Florida is an honourary province during the winter months as tens of thousands of Canadians head south to escape the cold and snow. It doesn’t always work out in their favour, though, as the cold patterns sometimes follow them all the way to the tropics.
That shouldn’t be much of a worry this year, however. Snowbirds can look forward to a (mostly) warm and serene season ahead as they travel south of the border.
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El Niño left its mark on last winter as persistent waves of rain and strong thunderstorms swept across the southern half of the United States. Some folks in Florida saw 200 to 300 percent of their normal monthly precipitation in Dec. 2023 and Jan. 2024.
Things couldn’t be more different this year.
Even though we’re not officially in a La Niña across the Pacific Ocean yet, the atmosphere is already acting like the pattern is already in full swing.
La Niña, the pattern of cooler-than-normal ocean waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, has far-reaching effects that can significantly alter winter weather across North America.
A typical winter influenced by La Niña features a jet stream arching over the northern United States, shunting the storm track farther north and providing the southern half of the country with above-seasonal temperatures and below-normal precipitation.
While La Niña isn’t the only influencer in town, this winter’s forecast is exactly what you’d expect to see with that pattern present. Folks from Arizona to the Carolinas are in line for a season with less rain and snow than normal.
There are exceptions, of course. Strong winter storms aiming for the eastern seaboard often get their start in and around the Gulf of Mexico, which can force powerful thunderstorms to sweep over Florida.
No matter where you are across the Sunshine State, make sure you’ve got a severe weather plan, a safe place to quickly take cover, and a way to receive severe weather warnings the moment they’re issued.
Above-seasonal temperatures will be the name of the game across most of the southern U.S. throughout the winter months. The greatest odds for warmer-than-normal readings will fall across Florida, where conditions are already toasty even in the heart of the season.
What does a typical wintertime look like in some popular destinations?
Daytime temperatures during the heart of winter in Phoenix, Arizona, typically hover in the upper teens while nighttime lows drop into the upper single digits. The city is usually protected from big cold snaps that swing over the U.S. during the heart of the season.
Things are much warmer on the other side of the country, where folks in Miami typically enjoy daytime highs in around 20 degrees through much of the season.
However, Florida is also vulnerable to chilly temperatures flooding the eastern seaboard. Freezing temperatures commonly travel as far south as the Everglades during significant cold spells—complete with iguanas falling out of the trees.
