Just how hot are summers in Orlando? (Gainesville, Spring Hill: transplants, for sale)

[Nate_VA]

Thanks for all the replies. I think for me the climate would be ok. I like the afternoon thunderstorms. I wish we got more of them in DC. It gets hazy here in the summer, and not much of a breeze unless a front passes through.

[EditorJul]

I grew up in south Florida, moved to the DC suburb part of Maryland for about a decade, and I'm now in central Florida. The biggest difference between the DC area and Florida in the summer is the air quality. Although it has gotten better in DC over the past few years, I remember when the summer months were filled with Code Orange and Code Red air quality days when even walking to the mailbox could trigger a fit of coughing and wheezing for a healthy person! The only way that you see poor air quality down here is if there is a brush fire putting a lot of smoke in the air.

The heat is comparable during the high summer months (and on many days slightly lower in central FL than in MD!), and while the humidity can be a smidge higher in Florida, Florida also gets that heat-and-humidity-blasting afternoon rain that makes evenings quite pleasant. One major difference is that in the middle of the day, the sun on your skin feels hotter in Florida than in Maryland, so I find that I'm more prone to getting a good tan or a light burn if I'm not very proactive about sunblock.

Even though the warm weather tends to last a bit longer in FL than in DC, it also doesn't mean that you're having to shovel snow in a "freak early snowstorm" (that seems to be happening more often than not) for your Thanksgiving dinner guests.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by leftee

I think by milder he meant much shorter. And that is true, at least here in the Johns Creek area. The high humidity hit here around the last week of June and will be out of here by mid-September or so. The temp itself has been in the high 80s lately with an occasional drop into the mid 80s as a high. We have surpassed 90 a couple of times, but it's not every day.

I have trips to your area in summer where it was hotter than back home in Orlando, and also been there for snow in December.

However, I would agree that N. GA summers are a bit shorter and therefore more pleasant.

There's no arguing though that CFL and SFL are really the only green and verdant areas of the south east during winter.

[LakelandFLNative]

Late June, July, August and sometimes early September it is not unexpected to hit the upper 90s. Luckily we have this weather pattern where the sea breezes collide from the two coasts and we typically get afternoon/evening thunderstorms. If that happens early, it does nothing but make it muggy. If it's later, it can cool down the nights pretty nicely.

[theoldnorthstate]

I don't think it is much different down here than it is anywhere else in the near southeast. Hot and humid anywhere near water and with summer heat. But it is usually hot and humid from late Mar to Sep depending. Whereas elsewhere it may only be a few months of discomfort.

And there is nothing worse that power out after a hurricane. and the smell.

But where I live in Oviedo the seabreeze is always puffing in from the east minimizing the worst case for me. So it is livable.

[TheMartianChick]

My first Florida vacation as an adult was a trip in the last half of July. I was doing one of those trendy low-carb diets and dehydrating like crazy in the 90+ heat. I was witchy and evil at the theme parks and I'm sure that my family wanted to pitch me out of the rental car at top speed. After that trip, I was always fine in the Florida heat. I guess that those were just the pains of acclimatization that I was going through.

When people ask me about my tolerance for the Florida heat and humidity, I always say that hot weather is more easily tolerated there. In the North, some people bother with air conditioning when the temps soar, while others just use a fan to "breathe" warm air on you. In Florida, the people know what air conditioning is and aren't afraid to use it. In fact, you'd better bring along a nice sweater in case you get chilly!

[hmcs934]

I moved down here from Philadelphia last November and expected the summer months to be brutal, but that has not been the case. It actually seems more bearable then up North due to a number of factors. First, your body acclimates to the warmer weather. I keep my thermostat around 78 and am very comfortable at that level. Second, almost everyday like clockwork you get rain and/or a thunderstorm followed by an overcast early evening and this makes the weather much more bearable. Last, the homes are built for the heat with stone floors, ceiling fans, block construction, etc..

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by hmcs934

I moved down here from Philadelphia last November and expected the summer months to be brutal, but that has not been the case. It actually seems more bearable then up North due to a number of factors. First, your body acclimates to the warmer weather. I keep my thermostat around 78 and am very comfortable at that level. Second, almost everyday like clockwork you get rain and/or a thunderstorm followed by an overcast early evening and this makes the weather much more bearable. Last, the homes are built for the heat with stone floors, ceiling fans, block construction, etc..

Does it really cool off that much after it rains in the center of the state? Here on the coast it rains earlier usually and the sun comes out after-often feels hotter than before the rain and you see steam coming off the roofs, roads and sidewalks.
In Illinois we were able to turn off the central air and open windows in the evening, but it remains muggy here until midnight or later so would never think of doing that here.

I think the thing is that if the temp is 85 down here we think we are having a cold front....especially if there is a breeze and you can stay out of the sun. We don't have people dying from heat in their homes like in the high rises of the cities up North because almost everything is air conditioned. We also have a lot more grass, trees, and water in our state than most and that keeps you cooler. Even our pool would cool our off house when we didn't have air conditioning 38 years ago down here. The breeze at night came over the water and made the house so cool some nights when we ran the window fans, that we had to shut the fans off.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Does it really cool off that much after it rains in the center of the state? Here on the coast it rains earlier usually and the sun comes out after-often feels hotter than before the rain and you see steam coming off the roofs, roads and sidewalks.
In Illinois we were able to turn off the central air and open windows in the evening, but it remains muggy here until midnight or later so would never think of doing that here.

I think the thing is that if the temp is 85 down here we think we are having a cold front....especially if there is a breeze and you can stay out of the sun. We don't have people dying from heat in their homes like in the high rises of the cities up North because almost everything is air conditioned. We also have a lot more grass, trees, and water in our state than most and that keeps you cooler. Even our pool would cool our off house when we didn't have air conditioning 38 years ago down here. The breeze at night came over the water and made the house so cool some nights when we ran the window fans, that we had to shut the fans off.

Yes, the rain really does cool us off. And I ride from downtown Orlando to Longwood a couple times per week, and even during summer I notice a cool breeze except for a few stagnant nights, which are the exception.

[JennyMominRI]

This is my 3rd summer here and I find the months that are really bad are June-july-Aug-Sept. Late May and early Oct can still be warm, but not like the other months. Nov through April are just perfect.