About
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.