Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Gainesville Regional Airport Florida, United StatesAt Gainesville Regional Airport, the summers are long, hot, oppressive, and mostly cloudy; the winters are short, cool, and partly cloudy; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 44°F to 90°F and is rarely below 30°F or above 94°F. Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Gainesville Regional Airport for warm-weather activities are from late March to late May and from early October to mid November. Average Temperature at Gainesville Regional AirportThe hot season lasts for 4.4 months, from May 11 to September 24, with an average daily high temperature above 85°F. The hottest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F. The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from December 2 to February 24, with an average daily high temperature below 71°F. The coldest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is January, with an average low of 45°F and high of 67°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Al Hadā, Saudi Arabia (7,247 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Gainesville Regional Airport (view comparison). CloudsAt Gainesville Regional Airport, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport begins around September 22 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around June 5. The clearest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is April, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around June 5 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around September 22. The cloudiest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Gainesville Regional Airport varies very significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.6 months, from May 31 to September 19, with a greater than 43% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, with an average of 20.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.4 months, from September 19 to May 31. The month with the fewest wet days at Gainesville Regional Airport is November, with an average of 5.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, with an average of 20.6 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 69% on July 26.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Gainesville Regional Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year at Gainesville Regional Airport. The month with the most rain at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, with an average rainfall of 5.9 inches. The month with the least rain at Gainesville Regional Airport is November, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.
SunThe length of the day at Gainesville Regional Airport varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 14 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 3 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:28 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 16 minutes later at 7:44 AM on March 10. The earliest sunset is at 5:29 PM on November 30, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 4 minutes later at 8:33 PM on June 30. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Gainesville Regional Airport during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Gainesville Regional Airport experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 5.9 months, from May 3 to October 30, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 27% of the time. The month with the most muggy days at Gainesville Regional Airport is August, with 30.5 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days at Gainesville Regional Airport is February, with 1.3 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed at Gainesville Regional Airport experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 7.9 months, from September 30 to May 25, with average wind speeds of more than 5.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.3 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 4.1 months, from May 25 to September 30. The calmest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.3 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction at Gainesville Regional Airport varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 2.3 months, from February 14 to April 22 and for 2.4 months, from June 4 to August 15, with a peak percentage of 42% on July 15. The wind is most often from the east for 1.4 months, from April 22 to June 4 and for 2.0 months, from August 15 to October 16, with a peak percentage of 48% on September 7. The wind is most often from the north for 3.9 months, from October 16 to February 14, with a peak percentage of 36% on January 1. Water TemperatureGainesville Regional Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 4.1 months, from May 30 to October 1, with an average temperature above 81°F. The month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 85°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.3 months, from December 14 to March 22, with an average temperature below 67°F. The month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 63°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is at Gainesville Regional Airport throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Gainesville Regional Airport for general outdoor tourist activities are from late March to late May and from early October to mid November, with a peak score in the last week of April. Tourism Score at Gainesville Regional AirportThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Gainesville Regional Airport for hot-weather activities are from early May to late June and from mid August to mid October, with a peak score in the last week of May. Beach/Pool Score at Gainesville Regional AirportMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). The growing season at Gainesville Regional Airport typically lasts for 9.8 months (298 days), from around February 17 to around December 10, rarely starting before January 22 or after March 18, and rarely ending before November 14 or after January 4. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms at Gainesville Regional Airport should appear around January 13, only rarely appearing before January 9 or after January 21. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.2 months, from April 2 to June 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is May, with an average of 6.6 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from November 11 to February 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Gainesville Regional Airport is December, with an average of 3.3 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Gainesville Regional Airport are 29.690 deg latitude, -82.271 deg longitude, and 125 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Gainesville Regional Airport contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 102 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 130 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (148 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (285 feet). The area within 2 miles of Gainesville Regional Airport is covered by herbaceous vegetation (35%), trees (31%), and artificial surfaces (25%), within 10 miles by trees (48%) and herbaceous vegetation (31%), and within 50 miles by trees (45%) and cropland (22%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather at Gainesville Regional Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointGainesville Regional Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required. In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations. The stations on which we may fall back include but are not limited to Ocala International Airport; Naval Air Station Cecil Field (historical); Cecil Airport; Herlong Recreational Airport; The Villages; Jacksonville, Naval Air Station; Cross City Airport; and Crystal River Airport. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |