ORLANDO, Fla. – Across most of the country, the year is broken up into four very different seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. But for the Sunshine State, the year is really broken up into only two seasons: wet and dry.
To start the wet season, a certain criteria must be met. Just because we get rain for a few days, doesn’t mean the rainy season begins. The start of the season coincides when weather patterns start resembling summer afternoon across much of the region. This means, Floridians see a consecutive stretch of sea breeze-driven storms appearing during the afternoon. Although it does not have to rain every day, it’s the frequency of rainfall that usually begins late May.
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Wet season:
Wet season in Florida usually begins in late May and ends by mid-October. During these four-plus months, the state receives about 68% of its total rainfall for the year.
Sea breeze showers and storms are practically a daily afternoon occurrence. On average, the Orlando area racks up about 25-30 inches of precipitation during the season.
Average start dates:
- Orlando: May 27
- Sanford: May 27
- Daytona Beach: May 30
- Melbourne: May 28
Dry season
Dry season normally kicks off with the first initial push of cooler air by a significant cold front.
This annual changeover brings down humidity values and ushers in a drier, more stable air mass, suppressing sea breezes from developing storms each afternoon.
Average start dates:
- Orlando: Oct. 15
- Daytona Beach: Oct. 15
- Sanford: Oct. 15
- Melbourne: Oct. 17
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