Florida's climate ranges from tropical in the south to temperate
in the north, giving the state plenty of varied and extreme weather.
Rain
Florida's rain may fall as an all-day soaker, a sudden thunderstorm
downpour, a brief sun shower, or a torrential deluge associated
with a tropical storm or hurricane. Annual rainfall averages 54
inches statewide, ranging from 40 inches in the Keys to 64 inches
in the panhandle and in inland sections of southeastern Florida.
The rainfall is highly variable, however; locally, wet years often
provide twice as much rain as dry years.
Snow
Florida is not known for its snow, but the white stuff does occasionally
fall. Flurries and light dustings of an inch or less occur every
few years in the panhandle, but across the Florida peninsula snow
is very rarely seen. The state's southernmost recorded snowfall
(a trace, too little to measure) fell at Homestead (Dade County)
on January 19, 1977.
Tornadoes and Waterspouts
On average, 46 tornadoes per year touch down in Florida, a frequency
that rivals that of the core of Tornado Alley in the central United
States. Florida actually suffers more tornadoes per square mile
than any other state in the country, although many of these are
small, brief, and weak tornadoes that form beneath small thunderstorms
and towering cumulus clouds. Tornadoes can touch down anywhere
in Florida, and occur all months of the year. Along the coast,
and especially in the Florida Keys, waterspouts--tornadoes that
touch down over water--are frequently sighted during the summer.
Thunder and Lightning
Lightning is an electrical discharge between one part of a cloud
and another, between two clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.
In a typical year, lightning strikes Florida more than a million
times; perhaps ten times as many flashes arc across the skies
without striking the ground. The annual strike rate reaches 50
per square mile in the central Florida peninsula, about three
times the national average. Thunder is caused by the explosive
expansion of air heated by lightning along a narrow channel within
or extending from a cumulonimbus cloud, and is therefore often
associated with heavy rain, hail, high winds, or tornadoes. Most
locations in Florida average more than 100 thunderstorms per year,
with a peak frequency of 130 per year at Lakeland, in central
Florida; the national average is about 50 per year. In summer,
storms occur somewhere in the state nearly every day.
Green Flash
A green flash is an exceedingly brief, brilliant, greenish (rarely
bluish) light seen on the horizon just as the last of the solar
disk disappears at sunset (or immediately before it appears at
sunrise). It is a weak prismatic effect caused by atmospheric
refraction, or bending, of light (blue and green light refract
more strongly than yellow and red). A greenish fringe appears
on the upper edge of the sun and remains momentarily after the
rest of the sun dips below the horizon. Florida, especially the
Keys, provides viewers excellent opportunities to glimpse this
elusive phenomenon, which requires a low, flat horizon and a clear,
cloudless sight line to the sun.
Record-setting Florida Weather
Deadliest Hurricane: September 17, 1928. More than 1,800 people drowned along Lake
Okeechobee when extreme winds sent the lake's waters over surrounding
levees.
Costliest Hurricane: August 24, 1992. Hurricane Andrew caused $23 billion in damage,
mostly in Dade County.
Most Powerful Hurricane: Labor Day, 1935. Winds estimated at 200 m.p.h. on Long Key.
Highest Temperature: June 29, 1931. 109° F at Monticello.
Lowest Temperature: February 13, 1899. -2° F at Tallahassee.
Most Rain in 24 Hours: September 5-6, 1950. 38.7 inches at Yankeetown.
Greatest Snowstorm: January 10, 1800. 5 inches near mouth of St. Marys River, along Florida-Georgia border.
PHOTO: John Moran
