Royal Palm Bay Villas, Orlando, Kissimee, Florida , USA.

Affiliates

It is for Florida 's mainly temperate climate that most visitors come to the state. The variation between summer and winter temperatures is minimal compared to most parts of the United States but, having said that, the climate can be far from tame. The area does not suffer from the earthquakes caused on the west coast by the movement of the tectonic plates that form the San Andreas Fault , but it is plagued by hurricanes.

As well as the summer heat and high humidity levels, torrential daily tropical rainstorms can take visitors by surprise, so light rainwear is essential. Winter days range from cool and bright to warm and overcast with heavy downpours. So the best time to go is in the shoulder periods of spring and autumn, except for in the extreme south of the state when winter is the preferred season. But the weather is balmy most of the time, Florida being one of the sunniest yet wettest of the forty-eight contiguous states.

Freezing winter conditions are rare below central Florida although the northern regions occasionally experience snow. Winters are definitely colder in the north of the state but summer temperatures are more uniform throughout Florida . Near the coast offshore breezes can moderate the hot summer afternoons. The advent of air conditioning contributed to making the state a year round holiday destination.

The hurricane season is July to October with the highest incidence in August and September. These usually blow themselves out before they get anywhere near the centre of the state but they have been known to inflict serious damage and some loss of life on coastal areas. Hurricanes are well charted by the meteorologists of the National Weather Service and consequently plenty of warning can be given. The choice to batten down or depart for an inland location is an individual one but the authorities invariably give sound advice as to the most effective precautions to take.

The other major problem, particularly in the southern Everglades , is mosquitoes. Only the winter months are free from these insects. Miami , the Keys and the Gold coast from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach have a sub-tropical climate with consistent year round temperatures in the 70s. Further up the east coast the winter temperatures drop but those in the summer can be even higher. Inland the temperatures are a little lower and the rainfall higher. The west coast is more moderate again, lying as it does on the Bay of Mexico . The Panhandle has the more obvious seasonal changes of a temperate climate.

The fact that Florida 's climate extends from the temperate north to the sub-tropical south means that it never reaches the extremes of the tropics as seen in the Caribbean . It is, as far as can be said of anywhere, ideal for all those that wish to avoid the northern winters and the extremes of the centre of this vast continent.