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Altoona, Alabama

Town in Etowah County, Alabama

Air quality

The air at Altoona

Index 10, good, led by fine particles. Read at 1 AM from its reporting area, Gadsden (AL), 17 miles off.

10Good
  • Fine particles (PM2.5)10Good-
  • Ozone8Good-

The days ahead

Yesterday measured 19, good.

Smoke, the next 42 hours

Smoke near the ground peaks at index 79, moderate, Fri 2 AM.

FriSat

Precipitation

What has fallen at Altoona

None in the last 3 days, to Fri 1 AM. Measured by radar and rain gauges, as water.

Last 24 hours
0.00in
Last 3 days
0.00in

Visibility

How far you can see at Altoona, the next 42 hours

Visibility stays 10 miles or more through Sat 7 PM.

FriSat

On the radar over Altoona, AlabamaReflectivityStorm topsRain rateRain, last 24 hoursForecast temperatureForecast rain totalEvery picture

What is measuring near here

The 7 instruments nearest Altoona, how far away each one is, how high it stands, and what kind of measurement it makes. The nearest is 2.7 miles away.

measured now5 instruments

Gadsden Muni (AWOS)GAD

At an airfield/14.1 mi away/568 ft/368 ft below here

temp, wind, gust, visibility, precip, pressure

Rank-

Gadsden 19 N63857

At a climate reference station/27.1 mi away/1,152 ft/216 ft above here

temp, humidity, wind, solar, precip

Rank538of 798

Gadsden 19 NSMCA1

At a river or reservoir gauge/27.3 mi away/1,148 ft/212 ft above here

temp, wind, gust, humidity, pressure

Rank296of 798

Cullman-NAHRCS2113

At a soil climate station/29.4 mi away/799 ft/137 ft below here

temp, humidity, soil temp, soil moisture

Rank530of 798

measured daily2 instruments

Walnut GroveWLGA1

At a cooperative observer's station/2.7 mi away/860 ft/76 ft below here

snowfall, snow depth, precip, high, low

Rank654of 798

Oneonta 7.5 ESEAL-BL-13

In a volunteer observer's own ground/8.0 mi away/1,376 ft/440 ft above here

precip, snowfall, snow depth

Rank-

Station report

The weather at Citizen station KQ5S-13, drawn

The nearest instrument reporting now, 15.5 mi from Altoona, Alabama. From its report of undefined: 3 of its 4 sheets.

The wind

Calm.

Plan of the wind at Citizen station KQ5S-13, north up: calm; beside it the Beaufort scale from calm to hurricane force, force 0, calm, marked.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT KQ5S-13FIG. C THE WIND AT CITIZEN STATION KQ5S-13PLAN, NORTH UP: THE WIND AS REPORTED, AND WHERE IT SITS ON THE BEAUFORT SCALENESWTHE STATIONCALMBEAUFORT FORCELEAST WIND, MPH0CALM0NOW, 0 MPH1LIGHT AIR12LIGHT BREEZE43GENTLE BREEZE84MODERATE BREEZE135FRESH BREEZE196STRONG BREEZE257NEAR GALE328GALE399STRONG GALE4710STORM5511VIOLENT STORM6412HURRICANE FORCE73TITLECitizen station KQ5S-13, the windSTATION REPORT · CWOP KQ5S-13TYPEPLAN north upSCALENOT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 1 of 4DATE2026-10-16IDSR-KQ5S13-1DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-EVT-150, FB-ENG-008

The column

At 1,018 ft above sea level, 4 per cent of the atmosphere's air lies below the station. The standard atmosphere puts the pressure there at 28.84 inHg and the temperature at 55.4 F; the station's altimeter setting of 30.07 inHg means its barometer reads 28.98 inHg; it reports 63.0 F, 7.6 F warmer than standard.

Section from sea level of where Citizen station KQ5S-13 stands in the atmosphere, height to scale: the station 1,018 feet above sea level with 4 per cent of the air below it; the standard atmosphere's pressure there, 28.84 inches of mercury, and temperature, 55.4 degrees Fahrenheit; the altimeter setting of 30.07 and the station pressure it means, 28.98.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT KQ5S-13FIG. D WHERE CITIZEN STATION KQ5S-13 STANDS IN THE ATMOSPHERESECTION FROM SEA LEVEL, HEIGHT TO SCALE, THE STATION IN THE STANDARD ATMOSPHEREFT ABOVE SEA LEVEL05,00010,00015,000SEA LEVEL, 29.92 inHg IN THE STANDARD ATMOSPHERECITIZEN STATION KQ5S-134 PER CENT OF THE AIR BELOW IT1,018 FT10 PER CENT OF THE AIR BELOW, 2,890 FT20 PER CENT OF THE AIR BELOW, 6,050 FT30 PER CENT OF THE AIR BELOW, 9,540 FT40 PER CENT OF THE AIR BELOW, 13,470 FTSTANDARD PRESSURE HERE28.84 inHgSTANDARD TEMPERATURE HERE55.4 FALTIMETER SETTING, REPORTED30.07 inHgITS BAROMETER READS28.98 inHgTEMPERATURE, REPORTED63.0 FTITLECitizen station KQ5S-13, the columnSTATION REPORT · CWOP KQ5S-13TYPESECTIONSCALEHEIGHT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 2 of 4DATE2026-10-16IDSR-KQ5S13-2DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-ENG-001, FB-ENG-003

The sun

On Oct 16 the noon sun stands 47 degrees above the horizon at 34.24 N, and the day is 11 h 10 min long. Level ground there takes 73 per cent of the noon sunlight a surface facing the sun would.

Elevation of the noon sun at Citizen station KQ5S-13, angles true: on Oct 16 it stands 47 degrees above the horizon, against 79 at the June solstice, 56 at the equinoxes and 32 at the December solstice; the day is 11 h 10 min long.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT KQ5S-13FIG. E THE SUN AT CITIZEN STATION KQ5S-13ELEVATION LOOKING WEST, SOUTH TO THE LEFT: THE NOON SUN ON THE DAY OF THE REPORT, AND AT THE SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES; ANGLES TRUETHE STATIONJUNE SOLSTICE 79°EQUINOXES 56°DECEMBER SOLSTICE 32°OCT 16, 47°SOUTHANGLES TRUE; THE RAYS ARE OF ONE LENGTH AND DRAW DIRECTION ONLYDAY LENGTH 11 H 10 MINLEVEL GROUND TAKES 73 PER CENT OF THE NOON SUN A FACING SURFACE WOULDLATITUDE 34.24 N; THE SUN'S DECLINATION -9.1°TITLECitizen station KQ5S-13, the sunSTATION REPORT · CWOP KQ5S-13TYPEELEVATIONSCALEANGLES TRUEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 3 of 4DATE2026-10-16IDSR-KQ5S13-3DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-ENG-007

The full report of Citizen station KQ5S-13, in 4 sheets, each beside the Field Book plates that explain it

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Snow on the ground

Elsewhere in Alabama

22 places, each with its own forecast and its own instruments.

Near Altoona

The nearest places, each with its own forecast and the instruments nearest it.

Near Altoona

River and lake gauges