ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Gulf Shores in February

Gulf Shores in February: 41% of days see measurable rain, 66°F average high, 3% of days historically clear (n=226, ERA5 2018–2025).

Gulf Shores in February is historically a poor month for sun: only 3% of days clear across 8 years (n=226, avg high 66°F). October is the clearest month for Gulf Shores historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Gulf Shores page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late February

Clear-sky percentage for Gulf Shores in February, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early February 1st–15th	1%	n=120	66°F
Late February 16th–end	6%	n=106	66°F
Full month average	3%	n=226	66°F

Sunshine & warmth in February

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Gulf Shores in February. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early February 1st–15th	10%	n=120
Late February 16th–end	29%	n=106
Full month average	19%	n=226

9.6 h median sunshine per day 66% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 41% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 3%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 19%. The 16-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Gulf Shores is historically almost never clear in February: only 3% of days meet the clear bar across 8 years (n=226). Come back in October if you want clear skies here. Plan entirely around indoor or overcast-friendly activities.

→ See all destinations in October — historically the best month for sun in Gulf Shores.

Every month in Gulf Shores

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Gulf Shores, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	0%	n=248	All destinations →
February ← this page	3%	n=226	All destinations →
March	10%	n=248	All destinations →
April	30%	n=240	All destinations →
May	35%	n=248	All destinations →
June	16%	n=240	All destinations →
July	9%	n=248	All destinations →
August	14%	n=248	All destinations →
September	32%	n=240	All destinations →
October	47%	n=248	All destinations →
November	22%	n=240	All destinations →
December	2%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Gulf Shores in February?

Sometimes. Gulf Shores sees measurable rain on 41% of days in February historically (n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Gulf Shores good for sun in February?

Not usually. Gulf Shores is historically overcast in February: only 3% of days are clear (avg high 66°F, n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025). October is historically far better for sun here.

→ Gulf Shores live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in February — all destinations ranked by February clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.