What is Orlando's weather like month by month?

The numbers on this page are NOAA’s official climate normals for Orlando International Airport. Each value is a 30 year average, from 1991 to 2020. Kissimmee and Davenport, where many of the vacation home resorts near Disney are, sit in the same part of Central Florida and follow the same pattern through the year.

Month	Average high	Average low	Average rainfall
January	72 °F (22 °C)	50 °F (10 °C)	2.5 in (63 mm)
February	75 °F (24 °C)	52 °F (11 °C)	2.0 in (52 mm)
March	79 °F (26 °C)	56 °F (13 °C)	3.0 in (77 mm)
April	84 °F (29 °C)	61 °F (16 °C)	2.6 in (66 mm)
May	88 °F (31 °C)	66 °F (19 °C)	4.0 in (102 mm)
June	91 °F (33 °C)	72 °F (22 °C)	8.1 in (204 mm)
July	92 °F (33 °C)	73 °F (23 °C)	7.5 in (189 mm)
August	92 °F (33 °C)	74 °F (23 °C)	7.7 in (195 mm)
September	90 °F (32 °C)	72 °F (22 °C)	6.4 in (162 mm)
October	85 °F (29 °C)	66 °F (19 °C)	3.5 in (88 mm)
November	78 °F (26 °C)	58 °F (15 °C)	1.8 in (45 mm)
December	74 °F (23 °C)	53 °F (12 °C)	2.5 in (63 mm)
Year	83 °F (28 °C)	63 °F (17 °C)	51.5 in (1,307 mm)

Source: NOAA NCEI, 1991 to 2020 normals. Values rounded, with Celsius and millimeters converted.

The Florida Climate Center, the state climate office at Florida State University, classifies Orlando as humid subtropical. In practice, two seasons explain the year better than four. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Melbourne, which covers Orlando, describes a hot, wet season that usually starts in late May and a drier, cooler season that begins in October, when the first real cold front comes through.

Does Orlando have a winter?

Yes, but it is short and mild. From December to February the average high runs from 72 to 75 °F (22 to 24 °C), and most days are sunny and comfortable for a full day at the parks.

What really changes are the nights and the cold fronts. Average lows for those three months are 50 to 53 °F (10 to 12 °C). When a front passes, temperatures drop for a few days and the wind makes it feel colder. Frost is rare: Orlando’s airport averages 1.6 nights a year at or below 32 °F (0 °C), almost always in January.

Coming from a Toronto, Chicago or Manchester winter, that feels easy. Three practical takeaways:

• Bring a light jacket and long pants for evenings and early park lines.
• Warm days and cold front days alternate, so check the forecast for your week before you pack.
• An unheated pool is too cold for most people. If the pool is part of the plan, read how pool heat works in Orlando vacation homes.

November opens the cooler season. See what Orlando is like in November.

Does it snow in Orlando?

Almost never. The best known case was January 19, 1977, when an Arctic air mass swept across the whole state. According to the NWS office in Miami, every weather station in North and Central Florida reported at least a trace of snow that morning, and flurries reached as far south as Homestead. A trace is too little to measure: the snow melted as it hit the ground.

Since then, the NWS office in Melbourne logged snow flurries along the coast of Brevard and Volusia counties on January 24, 2003, with no accumulation. In the same report, the office noted that the previous flurries in the area had fallen in December 1989.

Snow in Orlando is a once in decades event. Do not plan a trip around it.

What is the hottest month in Orlando?

July, by a hair. July’s average high is 92.0 °F (33.3 °C), and August’s is 91.6 °F (33.1 °C). On the daily mean, day and night combined, the two months tie at 82.6 °F (28.1 °C).

Counting very hot days says more than the average. Per NOAA normals, July averages 25 days at or above 90 °F (32 °C). August has 24, and June has 20. Across the whole year there are about 110. Nights barely cool off: in July and August the average low is 73 to 74 °F (23 °C).

The NWS also uses the heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to show how hot it feels. The Florida Climate Center estimates that in peak summer the mid afternoon heat index runs about 10 °F above the actual temperature. The NWS adds that heat index charts assume shade: in full sun, it can climb by up to 15 °F.

What is the coldest month in Orlando?

January. The daily mean is 60.6 °F (15.9 °C), with an average high of 72 °F (22 °C) and an average low of 50 °F (10 °C). December and February are right behind it, a degree or two warmer.

January swings between warm, clear weeks and cold front days well below normal, and it has the best odds of frost. For a month in detail, read what Orlando is like in January and what Orlando is like in December.

What is the rainiest month in Orlando?

June, with 8.05 inches (204 mm) on average. August is close behind at 7.69 inches, and July gets 7.46. June through September brings 29.6 inches (751 mm), about 57% of the year’s rain.

How the rain falls matters more than the total. In summer it comes almost entirely from thunderstorms fueled by daytime heat. Clouds build through the morning and a short, heavy downpour arrives in the afternoon, according to the Florida Climate Center. In June, July and August, NOAA counts an average of 11.5 days a month with at least 0.1 inch of rain. In other words, many summer days get rain, but rarely all day.

The same climate center puts Central Florida’s summer thunderstorm frequency alongside the stormiest places on Earth, such as the central Amazon basin and Lake Victoria in Africa. Florida also leads the U.S. in lightning.

The driest month is November, with 1.79 inches (45 mm). February comes next, with 2.04 inches (52 mm).

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The statistical peak is September 10, and most activity happens between mid August and mid October. That does not mean a hurricane hits Orlando every year. It means that in those months you should follow NHC advisories in the days before your trip.

In practice: in summer, start your park day early, when the heat is lower, and plan a break in the early afternoon, which is when storms are most likely. Heading back to the house, having a slow lunch and getting in the pool once the storm passes usually beats standing in line through lightning and heat.

What are spring and fall like in Orlando?

Both are short transition seasons, and both are pleasant. Spring warms up fast: the average high climbs from 79 °F (26 °C) in March to 84 °F (29 °C) in April, and rainfall stays low, at 3.0 and 2.6 inches.

That mild, dry stretch lines up with spring break season, so you will rarely have the parks to yourself. By May the average high reaches 88 °F (31 °C) and the rainy season is close.

Fall arrives later than up North. September is still summer here, at 90 °F (32 °C) with 6.4 inches of rain. October is the turning point: the dry season usually starts with the first cold front, the average high drops to 85 °F (29 °C) and rainfall falls to 3.5 inches. November is the driest month of the year, with an average high of 78 °F (26 °C) and lows near 58 °F (15 °C).

Your choice of month also moves the price of a vacation home and the crowds at the parks. See Orlando peak and off season.

How humid is Orlando in the summer?

Very, especially in the morning. In NCEI data compiled by the Florida Climate Center, average relative humidity in June, July and August is 88% to 91% in the early morning and 58% to 61% in the afternoon.

Humidity drops in the afternoon because warm air holds more water vapor, so the same moisture reads as a lower percentage. It still feels muggy, and sweat evaporates slowly. That is why Orlando’s heat wears you out more than the thermometer suggests.

Outside summer, things improve. April has the lowest afternoon humidity of the year, averaging 47%. From November to March, with cooler temperatures, humidity is much less of a factor.

A few habits help a lot in the humid months:

• Drink water all day long, not only when you feel thirsty.
• Wear light, quick dry clothes and sneakers you have already broken in, to avoid blisters from damp feet.
• Pack a change of clothes for the kids if the day includes water rides or a storm.
• Save the hottest part of the afternoon for a break, ideally with air conditioning and a pool nearby.

If your trip falls between May and September, a home with a private pool changes the rhythm of the day: you can leave the park at midday, cool off in the water and head back out at night. To see options in every area, use the vacation home search.

Still deciding between a house and a hotel? See whether an Orlando vacation rental is worth it for your kind of trip.