Florida

Florida Weather Overview

Florida's weather has always been subject to much news coverage, while it is famously known as the "Sunshine State" it is just as famous (infamous!) for its occasionally devastating hurricanes.

When looking at Florida's weather it is best to split the state into two different regions: the north and north-western areas and the southern peninsula. The conditions vary between these two regions, which is best kept in mind when planning a holiday to Florida.

With 8700 miles of coastline, there are plenty of to enjoy; in addition to this there is no interior area that is more than 70 miles from the coast. This proximity to the ocean has a year round moderating effect on the temperature, keeping summers from extremes of heat and winters from extremes of cold.

Florida's climate is largely determined by the following factors: its proximity to the Atlantic, the effects of inland lakes and its location in the eye of Hurricane forming weather fronts. While there is weather variation from north to south of the state, generally Florida weather is characterised by its dual seasonal conditions of long, humid summers and cool drier winters.

Florida lies surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. The state is affected by the Gulf Stream current, a powerful Atlantic Ocean current that causes warmer waters to be brought up from the tropics and has the affect of creating warmer winter temperatures.

On the east coast of Florida it has been suggested that there is an excess of methane hydrate present on the continental shelf. The presence of these vast methane fields has been one of the theories thrown up in the Bermuda Triangle discussions. Methane hydrate has the effect of decreasing the density of water which will decrease the buoyancy of a ship, potentially resulting in the ship sinking rapidly and without warning. It has been thought that vessels may have hit one of these areas of frothy water and any wreckage would have been dispersed by the Gulf Stream.

Hurricanes in Florida

A lot of Florida is affected by low pressure systems. While high pressure systems are associated with good weather, lows are associated with stronger winds, increased cloud cover and overcast skies. Low pressure systems also play a huge role in the formation of tropical cyclones. Florida's location near the tropics and in the path of westerly winds which blow off the coast of Africa make the state particularly vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms.

Hurricane season in Florida officially runs from June 1st to November 30th each year, with the worst period generally falling between August and early September, so best keep this in mind if planning a holiday to the south of Florida during this period.

Hurricanes form above warm ocean waters; because of Florida's proximity to the warm Gulf Stream this makes the state a likely target. The tropical storms start in the Caribbean and West Africa; from here they drift west gathering heat and energy as they make contact with the warm ocean water. Picking up force as they near the mainland they eventually smash the coast and move inland causing havoc and resulting in damage of sometimes up to billions of dollars. Hurricanes in Florida have in the past been absolutely devastating. The 2005 hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in history and brought with it five destructive hurricanes- Dennis, Emily, Rita and of course Rita and Katrina. Rita and Katrina were two of the most damaging hurricanes in recorded history, with the latter being the United States deadliest hurricane since 1928 and the former being the costliest ever recorded. While the large majority of Katrina's damage was felt further west of Florida, in and around New Orleans, the state still tragically recorded 14 deaths of the 1836 people killed.

Southern Florida

Southern Florida is one of the warmest places on the United States mainland in winter, which makes it a very popular winter getaway and a favourite for retirees to move to. The southern-most part of the state has a tropical climate with very warm weather year round and a minimal temperature range between seasons.

Key West is the southern-most holiday destination in Florida, an island and a city of the same name lying in the southern part of Florida Keys is the western most inhabited island of the 1700 islands in the Florida Keys archipelago.

Key West has been relatively lucky in avoiding any devastating hurricanes, with the 2005 season being the worst that Key West has seen. In the build up to October's Hurricane Wilma the entire island was evacuated and some parts of lower Key West were inundated with up to 3 ft of water.

Despite the occasional heavy storm, the weather in Key West is enjoyable. It claims to be one of the only frost free areas in the country as it has never had any recorded frost in history. Because of its close proximity to the Gulf Stream and Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys have a mild tropical-marine climate in which the average summer and winter average temperatures rarely differ by more than 10°C.

November through to April is classed as the "dry season" as less than 25% of the annual rainfall falls during this time. The area sees average highs of 26°C in November, staying in the low to mid 20's throughout January and February, before hitting average highs of 26°C and 28°C in March and April.

May through until October is the "wet season", when most days receive slight to significant rainfall, generally falling in the morning which is the opposite to mainland Florida. Despite the frequent rainfall during this period, Key West is the driest city in Florida.

As you move to the north east you will reach the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach; each has a fairly classical tropical climate of brief mild winters from December to March and humid, warmer, tropical summers. In the area the winters see the mercury dipping as low as 5°C to 9°C but it is extremely rare for temperatures to drop below freezing. However, on the whole the area is generally warm year round.

December, January and February are the coolest months seeing average maximums of 24°C to 35°C. March sees an average maximum of 26°C, before moving to 31°C by June. The summer months (the wet season) are hot and humid, seeing average lows of 22°C - 25°C. May and August are the wettest months, by a considerable amount.

The entirety of the region, including the west coast is generally hot and humid all year round. One of the major differences between the west and the east coast is that the west coast of the state is particularly prone to lightning strikes throughout the summer months. What's known as the "lightning belt" in Florida is an area from between Orlando and Tampa to south along the west coast to Fort Myers and east to Lake Okeechobee.

Throughout the entirety of the region thunderstorms will occur on average, about 50 - 60% of summer days. When these thunderstorms occur it is often that a rapid drop in temperature of 10°C - 20°C will follow, resulting in comfortable weather for the remainder of the day. Both the west and east coast are cooled by prevailing sea breezes, the west coast experiences this slightly more than the east.

Central/ Northern Florida

As you move further north and away from the equator, you will find a humid subtropical climate which sees more seasonal variation.

For example, Tampa on the states west coast, experiences hot summer days and short, warm winters. Tampa brags that it only has the threat of frost every 2 to 3 years. The highs in Tampa will generally range from 18°C in winter to 35°C in summer.
Keep in mind that the humidity in the area may make it seem hotter than it actually is.

The Tampa Bay area is known as the "Lightning Capital of North America". Tragically, Florida averages 10 deaths and 30 injuries a year from lightning strikes, with many of these occurring in or around Tampa. It is advised to stay inside during a lightning storm as each thunderstorm is capable of unleashing thousands of individual bolts, so it is understandably very risky to be outside. While dangerous if near by, the storms are sometimes pushed westward and manage to out over the Gulf of Mexico which provides for spectacular light shows, great to watch from the beach on a balmy summer's night.

Moving further north you will reach the cities of Orlando, Leesburg, Ocala and the coastal Daytona Beach. Orlando boasts an average annual temperature of 22.4°C and because of its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer and its low elevation it, like the rest of the state, is warm all year round. Orlando (and surrounding areas) is very humid, with morning humidity staying above 85% all year round with humidity at its highest during June to October.

Moving in land toward Ocala and away from the moderating influences of the ocean sees temperatures rising to the highest in the state. On the flip side, come wintertime the city plays host to the lowest temperatures in Florida. Ocala's interior location means that is has more days of sunshine than Florida's coastal cities. This is, in part, why the Ocala and surrounding area is called "the kingdom of the sun".

Afternoon thunderstorms are a daily occurrence during the wet season. Interestingly, Ocala is known to have more cloud-to-ground lightning per square mile than any other city in the world.

Northern Florida

As you move further north the temperatures actually become warmer, despite moving further from the equator. The prevailing sea breezes from the east and the west keep southern Florida cooler than its northern counterpart.

In this region you will find the states capital of Tallahassee, located on one of the highest hills in the area.

Tallahassee often records temperatures in excess of 40°C, and in summer the weather is characterised by short, powerful showers and intense thunderstorms. On average Tallahassee sees a summer high of 32°C; precipitation at this time is at its highest.

Winters, on the other hand, are much cooler, the city averages 34 nights where the mercury drops below freezing. Throughout December and January, the average high is 18°C and the average low is 6°C. The lowest temperature for the entirety of the state was recorded in Tallahassee (though this was way back in February 1899!). Snowfall in the city is rare but flurries are recorded every three to four years. Measurable amounts of snow in excess of 1 inch occur every 15 to 16 years.

Tallahassee has remained fairly lucky in terms of direct hits from hurricanes. While the city has been affected slightly by local tropical storms, the last direct hit in recent years was Hurricane Kate back in 1985.

The Big Bend area of North Florida, the area around Apalachee Bay, sees several tornadoes each year during the season, but none of these have ever hit Tallahassee directly.

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