<p>I was just noticing that Tuscaloosa has significantly more precipitation (over 20" more) than we have here in northern IL. I’m wondering how this precipitation comes about. Does it rain often? Is there a lot of rain when it does rain? Are there a lot of whole days of rain, or is it like Florida with quick afternoon thundershowers almost every day during the hottest months? There’s a lot to be said for it NOT being snow, but I’m curious about the rainfall.</p>
<p>I grew up in Tuscaloosa and went to Alabama. The rain isn’t like the rain in Florida. If it is raining it is usually going to be at least a half day affair and the light showers of a Florida afternoon aren’t the predominant form of rain – thunderstorms are fairly common and the rain you encounter will be fairlly solid and steady. There is a definite “rainy season” – January through April-- it rarely rains heavily during the summer months. However, it is unusual for it to rain more than two days or so on end and it is usually pretty clear when it is going to be a day that you need rain gear – I was rarely caught in class without knowing that it would be raining when I left. I found my rain slicker and duck shoes to be very good investments and made sure that my daughter had both rain boots and a cute rain jacket when we sent her off to UA.</p>
<p>I have found the rain in T-town to be …“overnight rain,” “half day rain,” and unpredictable short period rain (like it’s sunny and then suddenly it rains for 20 minutes)…which is why I recommend that students keep a foldable rain jacket or small umbrella in their backpacks at all times.</p>
<p>I was more used to Southern Calif rain when I first moved to Alabama. In SoCal, the number of total annual inches is low, but it can rain for 4 days straight. </p>
<p>The good thing I’ve found in Alabama is that it often rains overnight, so a number of those inches are not really experienced by students.</p>
<p>I like overnight rain. It puts you to sleep and you don’t have to water the plants when you wake up.</p>