Statistics
If you are visiting the Alabama Gulf Coast or you’re new to the area you may be asking yourself, “just how much rain does Mobile Alabama get?” A quick web search reveals that Mobile is indeed one of the wettest cities in the country. Statistics show that Mobile gets 66.4 inches of rain per year on average which is nearly double the national average of 38 inches per year. You would think this means that the sun shines less often here, but that is not the case. We have 220 sunny days on average. It’s just that on days when we do get rain, it pours. July and August are our rainiest months. Since these are also our hottest months, we only need step outside if we feel like going to a sauna.
Coping Strategies for Summer Storms
- Give yourself extra time for traveling to and from work and other activities during July and August even if the sun is shining when you step outside. Use this time to wait out the downpours whenever they appear.
- Have a set of back-up shoes and clothes in your vehicle.
- Invest in a good pair of rubber boots and wear them proudly.
- Leave the umbrella at home, it is of little use in our torrential summer downpours and the wind loves ripping it from your grip anyway.
- Invest in a lightweight button-front raincoat with a hood. Bonus points if your raincoat also has your favorite college football colors.
- Keep a couple of beach towels in your vehicle.
- Have a good briefcase or bookbag available for carrying items to and from your car.
- Tread carefully. Assume every floor in the building is dotted with invisible puddles of water.
- Drive carefully and SLOW DOWN. If the rain is blinding, put on your flashers but try to keep moving until you can find a safe exit from the road so that you don’t get rear-ended.
- Don’t drive through water that is flowing over the road even if it doesn’t look deep.
- Think optimistically – at least it’s not a hurricane.
