What Can You Expect From the Weather in Florida?

Florida is a southeasternmost state located in the United States of America. It is a state that offers a diversity of landscape and climate owing to its location between the Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean boasts white-sanded beaches with crystal clear waters and diverse marine life. Florida is a holiday destination that many people dream of going to, and one that many should at least once in their life. It has been one of the chosen destinations for the world’s richest and famous for many years and has a rich, vibrant nightlife.

This page will tell you what you can expect from the weather in Florida. It is important to add that, as we are currently experiencing a global health crisis as a consequence of the SARS-CoV-19 virus, you must ensure you research the place you are traveling to before going, and ensure that you do not go on vacation without finding out whether it is safe to go there or not. Many parts of the United States are experiencing spikes in SARS-CoV-19 cases – so do some research and be careful.

Location

The first thing to take into consideration when you are traveling to the state of Florida is its size. While Florida is known as the Sunshine State, the temperature and weather vary between locations. It may pour with rain in one place and have warm weather in the other; the weather depends entirely on where you are going. This page will now go on to tell you a few weather conditions to expect, as well as the average temperature in the main tourist destinations in Florida. That is not to say that is what you will experience, and if you are going on vacation, do your own research beforehand.

Average Temperatures in Florida by Location

Location                                  Low                             High

Daytona Beach                       61                                80

Fort Lauderdale                       67                                84

Fort Myers                              64                                84

Gainesville                              58                                82

Jacksonville                            59                                79

Key West                                 73                                83

Lakeland                                 64                                82

Melbourne                               63                                81

Miami                                      69                                83

Naples                                     64                                85

Ocala                                      59                                83

Orlando                                   62                                83

Panama City                           56                                77

Pensacola                               59                                77

St. Augustine                           61                                78

St. Petersburg                         66                                82

Sarasota                                  62                                83

Tallahassee                             56                                79

Seasonal Weather

Notwithstanding northern Florida’s proximity to the tropics, it can still get very chilly. This is because of the sea breeze. South Florida, however, is one of the warmest places in the United States, especially in winter. Summers can often be intolerably hot, but the temperatures are often allayed by early afternoon or evening thunderstorms, of which there are many. Thunderstorms, statistically, occur on half of the summer days. The thunderstorms can trigger a drop of up to twenty degrees in temperature, which can result in more comfortable and temperate weather throughout the rest of the day.

Heatstroke

Despite the prevalence and the commonality of thunderstorms, more people die yearly in Florida from heatstroke than they do from lighting. Florida is very humid, which in combination with high temperatures, can be deadly for some people [mostly the very young or very old]. Elderly people, of which there are many as Florida is a renowned retirement destination, and young people can be very vulnerable to heatstroke or heat stress. The humidity in Florida’s climate owes to the fact that anywhere in the state is no more than sixty miles from saltwater and no more than three-hundred and forty-five feet above sea level. Humidity is caused by wetness in the air, and as there is close proximity to water, the warmer the air becomes, the higher the moisture retention it has, meaning the air can become very humid.

Rainfall

Rainfall in Florida varies annually between locations and seasonal distributions. Some areas in Florida with higher levels of rainfall, and therefore more manageable climates, are the northwestern areas, and the southeastern counties. Some areas in Florida can receive up to, on average, a hundred inches of rain in a year, whereas others can receive less than forty. Florida does, however, have wet seasons, which are late winter and early spring, then during the summer. However, notwithstanding it being called a ‘summer wet season’ – there is only a fifty percent chance that rain might fall during the summer season. Some areas in Florida can experience twenty-four-hour periods of rainfall, although this is mostly associated with hurricanes and storms which blow in from the ocean.

With the help of this page, you know now about the weather in Florida. The weather, as with anywhere, varies widely, as this document has shown. Do your research before you go on vacation to ensure your trip is as seamless and enjoyable as possible.