Temp in Jan-Feb? (Fort Myers, Naples, Sanibel: rental car, appointed, rental)

[trout]

whats the high tempsduriong the day in Jan-Feb?

[TANaples]

Generally in Naples it's highs are in the 70s with 50s at night. In a cold front the highs might be in the 60s with 40s at night.

[trout]

perfect.

[mrcoolmrcool28]

Jan. 72.3
Feb. 73.5
Average highs

[kroeran]

look at the average, and plan on half the time being 5 degrees warmer, and half the time, the highs 5 degrees cooler.

Last January when we were down, most days were pleasant in the pool around 2 pm, but the window was short, and the heat needed to be turned up a tad.

My BIL was down the week after and caught a stretch of 65 degree weather, but it was their first time in Florida and they spent most of it driving around...if it had been warm, I think their heads would have exploded - you can only take so much pleasure at a time.

[tmozer]

According to my computer desktop weather widgets, it is 37 in NJ (where I am now) with lots of snow on the ground, 52 at our townhouse in SC (no snow) and 68 in FMB. Thats why we plan to check out South Florida.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by kroeran

My BIL was down the week after and caught a stretch of 65 degree weather, but it was their first time in Florida and they spent most of it driving around...if it had been warm, I think their heads would have exploded - you can only take so much pleasure at a time.

I've stood in line in back of visitors who are totally miserable. I've even tried to cheer them up! No place is perfect and, when you're on vacation, you want good weather. I mean, people can go shopping & out to dinner at home, so when they spend a year's savings for that 1 week in Paradise, they expect hot, sunny weather. Moving to Florida is very different from being on vacation.

Don't forget that I was a tourist before I moved to Florida. When I flew here from MA or NH, I expected to go home with a nice tan. Once it was so cold that I had to ask for a space heater, since the cottage I was renting didn't have heat. I was sleeping in my clothes with blankets. 40 degrees here is not the same as 40 degrees in New England. It's a very damp cold. One year I decided to take off the week between Christmas & New Year's and flew to Daytona. It was much too chilly to go in the water (my fault for not researching) so I decided to drive to Disney World for the day. I couldn't find a rental car anywhere. I'll skip the long story, but I think it's very irresponsible to tell people they'll be able to go swimming in January or enjoy weeks of endless sunshine in the summer.

Just like anywhere else, you can experience lousy weather. Sure, if you are comparing the weather here with freezing temperatures up north, then it will always be warmer in Florida during the winter months. I am in no way a Florida basher and have enjoyed countless walks on the beach and glorious sunsets. People used to accuse me of working for the Chamber of Commerce! However, you can visit in August and get rained on every day, and not just in the afternoon as many people claim. There was one week this past July when it rained for 3 or 4 consecutive days. Last year we had record lows in October and the temperature dipped below 30 in many sections of Florida. Sure, there are always averages. But that's like saying the average person earns such and such. If you're unemployed, those statistics won't help you pay the mortgage. So a chart with average temperatures is just a guide based on recorded data, not a guarantee.

I lived for 2 years on Sanibel when I first moved here. It's one of the prettiest places in Florida (or anywhere) but sometimes I'd meet tourists who were sulking because they expected a week of sunbathing. I forget if it was the summer of 94 or 95, but it rained continuously and the streets were flooded. To me it was beautiful, because the rain attracted a lot of wildlife, especially birds, but the mosquitoes were very hungry too. For a full-time resident, it's just part of living here, but it's a big disappointment to those 50 hour a week laborers who save all year for that one big family vacation. So please do not mislead people in other states by saying that the weather here is always delightful. We have hurricanes, floods, fires & tornadoes, heat waves & cold spells just like any other place. (no blizzards!)

[RS1340]

My BIL was down the week after and caught a stretch of 65 degree weather, but it was their first time in Florida and they spent most of it driving around...if it had been warm, I think their heads would have exploded - you can only take so much pleasure at a time

Irresponsible, misleading????

[kroeran]

yeah, I don't get the "misleading" comment, but good observations regardless and well put.

in reality, that January trip in the bad weather had a big impact on them for the positive...it was a time in their life when they needed something new to focus on, and being able to get in the car and drive to florida for a few tanks of gas and one night in a hotel, all the way from Canada, well that opened up a new world... they told me so just last night at dinner.

They spent most of their second trip last November sitting at the north end of Fort Myers beach watching the boats and dolphins and coast guard...plenty of heat to go around.

Indeed, for that one week of perfect weather in January, you have to go south of Cuba for reliable pool beach weather in January. Barbados is the best of the bunch IMO. Just wish you could drive there.

[hiknapster]

Yes, for reasons that I don't understand, people go to Florida in January and February and are very disappointed if they can't go swimming. Even though you can always go wrong, somehow, I research the heck out of a vacation.