Halfway through summer, Florida has experienced warm temperatures and scattered rainfall.
Published on July 17, 2026 at 9:50 am
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Meteorological summer is now halfway over across North America, providing a snapshot of how the warm season has unfolded.
So far, Florida has largely experienced widespread warmth and an inconsistent pattern of rainfall.
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Bradenton, along the state’s west coast, has been the warmest locale, with a mean temperature of 86.1 degrees. If the season were to end today, it would be Bradenton’s warmest summer on record.
Several other Florida cities have also been experiencing an exceptionally warm summer.
Clermont, Lakeland, Ocala, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami are all currently on pace to rank among their five warmest meteorological summers on record.
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Historically, the final week of July is the warmest stretch of the year across much of the state, when the average low temperature is around 73 degrees and the average afternoon high is around 92 degrees.
Coastal communities often remain a few degrees cooler thanks to the cooling effect of nearby water, although the added humidity can push heat index values well into the triple digits.
So far, there are no notable cool spots across the state, though much of the Florida Panhandle has seen temperatures near average.
The persistent heat has prompted National Weather Service meteorologists to issue numerous heat advisories, but no Florida forecast office is currently on pace to break its all-time record for the number of heat advisories issued in a single year.
The status of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or what is commonly referred to as the ENSO, can play a major role in weather patterns.
Currently, the world is experiencing an El Niño pattern, with warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
While many areas are experiencing a warm summer, there has also been a lack of consistent rainfall, another telltale sign of an El Niño that is underway.
The Tampa region has experienced one of the driest starts to meteorological summer on record. Some areas have seen just over 3 inches of rainfall since June 1, which is nearly 8 inches below normal.
Meanwhile, a short drive east along Interstate 4 reveals the opposite trend in Orlando and along the nearby Space Coast.
According to observational data, Orlando is experiencing its fifth-wettest meteorological summer on record, while Melbourne has received more than 10 inches of rainfall since the beginning of June, making it one of its wettest starts to meteorological summer.
Farther south, portions of Southeast Florida continue to struggle to receive significant rainfall.
Many communities around Miami are between 4 and 10 inches below normal despite the on-time arrival of the wet season.
The uneven rainfall totals have been largely driven by the scattered nature of afternoon thunderstorms.
Unlike some previous summers, tropical systems have not played a significant role in Florida’s rainfall totals.
The Atlantic hurricane season has remained mostly quiet through the first half of meteorological summer, with no tropical cyclones directly affecting the state.
Typically, by the middle of July, the Atlantic has produced about two named storms and while a direct hit from a tropical cyclone is uncommon early in the season, even a nearby tropical disturbance can significantly increase rainfall.
With roughly six weeks remaining in meteorological summer, the climatological hottest and rainiest portion of the year are still ahead before summer season comes to an end on Aug. 31.
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