DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — “It’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.”
These are the now-iconic words from Heather Barnes’s character, Cheryl “Miss Rhode Island” Frasier, when she was asked about her idea of the perfect date in “Miss Congeniality.”
That got us at the WDHN First Alert Storm Team thinking, what is our idea of the perfect date?
What History Says
First, we explored the climatology at Dothan Regional Airport from April 25th.
What we found is that the average high temperature is 82, while the average low is 58. For a “normal” perfect day, a light jacket might get some of us through the morning, but we would be warm enough by midday that we could shed those jackets.
This morning, we did not need those light jackets. With a low of 61 and a dew point of 60, you would be fine with just short sleeves. And if you walk, run, bike or work out outside, you may have broken a sweat a little earlier than usual for this time of year.
For the most part, April 25th is not excessively hot or cold. The record low is 44 (set in 2005), while the record high is 90 (set in 2010).
But, history tells us hot conditions are on the way. Dating back to 1965, the average first 90-degree day is May 8th.
April 25th is also historically dry. Heavy rainfall events occurred only a handful of times, including 2003. That was part of a severe weather outbreak that caused damaging winds, hail and tornadoes across the Southeast. Damage occurred to a convenient store in Dale County. Dothan experienced 2.27 inches of rainfall that day.
The second-wettest April 25th occurred in 1979, when the area received 2.11 inches of rain.
Besides that, only 33 percent of years had measurable rainfall (at least 0.01 inches), 21 percent had at least 0.1 inches, 12 percent had at least 0.5 inches, and only 3 percent registered at least an inch.
What We Say
In my own opinion, my ideal time of year here in The Wiregrass is late February and early March. Around this time, it is still cool, but it is not too cold. Around this time, the average low is in the mid 40s, while the average high is in the upper 60s to near 70.
For me, this is perfect weather for running. My hands do not get too numb from the cold, but I also do not feel like I am running in a sauna. When it is cool, my body will not heat up as quickly, and I will not lose everything to sweat within seconds.
In my native South Florida, I would say my perfect date would be some time in mid-January to early February. In Fort Lauderdale, the average high is in the mid 70s, while the low is in the low 60s.
Between the breeze off of the Atlantic and the dry, calm breeze, it is perfect weather to spend time outside and open the windows. Any other time of year, it is just too hot.
But what did Chief Meteorologist Matthew Wine and Meteorologist Jordan Ambrose have to say about their “perfect date”?
Wine said he likes the first few weeks of March. He said this time of year has some nice, warm days along with some cool mornings. He also noted that time period is when flowers start to bloom and thunderstorms start to boom.
Ambrose said his perfect date is between October 23rd and October 25th. So, almost exactly six months off from the film.
He said he likes this time frame because average temperatures are in the 70s, there are fall colors, and he likes pumpkin spice lattes.
At that point, Ambrose decided to put his own spin on the question.
“If the date goes well, you can do a second date on Halloween. Go to a Halloween party, haunted house, fair, pumpkin patch, etc.”