Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Clearwater Florida, United StatesIn Clearwater, the summers are long, hot, oppressive, and mostly cloudy; the winters are short, cool, windy, and partly cloudy; and it is wet year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 55°F to 90°F and is rarely below 44°F or above 93°F. Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Clearwater for warm-weather activities are from early March to early May and from mid October to early December. Average Temperature in ClearwaterThe hot season lasts for 4.5 months, from May 20 to October 3, with an average daily high temperature above 86°F. The hottest month of the year in Clearwater is August, with an average high of 90°F and low of 78°F. The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from December 5 to February 29, with an average daily high temperature below 73°F. The coldest month of the year in Clearwater is January, with an average low of 55°F and high of 69°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. Daxi, Taiwan (8,458 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Clearwater (view comparison). CloudsIn Clearwater, 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 in Clearwater begins around September 30 and lasts for 8.3 months, ending around June 8. The clearest month of the year in Clearwater is April, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 63% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around June 8 and lasts for 3.7 months, ending around September 30. The cloudiest month of the year in Clearwater is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 66% 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 in Clearwater varies very significantly throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.6 months, from June 5 to September 22, with a greater than 42% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Clearwater is July, with an average of 20.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.4 months, from September 22 to June 5. The month with the fewest wet days in Clearwater is November, with an average of 4.7 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 in Clearwater is July, with an average of 20.8 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. Clearwater experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Clearwater. The month with the most rain in Clearwater is August, with an average rainfall of 6.9 inches. The month with the least rain in Clearwater is November, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Clearwater varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 22 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 55 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:34 AM on June 10, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 11 minutes later at 7:45 AM on March 10. The earliest sunset is at 5:35 PM on November 30, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 56 minutes later at 8:31 PM on July 1. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Clearwater 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. Clearwater experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 7.4 months, from April 6 to November 19, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 34% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Clearwater is August, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Clearwater is January, with 4.7 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 in Clearwater experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from September 16 to May 8, with average wind speeds of more than 8.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Clearwater is November, with an average hourly wind speed of 11.0 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 4.3 months, from May 8 to September 16. The calmest month of the year in Clearwater is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.8 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Clearwater varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the east for 2.5 months, from March 18 to June 4 and for 2.7 months, from August 11 to November 1, with a peak percentage of 51% on September 23. The wind is most often from the west for 2.2 months, from June 4 to August 11, with a peak percentage of 37% on July 4. The wind is most often from the north for 4.5 months, from November 1 to March 18, with a peak percentage of 37% on January 1. Water TemperatureClearwater 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 4.0 months, from June 7 to October 7, with an average temperature above 81°F. The month of the year in Clearwater with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 85°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.2 months, from December 18 to March 25, with an average temperature below 69°F. The month of the year in Clearwater with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 65°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Clearwater 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 Clearwater for general outdoor tourist activities are from early March to early May and from mid October to early December, with a peak score in the second week of April. Tourism Score in ClearwaterThe 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 Clearwater for hot-weather activities are from late April to early June and for the entire month of October, with a peak score in the second week of May. Beach/Pool Score in ClearwaterMethodologyFor 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). Temperatures in Clearwater are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year. 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. 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 2.0 months, from April 2 to June 1, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Clearwater is May, with an average of 6.6 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 2.6 months, from November 11 to January 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Clearwater is December, with an average of 3.5 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Clearwater are 27.966 deg latitude, -82.800 deg longitude, and 26 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Clearwater is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 72 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 19 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (98 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (295 feet). The area within 2 miles of Clearwater is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and water (39%), within 10 miles by water (54%) and artificial surfaces (43%), and within 50 miles by water (61%) and artificial surfaces (18%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Clearwater, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Clearwater. At a distance of 13 kilometers from Clearwater, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Clearwater according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. 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. |