The Mother of all Alabama Heat Waves

When it comes to heat waves in Alabama, there have been some doozies. But the 1925 one is the Mother of all Alabama Heat Waves. It had started to heat up in Birmingham late in August, when temperatures would normally be expected to begin dropping. But the heat really started in earnest in early September. On September 3rd, the high reached at Birmingham reached 101.5F at 1:15 p.m. in the afternoon at the Birmingham weather office in Fountain Heights.

Weatherman E.C. Horton called for fair and warm weather to continue. That would be an understatement. There would be six more straight days of 100F+ degree heat followed by five more in late September. Add this to the three 100F+ temperatures in late August, and there were 15 100F+ days in 1925, the most ever in Birmingham weather history. By comparison, there were 14 in 1980 and 10 in 2007. The seven day period between the 3rd and 9th would go onto become the greatest heat wave in Birmingham history, as measured by average temperatures during the period (104.4F).

It had never been 105F in Birmingham until September 4, 1925. The previous record all time high was 104F, set in 1901. On the 5th, Birmingham was recording its third of seven straight days with temperatures over 100 degrees. On the 5th, The headline on the afternoon paper, The Birmingham News, said : “All Records Go as Temperature Reaches 106.” The Weather Bureau in Birmingham stated that the reading in the Magic City was the hottest in the country. In addition, Alabama recorded its hottest temperature ever (112F) at Centreville on the 5th. It was 108F in Gadsden and 109.5F in Demopolis. It was 105F in Tuscaloosa and 104 in Cullman. Every reporting station in the state of Alabama recorded a high of 100 degrees or higher on this date, an unprecedented event that has never been repeated.

In the paper on that sizzling day, Weatherman Horton called for some clouds to help hold temperatures back a tad the following day. He was wrong. The headlines on the Birmingham News on Sunday, September 6th read “Flaming Sun Sets on Hottest Day in Alabama.” Not only was the terrible heat baking much of the state, but Alabama was also in the middle of its worst drought ever. Farmers in East Alabama were hauling water. There was extensive damage to crops all across the Central part of the state. Streams were running dry in many locations. Alabama was not alone. Much of the South and Midwest was suffering from extreme heat and drought. After letting up a bit, the temperature would once again reach the century mark on September 22nd (the latest the Magic City has ever seen 100 degrees.)

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