Climate of Florida

The climate of the north and central parts of the U.S. state of Florida is humid subtropical. South Florida has a tropical climate.^[1] There is a defined rainy season from May through October when air-mass thundershowers that build in the heat of the day drop heavy but brief summer rainfall.

In October, the dry season sets in across much of Florida (starting early in the month in northern Florida and near the end of the month in deep southern Florida) and lasts until late April most years. Fronts from mid-latitude storms north of Florida occasionally pass through northern and central parts of the state which bring light and brief winter rainfall. Mid and late winter can become severely dry in Florida. In some years the dry season becomes quite severe and water restrictions are imposed to conserve water.^[2] While most areas of Florida do not experience any type of frozen precipitation, northern Florida can see fleeting snow or sleet a few times each decade.

The USDA Hardiness Zones for the state range from Zone 8B (15°F to 20°F) in the extreme northwestern panhandle, to Zone 12A (50°F to 55°F) in the lower Florida Keys.

The Gulf Stream running through the Florida Straits and then north of the eastern Florida coast keeps temperatures moderate a few miles inland from around Stuart on the east coast to Fort Myers on the west coast of the state year-round, with few extremes in temperature. The tropical ocean current also provides warm sea surface temperatures, giving Florida beaches the warmest ocean surf waters on the United States mainland. Florida's geography also makes it vulnerable to the effects of climate change, both in the intensification of extreme weather such as intensified hurricanes as well as coastal flooding and other effects of sea level rise.