[markhunt]

Originally Posted by tallrick

One week of great weather, three months of OK weather and 9 months of hot, hotter and sauna!!

This sums it up the best! OH, except throw in humid for those last 9 months also.

[121804]

In SWFL, it is hot & humid from about May - November. Same thing everyday. It cools down for about 4 months.
There is little foliage of any interest other than palm trees, so things always look the same.
It is a good area for those who like hot, humid weather & no natural beauty.
There are no "seasons" in SW FL.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I saw sleet last February; this was in northwest Florida, in Port St Joe.

[Sarasota_Blues]

A little bit of "unofficial" Florida weather history, from my perspective.

I've lived in Sarasota (south of Tampa) since 1981, and grew up in Ft. Lauderdale during the late 60's and early 70's.

It actually snowed in Sarasota in December of 1989. The temps dropped into the high 20's that night, and it definitely snowed, but very lightly. It was so light, that it never stuck to the ground, but the crevices of my car retained about a 1/2 inch or so.

December of 1983 also had a hard freeze for several days that damaged much of the states citrus crops. I don't recall seeing any snow here that year, but that December was one to remember. I can also remember the exact date of October 15 that year, when temps dropped into the mid-30's, which is highly unusual that early in the year.

I can also remember many a December watching the Bucs and Packers play on TV, where the temps were in the high 30's and low 40's. The players would be bundled up as if they were playing in Green Bay and not Tampa.

The winter of 2000 was relatively cold as well, as it remained fairly cool for most of the winter that year.

I have a theory about cold weather in Florida. Ya know how they always say that its a "dry heat" in the SW United States when its 114 degrees in the middle of the summer. Well, Florida has what I call a "wet cold". When it's 35 degrees up north, its like no big deal,...shirt sleeve weather. When its 35 degrees in Florida, it's FREAKIN' cold!!

I've seen northerners down here complain its cold when its 35 degrees in Florida.

[stugots32837]

Originally Posted by 12paws42

Hi all,

I recently moved here from Ohio and am loving the hot weather. My question is how do the seasons go down here and what type of weather does each season have? I've heard that right now is the "rainy" season. What else can you tell me?

In Ohio, summer was pretty much June, July and August with temps in the 80's. Sept, Oct brought fall with 60's and 70's and lots of autumn color. November through March pretty much was winter, with little sun and cold. April and May were the cooler, rainy months.

What do the months bring here?

Orlando report without the exaggerations. There are two seasons, Rainy season which is from the mid June to the end of September. The average highs are in the low to mid 90s & the average lows are in the mid 70s. Humidity is high, rarely dropping below 90%. Chances of t-storms & showers likely every afternoon or evening. Some days they miss you. Some days they hit you numerous times. You CAN'T set your clock by them. Morning showers are more likely on the coast. The rest of the year is know as the dry season. No it is not dry all the time. It marks the time when frontal systems with big & quick temperature drops from the north make it through the state. From October to December & again in April & May the average temperatures are mid 70s to mid 80's for highs with lows in the mid 50s to mid 60s. From January to March the average high is low 70s with the average lows in the low 50s. These are average temps during the dry season. However it is not unusual to see daytime high temps in the 50s or lows in the upper 30s.
The freeze line is located near Ocala. The freeze line is a climate indicator for agricultural use. North of the line it is likely to drop below freezing for longer than 5hrs at a time every winter. South of the line you can grow citrus. Naturally, the closer to the imaginary line you go, the higher the risk.
Did you want to discuss the weather or were you just trying to start a conversation? lol

[parasol]

Originally Posted by Sarasota_Blues

I have a theory about cold weather in Florida. Ya know how they always say that its a "dry heat" in the SW United States when its 114 degrees in the middle of the summer. Well, Florida has what I call a "wet cold". When it's 35 degrees up north, its like no big deal,...shirt sleeve weather. When its 35 degrees in Florida, it's FREAKIN' cold!!

Your theory is backed up by my experience also, but it didn't happen until I was in the Colorado mountains in February. A brisk 15 degrees up there felt super chilly but 35 degrees here feels much colder. Maybe it has something to do with the humidity?

[doom1001]

I would also agree with the Florida feeling colder theory,I was walking down the street in Lake Tahoe with the temperature around 20 and of course it was cold,but it felt just like everytime it drops near 40 in Florida.

[yukon]

Anyone know where the farthest south it's snowed in the US?






Homestead, Jan 20, 1977.




But I wouldn't rush to break out the snow skis and parkas.

[topher441970]

Then the rain DOUBLES the humidity 20 minutes later, and you wish it never rained....

Originally Posted by pianogal

You know what summer in Florida is like....hot, humid and rainy. The good thing is that the rains do give us a little break from the heat. Where I grew up in SC....it gets hot and stays hot...very little rain to cool things off.

Summer usually lasts until October. Sometime around mid to late October, we will have a couple of days of cool weather, but it doesn't last. Oct-Dec. cool fronts will start down from the north, but most of the time they stall out before getting to Orlando and points south. The occasional one will make it through and give us a day or two of really cool weather. Then it's back to the 80's. Most years I put up Christmas decorations in shorts and a tank top.

If we're going to have cold weather it will most likely be Jan-March. That's also when the leaves fall. Even then it's not usually really cold, just cool for a couple of days and then highs in the 70's - low 80's again here in Orlando. April-May are mild and beautiful.

Remember that Florida is a big state and the weather will be completely different in the Panhandle than it is in Miami.

[pianogal]

[quote=stugots32837;1497846]Orlando report without the exaggerations.

I had no exaggerations in my Orlando report. I told it exactly as I have experienced it living here for the past 25 years.