FLORIDA

Climate - 2

Florida is known throughout the world as the "Sunshine State." However, severe weather is not uncommon across the state. A case in point is that of central Florida which has the unfortunate nickname of the lightning capital of the United States. This is because the area is subject to more lightning strikes than any other part of the US.

Between late spring and early autumn, most of the state experiences regular afternoon thunderstorms with the result that Florida has the highest average rainfall of any state in the US. A pleasant, sunny day may suddenly be subjected to a thunderstorm and then, an hour or so later, the sunshine returns.

Such thunderstorms are caused when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean collide overland. Such occurances normally take place in the early afternoon and can be associated with heavy downpours, high winds, and sometimes even tornadoes. It is for this reason that Florida gives rise to more tornadoes than any other state in the US. However, the intensity of Floridian tornadoes rarely matches those in the Midwest and Great Plains. In fact, the most severe thunderstorms are often accompanied by the presence of hail.

The incidence of snowfalls within the state is indeed a rare occurrence. In fact, the only recorded snowfall was during the Great Blizzard of 1899 when Florida experienced blizzard conditions. Even the Tampa Bay area had snowfalls due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. This 1899 episode represented the only time that the temperature in Florida fell to below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (−18 °C). However, on January 19, 1977, the snowfall in Florida was the most widespread in its history. Snow fell over a huge area of the state, even as far south as Homestead, a city in Miami-Dade County. Even Miami Beach experienced snowfalls for the only time in recorded history. In 2003, a hard freeze, influenced by the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, produced snow flurries along the Atlantic coast as far south as Cape Canaveral.

A large cyclonic storm in March 1993 brought blizzard conditions to the panhandle, whilst Florida was beseiged by heavy rain and tornadoes. This storm had a hurricane-like structure and caused storm surges of six feet or more along some of the Gulf coast regions.

In Florida, the hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, although it is not uncommon for storms to form out of season. However, whenever they strike, hurricanes present a severe threat. It is more prone to hurricanes that any other state in the US since its extensive coastline is in contact with subtropical or tropical water. During the season should, by sheer chance, a number of hurricanes by-pass the peninsula, the at least one of them is certain to impact the state with devastation equivalent to at least a tropical storm. The most likely period for a hurricane to strike the peninsula is between the months of August to October.

An interesting fact is that recent research suggests that the hurricanes are part of a natural cycle and not a result of global warming.

Attractions - How To Succeed

Peter Radford writes Articles with Websites on a wide range of subjects. Attractions Articles cover: Florida as an Attraction (Urbanisation, Religion, Climate in Detail, 1920's Property Boom) and Human Attraction.

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