How cold is Tampa? (Miami, Orlando: transplants, buy, live)

[babak]

So I know there are all kinds of haters out there who complain about the heat, but I for one LOVE the heat and humidity. I am picking up the family and relocating to Tampa for the weather. We moved here to Charlotte from upstate NY and its just still too cold here in the winter. That brings me to my question, how cold are the winters in Tampa? Is Tampa warm enough all year or should I be looking down in Ft Lauderdale?

What are your experiences with Tampa winters? How often does it freeze? Frost? I know the last measurable snow fall was recorded in 1977, but what about just plain old yucky cold weather?

[ferret111]

It's never that cold, but it does have its chilly moments in January.

[tewas]

Well this year we had few days with bellow freezin in at 4 am, and i think i had "frost" on my windshield once. Other than that it was the winter when i was playing beach volleyball in january and february so it wasn't cold. Had to wear my leather jacket for 3 days when it was windy and with rain

It's not cold at all

[Maggi07]

For most people it's probably not cold at all. I've been freezing cold the last two years for extended periods. During the day isn't so bad (most of the time), but at night it gets very very chilly.

I'm a chronically cold person, though, so take that for whatever it's worth.

[tilli]

If you want to get a good graphic feel for the winter climate, take a look at the USDA planting zone guide. USNA - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: South-East US The resolution kind of sucks, what may not be clear is that the 9A/9B divider line essentially runs right through the middle of the city - so you are likely to get what seems like conflicting information from posters about the frequency of frost depending on their exact location. Just a little north and freezes are pretty common in the winter, a little south and they are very rare. It gets colder in inland areas than coastal areas. Most of our winter weather is the most beautiful anyone could ask for. The skies are usually clear and blue and the temperatures and humidity are mild and comfortable. Of course it does sometimes rain and sometimes it gets cold, but usually only for a few hours in the dead of night, several times a year. I can only recall a few times when it was near freezing during the day and only once when it was cold day and night for longer than a couple days - it lasted a week and was very unusual. We get cloudy overcast days generally only when a cold front comes through - once it passes, paradise returns.

The summer is different, too. The temperature numbers may seem relatively low, but the heat index can make those low 90's feel like 110's. No exaggeration. And this goes on for many months with little to no break. It's hot during the day and barely cools off at night. Our daily afternoon thundershowers provide a little break but only cool the air a few degrees. You may think it is just as hot where you are now, but I suspect you actually have a much more comfortable summer than you realize. Here is a similar chart that shows average amount of hot days, this one is a pdf. http://www.ahs.org/pdfs/05_heat_map.pdf Tampa is zone 10 for heat, with 150-180 days of high temps above 86ºF. You'll see that Ft. Lauderdale is correspondingly warmer in the winter with freezes practically unheard of, and a sweltering zone 11 for heat with 180-210 days a year above 86. Charlotte appears to be heat zone 7, for comparison, with only 60-90 days a year above 86. I just want you to be aware of what you are getting into - I hear transplants every year who seem to have been completely unprepared for the relentless heat of our very long summer. Especially do not underestimate the strength of the sun. We are at a significantly lower latitude here and the UV index is often quite high. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes, I wear mine anytime I am outside in the daytime, because even cloudy days are bright enough to hurt my eyes. When you arrive, have your car windows tinted if they are not already. Request legal tint at the shop, it's plenty dark and helps tremendously. Central Florida between Tampa and Orlando is the literal lightning capital of the country, so if you move here, have a serious talk with your kids about lightning safety and buy a good UPS for your computer.

[BBI]

Originally Posted by babak

So I know there are all kinds of haters out there who complain about the heat, but I for one LOVE the heat and humidity. I am picking up the family and relocating to Tampa for the weather. We moved here to Charlotte from upstate NY and its just still too cold here in the winter. That brings me to my question, how cold are the winters in Tampa? Is Tampa warm enough all year or should I be looking down in Ft Lauderdale?

Moved to Pinellas from the northeast this fall. If I recall correctly, mid-Dec through early-Feb was sweater weather and I had the heat on. A few days (maybe 4 or 5 total) were cold enough that I had no interest in going outside -- highs in the low 50s. But the bad days weren't back-to-back-to-back, it was sunny almost every day, and, even mid-winter, the sun sets around 6pm, so there's no cold/dark oppression like up north. And the reports were that it was the coldest December on record, so hopefully that doesn't repeat. I never saw any frost (too close to the water), but co-workers who live on the other side of the bay said they had some.

Friends in Ft. Lauderdale report it was consistently ~10 degrees warmer over the winter, and that it will be correspondingly warmer this summer. Also, perhaps obvious, but there's a different vibe in southeastern FL than in west central FL; whichever you pick, make sure you like it.

[Dallas Kitty]

Originally Posted by tilli

... Especially do not underestimate the strength of the sun. We are at a significantly lower latitude here and the UV index is often quite high. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes, I wear mine anytime I am outside in the daytime, because even cloudy days are bright enough to hurt my eyes.

When I arrived back in Florida after 30 years in Dallas, I noticed right away the difference in how the sun affects my eyes. However, for me it's so much better in Florida that I can go outside without sunglasses and no eye distress. But it's always good to wear eye protection in the sun so I use them. In Dallas, going outside without sunglasses was very stressful to my eyes. Maybe that's why so many men in Texas wear stetsons. They don't ... not really.

[babak]

Originally Posted by tilli

If you want to get a good graphic feel for the winter climate, take a look at the USDA planting zone guide....

Excellent feedback thanks! I noticed you were on the old USDA map, there is an updated one now that actually puts all of Charlotte into zone 8a. So sometimes I even question how accurate those are.

So it sounds like it sounds like in general St Pete and locations south of Tampa along the coastline are safer from freezes. This is particularly useful to me as I do intend on trying some cold-hardy citrus.

[algia]

Fort Lauderdale/Miami is much warmer...when we lived there I never had to wear winter gear of any sort. It wasn't until we moved to Orlando and now here that we have to take out the attire artillery when it comes to "winter temps", and forget going to the beach, the wind is VERY COLD. It lasts longer here too. I never had to wear any of my sweaters down in Fort Lauderdale/Miami.

It gets cold here and a lot of plants turn brown and there is no snow to justify the cold or do any "winter" sports...Sorry no ski slopes down here...LOL and so, it is just like anywhere up north for a while. We get speed seasons here, see below: December 2010, January 2011, February 2011..that is a pond I pass by every day ...

[NALEXAND]

Since moving here from Northern VA in 2006, all winters with the exception of 2010 have been fairly mild. (Mild being lows in the 50's) 2010 was a diffrerent animal, it got pretty cold, I believe we dipped as low as the 20's or 30's, however that is unusual for Tampa. I actually enjoyed it because I got a chance to wear some of my winter gear from years in VA.

Originally Posted by babak

So I know there are all kinds of haters out there who complain about the heat, but I for one LOVE the heat and humidity. I am picking up the family and relocating to Tampa for the weather. We moved here to Charlotte from upstate NY and its just still too cold here in the winter. That brings me to my question, how cold are the winters in Tampa? Is Tampa warm enough all year or should I be looking down in Ft Lauderdale?

What are your experiences with Tampa winters? How often does it freeze? Frost? I know the last measurable snow fall was recorded in 1977, but what about just plain old yucky cold weather?