville right now?
The reading at the top of this page is the current wet-bulb globe temperature for Huntsville, Alabama, computed from live weather by the Liljegren (2008) method and labeled with how recently it updated. For an exact reading at your own neighborhood, plus an hour-by-hour forecast, open the live map.
Why is WBGT more useful than the temperature for Huntsville?
Air temperature ignores humidity, wind, and sun: the things that decide whether heat is dangerous. Huntsville's climate (north Alabama summers pile thick humidity onto steady heat, pushing heat-stress levels high across the Tennessee Valley.) is exactly why a single "feels-like" or thermometer reading can understate the real risk. WBGT captures all of it in one number.
When is heat most dangerous in Huntsville?
July is the peak month in Huntsville, and within a day heat stress is highest in the early-to-mid afternoon when sun load is greatest. About 42 days a year reach 90°F, so most of the risk sits in a handful of afternoons rather than across the whole season. Use the forecast on this page to find the window that works.
Put Huntsville’s live heat stress on your site
A self-updating WBGT badge for schools, teams, camps, and local sites: it always shows the current reading and links back here.
<iframe src="https://wetbulbtracker.com/embed/huntsville-al" width="340" height="150" style="border:0" title="Live WBGT: Huntsville, AL" loading="lazy"></iframe>Paste it into any website. The badge updates itself and links back here. Add ?theme=light for light sites.