Jacksonville Climate
Jacksonville is a city located on the Florida peninsula and has a humid, subtropical climate characterized by hot and humid summers and dry, mild winters. Many subtropical climates tend to be located near coastal areas, such as Jacksonville, but in some cases they extend inland as well. Most of the rainfall that Jacksonville gets is during the warmest months which are May through September. During this time it is pretty standard to see downpours of rain, lightning, and thunder. Jacksonville’s drier months are between November and April, and altogether, rainfall here averages about 52 inches per year.
High temperatures in Jacksonville range from around 64 to 92 °F throughout the year. During summer months though, it’s possible for the heat to reach over 110 °F. The highest recorded temperature in Jacksonville was on July 28, 1872, and July 11th, 1879, when the temperature reached 104 °F. Due to how quickly the land heats up relative to the water, along with high humidity, it is common for thunderstorms to happen during a typical summer afternoon.
When it comes to cold weather in Jacksonville, it is generally short-lived. Jacksonville only averages about 10 to 15 nights at or below freezing. The coldest temperature recorded was at the Jacksonville International Airport on January 21st, 1985 at 7 °F! Speaking of cold, Jacksonville has had three days of snow since 1911, with the most recent flurries being an inch of snow in December of 1989 and snow flurries in December 2010.
Jacksonville is a coastal city, and it is possible to get hit by hurricanes. However, the city has suffered less damage from hurricanes than many other towns along the east coast. Since 1871, Jacksonville has only been directly hit by one hurricane, but the city does experience hurricane-like conditions when storms cross Florida from the Gulf of Mexico and into the Atlantic Ocean or when storms pass to the north or south in the Atlantic. Hurricane Dora has probably had the most substantial effect on Jacksonville. In 1964, Hurricane Dora hit the First Coast with sustained hurricane-force winds, and the eye of the storm crossed St. Augustine with winds that were around 110 mph, making it a strong Category 2 hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
Jacksonville has also been affected by other notable hurricanes, such as Tropical Storm Fay which crossed back and forth across Florida and brought Jacksonville about four days of hurricane-like conditions and significant losses of power. Hurricanes Jeanne and Frances also hit land just south of Jacksonville and caused some considerable damage to the city. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd mainly damaged the Jacksonville Beach area. The pier at Jacksonville Beach became so damaged that it ultimately had to be completely demolished and rebuilt.
On the brighter side of things, Jacksonville does average about 221 sunny days out of the year and does live up to its nickname of “The Sunshine State.” No matter what time of the year it is though, there are always plenty of activities to enjoy in Jacksonville. During the summer people can visit the Jacksonville Beaches, go camping, and even enjoy some stand-up paddleboarding. During autumn the weather ranges from the 50s to the 80s which makes it nice to enjoy activities such as going to parks, biking, and shopping. Spring is an excellent time to enjoy festivals, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, and possibly some fishing. In the winter, people may find activities such as seeing the Jacksonville Jaguars, hiking or golfing quite enjoyable.