Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Melbourne, FL
Issued by NWS Melbourne, FL
016
NOUS42 KMLB 072001
PNSMLB
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
301 PM EST Tue Jan 7 2025
...2024 Ended Up Warmer Than Normal with Varying Rainfall Totals
Across East Central Florida...
January-February...
Despite strong El Nino conditions across the tropical Pacific Ocean
going into 2024, which typically help lead to above normal rainfall
into the winter and early spring across Florida, rainfall was
somewhat hit or miss to start the year. Rainfall in January was
below normal near to north of a line from Kissimmee to Cape
Canaveral and near to above normal along and south of this line
across east central Florida. For February, generally the opposite
was true, with higher rainfall totals and slightly wetter than
normal conditions across northern portions of east central Florida,
and near to below normal rainfall to the south of Orlando.
The coldest temperatures to occur across much of the area for the
year occurred on January 21st. All of the primary climate sites
escaped falling to at or below freezing for 2024, but minimum
temperatures that morning did drop to values as low as the mid to
upper 30s from Orlando northward through Leesburg and Daytona Beach.
These colder conditions were short-lived, however, and average
temperatures for January actually ended up near to above normal.
Average temperatures into February then trended cooler than normal,
with values ending up around a half degree to a degree below normal
for most locations.
March-May...
Frontal passages were typically weaker and decreased in number
across the area into the spring. While this led to warmer than
normal conditions into March, drier air and overall cooler overnight
temperatures into April actually led to average temperatures for the
month that were near to slightly below normal. Temperatures then
warmed up significantly to end out the season, with May 2024 ranking
as the warmest May on record for much of the area. Despite the
slightly cooler conditions in April, the dominant above normal
warmth through this period ranked Spring 2024 within the top 10
warmest for a majority of the primary climate sites of east central
Florida.
Rainfall across the area from March through May was generally
associated with passing frontal boundaries. However, showers and
storms that developed along or ahead of these fronts were limited
and often scattered in coverage, with overall precipitation amounts
below normal each month. The exception was across portions of Lake
and Volusia counties where rainfall ended up near to above normal
during March and May. The overall drier than normal conditions
through the spring months, led to the development and expansion of
moderate (D1) drought conditions across east central Florida.
June-August...
Drier than normal conditions continued into early June, with drought
conditions worsening across portions of the area. However, a stalled
frontal boundary and deep tropical moisture that lifted northward
into the region toward the 10th, finally led to an increase in
rainfall that kicked off the wet season and began to bring some
relief to the drought. Due to the scattered coverage of daily
showers and storms that followed through the summer months, rainfall
totals varied. While, rainfall was generally near to above normal
across much of Okeechobee County and the Treasure Coast in June,
conditions were generally drier than normal elsewhere for the month.
Wetter than normal conditions then shifted toward and northwest of
the I-4 corridor into July and August, with near to below normal
precipitation across the rest of the region these two months. A
significant portion of the rainfall across the northern interior in
August came from outer rainbands of Hurricane Debby that lifted
northward and made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on
August 5th.
Hot conditions in May magnified into early June, with the highest
temperatures for the year (highs in the upper 90s to low 100s)
occurring from the 6th through the 10th from around the Orlando area
northward. While not as extreme, temperatures generally remained
above to well above normal through the remainder of the summer. June
and July 2024 respectively ranked within the top 10 warmest on
record for all sites, and for Orlando it was the warmest July on
record. August also remained warmer than normal, ranking within the
top 15 warmest on record. For most sites, average temperatures for
the season ranked Summer 2024 within the top five warmest on record.
Most notably, it was the 2nd warmest summer on record for Daytona
Beach and Orlando.
September-December...
Well above normal warmth persisted into early fall, with September
2024 ranking within the top five warmest on record for all primary
climate sites across the area. In fact, it was the warmest September
on record for both Vero Beach and Fort Pierce. Warmer than normal
conditions largely prevailed, but were not quite as notable through
October and November. However, overall for the season, Fall 2024
ranked within the top ten warmest on record for most locations. Then
to end out 2024, average temperatures for December trended near to
slightly below normal for areas north of Orlando, and near to
slightly above normal from Orlando southward across east central
Florida.
A frontal boundary stalled and persisted mainly near to north of
central Florida through the first half of September, which increased
daily showers and storms and also led to some locally heavy to
excessive rainfall across the area. Hurricane Helene also brought
some widespread rainfall to the region later in the month, as it
also made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region as a Major
Category 4 hurricane late on the 26th. However, totals were
generally no more than around a half an inch to two inches from this
system.
Much more significant rainfall and flooding occurred across the area
with Hurricane Milton as it made landfall as a Major Category 3
hurricane on the evening of October 9th along the west coast of
Florida, near Siesta Key, and crossed central Florida. Rainfall
amounts up to 10-15 inches occurred near to north of the I-4
corridor, around 4-9 inches across portions of Brevard County and
the Treasure Coast, and 1-3 inches toward Martin County and inland
areas farther south of Orlando. The rainfall largely from Milton,
ranked October 2024 within the top five wettest for some locations
across the area, and in fact it was the wettest October on record
for Sanford. The other significant impact from Milton was that it
produced numerous tornadoes ahead of the centers approach on the
9th across central and south Florida. A total of 19 confirmed
tornadoes occurred across east central Florida alone, which ranks as
the largest tornado outbreak across the area in the NWS Melbourne
offices 35-year history.
The dry season began as Milton exited the area, with drier than
normal conditions largely persisting through the remainder of the
year. However, coastal showers increased toward the end of 2024 and
led to rainfall totals that were near to above normal for coastal
areas for the month of December.
2024 Wrap-Up...
Despite the slightly cooler conditions across the area for the
months of February and April, the overall and at times extreme
warmth during the year led 2024 to end up much warmer than normal.
In fact, this year followed in the footsteps of all years since
2015, each of which have largely ranked and continue to remain
within the top 10 warmest on record (see rankings for all primary
climate sites below). Yearly average temperature departures were
around 1 to 2 degrees above normal for 2024. It was the 4th warmest
year on record for Daytona Beach, 5th warmest (tying 1990/1912) at
Fort Pierce, 6th warmest at Sanford (tying 2021), Orlando and Vero
Beach, 7th warmest at Leesburg, and 8th warmest (tying 2022) at
Melbourne.
Rainfall totals overall were more variable across the area for the
year, but amounts were generally near to above normal across to
northwest of the I-4 corridor where heaviest rainfall from Milton
occurred and where greater coverage of showers and storms
concentrated during the wet season. Farther south, rainfall was more
hit or miss, with 2024 ending up drier than normal for southern
Brevard and portions of Okeechobee County and the Treasure Coast
(exception being Vero Beach and Fort Pierce areas). To highlight
these differences, 2024 ranked as the 13th wettest at Leesburg and
14th driest at Melbourne. The official rainfall totals for the
Orlando area, from the Orlando International Airport, was an outlier
from the above normal rainfall across northern portions of east
central Florida, with 2024 also ranking as the 14th driest on record
at this location.
- Number of Daily Records Tied or Broken in 2024:
Max Temp Min Temp Cool High Warm Low Precip
Daytona: 3 0 1 18 0
Leesburg: 10 0 1 29 7
Sanford: 8 0 0 21 6
Orlando: 2 0 0 19 1
Melbourne: 4 0 2 17 3
Vero Beach: 18 2 0 21 4
Ft. Pierce: 9 0 0 10 3
- Top 10 Warmest Years on Record (Avg. Temp in Degrees Fahrenheit):
Daytona Leesburg Sanford
1. 73.7 2023 1. 74.8 2020 1. 75.1 2020
73.7 2015 74.8 2017 75.1 2015
3. 73.4 2019 3. 74.7 2015 3. 74.8 2023
4. 73.2 2024 4. 74.4 2019 4. 74.7 2019
5. 73.1 2022 5. 74.2 2023 5. 74.5 2017
73.1 2020 74.2 2021 6. 74.3 2024
73.1 2017 7. 73.9 2024 74.3 2021
73.1 1990 8. 73.8 2016 8. 74.1 2016
9. 72.9 1932 73.8 1998 9. 74.0 2022
10. 72.8 1998 10. 73.5 2022 10. 73.7 2018
73.5 2013 73.7 2007
Orlando Melbourne Vero Beach
1. 75.6 2023 1. 75.6 2019 1. 76.2 2015
75.6 2015 75.6 2017 2. 75.6 2023
3. 75.4 2020 3. 75.5 2018 75.6 2020
4. 75.3 2022 4. 75.4 2015 4. 75.3 1990
5. 75.2 2019 5. 75.3 2023 5. 75.2 2019
6. 75.0 2024 6. 74.6 2020 6. 75.1 2024
7. 74.9 1990 74.6 2007 7. 74.9 2021
8. 74.7 2021 8. 74.5 2024 8. 74.8 2017
9. 74.3 1972 74.5 2022 74.8 1991
74.3 1971 10. 74.4 2016 10. 74.7 2022
74.3 1948
74.3 1922
Fort Pierce
1. 75.3 2015
2. 75.2 2023
3. 75.1 2020
4. 74.8 1982
5. 74.7 2024
74.7 1990
74.7 1912
8. 74.6 2019
74.6 1991
74.6 1975
Temperatures...
Average temperature values for 2024 at the primary climate sites
across east central Florida are as follows (rankings provided if in
the top 10):
- Daytona Beach had an average temperature for the year of 73.2
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 1.7 degrees above normal. This ranks
as the 4th warmest year on record at this site, with records
extending back to 1923.
- Leesburg had an average temperature for the year of 73.9 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 1.1 degrees above normal. This ranks as the
7th warmest year on record at this site, with records extending back
to 1958.
- Sanford had an average temperature for the year of 74.3 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 1.1 degrees above normal. This ties 2021 as the
6th warmest year on record at this site, with records extending back
to 1948.
- Orlando had an average temperature for the year of 75.0 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 2.0 degrees above normal. This ranks as the 6th
warmest year on record at this site, with records extending back
to 1892.
- Melbourne had an average temperature for the year of 74.5 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 1.4 degrees above normal. This ties 2022 as
the 8th warmest year on record at this site, with records extending
back to 1937.
- Vero Beach had an average temperature for the year of 75.1 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 1.5 degrees above normal. This ranks as the
6th warmest year on record at this site, with records extending back
to 1942.
- Fort Pierce had an average temperature for the year of 74.7
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 1.6 degrees above normal. This ties
1990 and 1912 as the 5th warmest year on record at this site, with
records extending back to 1901.
Rainfall...
2024 rainfall totals for the primary climate sites across east
central Florida are as follows (ranking provided if in the top 10):
- Daytona Beach received 51.98 inches of rain for the year, which
was 0.73 inches above normal.
- Leesburg received 52.40 inches of rain for the year, which was
8.62 inches above normal.
- Sanford received 53.42 inches of rain for the year, which was
3.79 inches above normal.
- Orlando received 40.41 inches of rain for the year, which was
11.04 inches below normal.
- Melbourne received 40.46 inches of rain for the year, which was
10.33 inches below normal.
- Vero Beach received 56.08 inches of rain for the year, which was
2.83 inches above normal.
- Fort Pierce received 54.08 inches of rain for the year, which was
2.91 inches above normal.
Below is a list of observed precipitation totals and rainfall
statistics for select sites across east central Florida for 2024:
Station 2024 Normal Departure Percent of
Rainfall Rainfall From Normal Normal
Daytona Beach 51.98" 51.25" +0.73" 101%
(DAB)
Orlando 40.41" 51.45" -11.04" 79%
(MCO)
Melbourne 40.46" 50.79" -10.33" 80%
(MLB)
Vero Beach 56.08" 53.25" +2.83" 105%
(VRB)
Clermont* 53.89" 50.64" +3.25" 106%
(CLRF1)
Leesburg 52.40" 43.78" +8.62" 120%
(LEE)
Sanford 53.42" 49.63" +3.79" 108%
(SFB)
Titusville* 65.71" 55.20" +10.51" 119%
(TITF1)
Fort Pierce 54.08" 51.17" +2.91" 106%
(FPR)
Stuart* 58.95" 62.72" -3.77" 94%
(STRF1)
*Rainfall totals for the year end around 7 AM on December 31st.
For more local climate information, please visit our web page at
http://weather.gov/mlb and click on the "Climate" icon toward the
bottom of the page.
$$
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