From time to time I am asked about the best travel time for Florida. First of all: I think, Florida is worth a trip the whole year: Christmas under palm trees, New Year’s fireworks at the beach, hiking through one of the many nature preserves during dry season, the daily rain downpour on humid summer days, the cooling evenings in late fall – each season has its own charm.
Florida is the “Sunshine State” and does its name credit with more than 300 sunny days per year. The climate in the Southern part is tropical.
The Seasons
Dry season lasts from November until April and brings considerably less rain. Especially during March and April plants are often so dry that meadows and bush lands become brown. Who loves to be within natural areas will find walkable trails and many animals that enjoy the midday sun. Especially alligators love the sunny shores and offer a favorite picture motive.
Nights become longer, evenings cooler. January is statistically the coldest month of the year, but no year is equal to the other. In the morning, temperatures could be around 50 or even lower, possibly stay there for a few days. Or we could enjoy wonderful sunny days in the 80s.
2 important tips for pool lovers: Always look for a house with Southern or Southwestern exposure during the winter months. The sun not only warms the water, but the whole pool deck area, which is very useful during morning or evening hours. And invest in the pool heater. Who loves to swim or/and has children, will appreciate a steady comfortable temperature.
In May it starts to get warmer and rain more often. The nature longs for water and rewards us with fantastic blossom. With the rain, humidity rises and the days get sticky. Most rainfall occurs during June until September. In very rare cases it rains for days, more often it is only an afternoon downpour or thunderstorm.
Who loves the beach has chosen the best place during the hot summer months. There is always a refreshing breeze on the miles long sandy beaches. You can spend hours without feeling the high humidity.
Best Travel Time
So do you agree with me on: The best travel time is always?
Hurricanes
Finally a few words about Hurricane Season: Officially it lasts from June 1st till November 30th, but most storms occur between mid July and September. The danger of a tropical hurricane is present, but it will never develop out of nowhere. Especially the coastal towns have the skills handling the situation of a threatening hurricane. The Hurricane Watch views the development of nearby storms to give warnings early, so that there will be enough time to leave the area. Every town has evacuation and emergency plans. Off course also the city of Venice is well equipped – but luckily no hurricane has hit its coast during for decades.
P.S. September 2017 update: The Venice area luckily was little affected by major hurricane Irma. Only smaller damages have been reported from the neighborhood, mostly due to fallen branches because of the strong wind. Our Villa Happy Gator was without any noticeable damage.