Florida Climate

Florida
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Climate/Weather

Florida has a semi-tropical climate. It can become oppressively hot and humid during the months of June through August. Expect temperatures to exceed 90 degrees and humidity to hover near 100%. Florida does not have an official rainy season. The general rule is that the hotter summer months also have the most rain showers. The pattern is that the afternoon heat usually brings mid-afternoon showers. By evening these will have cleared away. It is the summer months that also have the possibility of "Tropical Storms" that on occasions reach Hurricane Force! The Hurricane season is from June through October, with the most likely time for a Hurricane to occur being September and October when the ocean temperature is at its warmest. Hurricanes lose their force over land so Orlando is usually unaffected. Check Hurricane activity

Visiting from November (lowest rainfall) through April there is less chance of rain but early morning and evening can sometimes be a little chilly (due to the possibility of a cold weather front coming down from the north) and you may need more than a T shirt and shorts! There is also less daylight hours. The summer months are a lot warmer morning and night with longer daylight hours.

Florida's nickname is "The Sunshine State" but it is also the Thunderstorm and Lightning State. Due to the large amount of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the hot tropical sun, conditions are perfect for the formation of thunderstorms so you can expect to see a few during your visit. (more likely during the summer months).

Average Daily Maximum Temperatures

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Orlando	71	72	76	82	87	89	90	90	88	83	76	72
Miami/Fort Lauderdale	76	77	80	83	85	88	90	90	88	85	80	77
Key Largo/Key West	74	75	77	80	83	86	87	88	87	83	76	75
Clearwater/St Petes	71	73	76	81	87	89	90	90	88	85	80	77
Fort Myers/Naples	75	76	80	84	89	91	91	92	90	85	80	76
Orlando ave rainfall in inches	2.3	3.0	3.5	2.7	2.9	7.1	8.3	6.7	7.7	4.1	1.6	1.9
Ave Hours of Sunshine	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	8	7	6	7	7

Check today's weather at THE WEATHER CHANNEL, or take a look at past years weather at WEATHER WUNDERGROUND.

click on image for larger view

Sunset at Key Largo

The sun in Florida is very strong even on a cloudy day, so be sure to take and use a HIGH factor sun screen.

Before you go swimming in the Ocean or Gulf check for signs, flags or status boards warning of a strong undertow or rip tides. If there are warning signs DO NOT go swimming. Ask the beach patrol about existing water conditions. At unguarded beaches, during times of strong onshore winds or high waves, weak swimmers should avoid going into the surf above their knees. Swimmers also should be careful of dangerous areas around inlets, piers and jetties where rip currents can be particularly strong.