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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Gulf Shores in November

Gulf Shores in November is historically a poor month for sun: only 22% of days clear across 8 years (n=240, avg high 70°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 November

Clear-sky percentage for Gulf Shores in November, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early November
1st–15th		 27% n=120 70°F
Late November
16th–end		 17% n=120 70°F
Full month average 22% n=240 70°F

Sunshine & warmth in November

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 November. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early November
1st–15th		 48% n=120
Late November
16th–end		 28% n=120
Full month average 38% n=240
10.2 h median sunshine per day 74% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 26% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 22%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 38%. 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 mostly overcast in November historically: only 22% of days are clear across 8 years (n=240), avg high 70°F. If you want sun in Gulf Shores, October is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ 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 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 ← this page 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.