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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Gulf Shores in February

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 →

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.