Fort Lauderdale, FL Climate & Monthly Averages
Fort Lauderdale has a tropical rainforest climate. July is the hottest month, averaging 87° by day; January is the coldest at 75°.
Rain, not cold, divides the year in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is genuinely wet: 69.2 inches (1758 mm) falls in an average year, across 202 days that carry about 8.7 mm each when they come. Temperatures are the calmer variable, running 75°F (24°C) to 87°F (31°C) between January and July.
The wet-and-dry rhythm at a glance
Days and nights are about 6°C apart on average - narrower than all but 10% of the 3496 cities in our dataset. January sits at the other end of the year: 75°F (24°C) by day, 62°F (17°C) at night. Warmth peaks in July: highs of 87°F (31°C), lows of 77°F (25°C). The wettest month is September (9.9 inches (253 mm) across 24 days) and the driest February.
Between the average July and the average January lie 8°C, a narrower spread than about 80% of the cities we track. Four of the twelve months pair mild highs with fewer than twelve wet days; the longest unbroken run is December through March. Sunshine averages 10.2 hours a day over the year, peaking in April at 11.7 hours.
The gridded 2015-2024 daily record for this location tops out at 97°F (36°C) and bottoms at 39°F (4°C) - decade extremes, not all-time station records.
More climate facts for Fort Lauderdale
- Hottest month: July - highs near 87°F (31°C)
- Coldest month: January - highs near 75°F (24°C)
- Decade extremes (2015-2024): 97°F (36°C) high · 39°F (4°C) low
- Wettest month: September (24 rainy days) · Sunniest: April (11.7 h sun/day)
- Climate type: tropical rainforest
- Annual swing: 8°C between the average warmest and coolest month · day to night: 6°C
- Months averaging 30°C or hotter: 3
- Average humidity: 77%
Choosing the right part of the year in Fort Lauderdale
Choose dates by rain, not just temperature
Aim for December to March if you get the choice: warm days, manageable rainfall and plenty of daylight line up, and highs average 77°F (25°C) against roughly 11 wet days a month. For the same question asked the other way round, see where else is warm in December.
What the humidity changes
Pack for Fort Lauderdale with light clothing for the warm months, proper waterproofs rather than an umbrella - wet days are the norm here and moisture-wicking fabrics for the humidity. Even in July, lows of 77°F (25°C) make an extra layer worth the space.
Warm all year: the monthly rain pattern
Each card shows the average high and low. The bar places that month between Fort Lauderdale's coldest night and warmest afternoon.
January
- Rain
- 10 days
- Sunshine
- 8.8 h
- Daylight
- 10.7 h
February
- Rain
- 11 days
- Sunshine
- 10.1 h
- Daylight
- 11.2 h
March
- Rain
- 9 days
- Sunshine
- 10.5 h
- Daylight
- 11.9 h
April
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 11.7 h
- Daylight
- 12.7 h
May
- Rain
- 16 days
- Sunshine
- 11.4 h
- Daylight
- 13.4 h
June
- Rain
- 24 days
- Sunshine
- 10.4 h
- Daylight
- 13.8 h
July
- Rain
- 25 days
- Sunshine
- 11.3 h
- Daylight
- 13.6 h
August
- Rain
- 26 days
- Sunshine
- 10.8 h
- Daylight
- 13.0 h
September
- Rain
- 24 days
- Sunshine
- 9.9 h
- Daylight
- 12.3 h
October
- Rain
- 19 days
- Sunshine
- 9.5 h
- Daylight
- 11.5 h
November
- Rain
- 13 days
- Sunshine
- 9.1 h
- Daylight
- 10.8 h
December
- Rain
- 12 days
- Sunshine
- 8.8 h
- Daylight
- 10.5 h
Looking for warmer alternatives? Browse warm places by month, or compare Fort Lauderdale's coolest part of the year: January, February, December.
Monthly temperature and rain table
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Precipitation | Sunshine | Daylight | Wet-day chance | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 75° | 62° | 10 | 3.4 in | 8.8 h/day | 10.7 h | 32% | 74% |
| February | 77° | 65° | 11 | 2.7 in | 10.1 h/day | 11.2 h | 39% | 74% |
| March | 79° | 67° | 9 | 2.7 in | 10.5 h/day | 11.9 h | 30% | 71% |
| April | 82° | 70° | 12 | 3.9 in | 11.7 h/day | 12.7 h | 40% | 72% |
| May | 84° | 72° | 16 | 6.4 in | 11.4 h/day | 13.4 h | 53% | 76% |
| June | 85° | 76° | 24 | 9.7 in | 10.4 h/day | 13.8 h | 82% | 82% |
| July | 87° | 77° | 25 | 6.8 in | 11.3 h/day | 13.6 h | 80% | 81% |
| August | 87° | 77° | 26 | 9.0 in | 10.8 h/day | 13.0 h | 85% | 82% |
| September | 86° | 76° | 24 | 9.9 in | 9.9 h/day | 12.3 h | 78% | 83% |
| October | 83° | 74° | 19 | 7.0 in | 9.5 h/day | 11.5 h | 62% | 79% |
| November | 80° | 70° | 13 | 4.2 in | 9.1 h/day | 10.8 h | 42% | 77% |
| December | 77° | 66° | 12 | 3.5 in | 8.8 h/day | 10.5 h | 39% | 77% |
How Fort Lauderdale compares for rain and warmth
- Rain or snow reaches the ground on 202 days a year - more wet days than 91% of the 3496 cities we track.
- Annual precipitation is 69.2 inches (1758 mm) - wetter than 88% of the 3496 cities we track.
These comparisons use the same ten-year window for every city in the dataset.
How the calendar changes in warm-weather Fort Lauderdale
March through May
Through March through May, Fort Lauderdale runs hot: 82°F (28°C) by day, 70°F (21°C) after dark, and rain falls on around 38 of the 90 days. Daylight is generous - around 11.2 hours of sun a day.
June through August
Through June through August, Fort Lauderdale sits firmly in the heat: 87°F (30°C) by day, 77°F (25°C) after dark, and rain falls on around 76 of the 90 days. Daylight is generous - around 10.8 hours of sun a day. With the moisture factored in, afternoons feel hotter than the reading suggests - the humidity and dew point converter shows why.
September through November
September through November runs hot here - highs near 83°F (28°C), nights near 73°F (23°C), and rain falls on around 55 of the 90 days.
December through February
December through February in Fort Lauderdale brings comfortable warmth, with daytime highs averaging 76°F (24°C) and nights around 64°F (18°C); rain falls on around 33 of the 90 days.
Questions about heat and rain in Fort Lauderdale
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Fort Lauderdale temperature extremes in the 2015–2024 dataset
Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, 2015–2024. Official station records may differ. Need another precipitation unit? Use the rainfall converter.